Bob Ivell

18 January 2002 by
Bob Ivell

Name: Bob Ivell

D/o/B: 09/05/52

Job title: Chairman and managing director, Scottish & Newcastle Retail

Location: Northampton

First job in hospitality: During his A-levels, Ivell worked in a pub near Maidstone, Kent, where he grew up.

Route from there to current job: After school, Ivell had a place at Southampton University to study law but travelled to the US for a year instead. When he came back, he decided to enter the hospitality sector and started a course in hospitality management at what was then Brighton Polytechnic. From there he got a job with Grand Metropolitan Hotels as a graduate trainee and became one of its youngest ever food and beverage managers at its Mayfair Hotel. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>

In the late 1970s, Whitbread was launching Beefeater and this caught Ivell's attention. He joined the company and became regional development manager for the north and east of the UK, growing the chain from two units to 250. By then he was managing director of Beefeater. He left in the early 1990s and joined Scottish & Newcastle as managing director of its Restaurants & Development wing. This eventually included its managed houses too.

In September 2001, he became chairman and managing director of S&N Retail.

Main responsibilities: Ivell says he covers everything from chip tastings to big strategic board meetings. He also makes a point of maintaining links with as many staff as possible and insisting every board member does at least four days a year working behind a bar.

What do you enjoy most about your job? "The variety and the people. It's so exciting and challenging. I love it."

What do you dislike most about your job? "The bureaucracy! The amount of paperwork involved is getting worse every year. Since 1997, the amount of new legislation such as the Working Time Directive, the National Minimum Wage and laws relating to areas such as planning, licensing and health and safety have really added to our workloads and costs."

What attributes do you need to do your job? "Experience of life and business, both of which come with age. You have to have good leadership skills but be prepared to listen and not to become arrogant. You should always keep your feet on the ground and be able to handle all types of situations. You need a lot of common sense, which might sound obvious but I've met a lot of academic people who lack it. You also have to be comfortable and able to make a lot of decisions. It also helps to be easy-going which I think others view me as. Yet I am incredibly competitive, as anyone who has seen me play tennis will testify."

What's your next move? "I'm still settling into being chairman so my next move doesn't enter my mind. I have a great job and I love what I do so I don't have any aspirations to do anything else."

What's your ultimate career goal? "I think I now have one of the best jobs in the industry."

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