Manager of the Year

Stephen Carter

He is as passionate about Scotland as any native Scot, cares deeply about supporting the local economy of Fife, and is synonymous with Scottish tourism. And yet this year's winner of the Manager of the Year Catey is a Yorkshireman. It is, of course, Stephen Carter.

As general manager of the St Andrews Bay Golf Resort and Spa, Carter is at the top of his tree. He's had an impressive career with Thistle Hotels, Holiday Inn and Stakis before joining Queens Moat House Hotels, where he worked as general manager at both the Caledonian hotel in Edinburgh and the Moat House International in Glasgow.

He then spent two years in the Home Counties, at Cliveden in Taplow, Berkshire, as operations director and general manager, all the while keeping a base up in Scotland for his certain return. "While I was in London I had kept a house in Scotland, and so when the job in St Andrews came up it was just natural for me to gravitate towards it," Carter had said at the time.

Although today the £50m new-build St Andrews Bay has established its name and is a valid rival to its neighbour the Old Course hotel, as well as its competitors further afield, Turnberry and Gleneagles, it hasn't been without its problems. Carter was faced with
opening a hotel in the middle of the foot-and-mouth epidemic, followed by 9/11, the ongoing war in Iraq and an unstable US economy, something Scottish tourism has long relied on.

industries.

As one nominator put it: "Stephen adopts the attitude that if the core attributes are evident in the individual, other skills can be taught through a commitment to training."

A fellow nominator said: "The hotel has the most amazing team spirit - everyone you come into contact with is professional, friendly, enthusiastic and proud of where they work."

In spite of its tricky start and the fact that Fife is seen as a seasonal destination, Carter, the holder of a Visit Scotland Silver Thistle Award and chairman of HIT (Hospitality Industry Trust) Scotland, has ensured business has grown significantly year on year. Occupancy grew by 42.5% in 2002, by 13.3% in 2003 and by 8.3% last year. Last December he recorded a very respectable occupancy of 59% - not bad for a golf resort, and probably why earlier this year the hotel was named Scottish Hotel of the Year.

As judge Robert Cook concluded: "It's difficult taking on the Turnberry, Gleneagles and Old Courses of this world, and Stephen has done this while contributing to emerging younger talent."

The judges

• Julie Baugh, general manager, Thurlestone hotel
• Robert Cook, chief executive, Malmaison Hotels
• Christopher Cowdray, general manager, the Dorchester
• Linda Halliday, human resources director, BaxterStorey
• Lesley Reynolds, chief executive, Portfolio
• Patrick Stapleton, area general manager, Hilton Northern Ireland
• Jane Sunley, managing director, Learnpurple

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