Acorn winner 2007: Brett Hercock
Brett Hercock
Age: 27
Position: Director of catering operations, Grosvenor House Park Lane, London
Career to date…
Hercock has been at Grosvenor House since taking a position as a conference and banqueting management trainee in 1999. A series of annual promotions then saw him rise through the ranks from conference and banqueting co-ordinator, assistant conference and banqueting account manager, event manager and senior event manager to the position he holds today. As director of catering operations, a position which he began in 2005 aged 26, Hercock is responsible for 80 full-time and more than 300 casual staff and oversees high-profile events such as the BAFTAs.
Why is he a winner?
Hercock's rapid rise from management trainee to director of catering operations in just six years is testament to his passion and incredible ambition. As well as being a great leader who commands respect from his staff, he is a team player and an excellent communicator and his customer focus and attention to detail and unflappable nature in the face of constant challenges have all served him well. He has run a number of high-profile events at the hotel, making a significant financial contribution to the business in the process.
Having set his heart on a senior position at the hotel, Hercock went for it with all he had and has risen to a great height, given his relative youth. He is now set on becoming the general manager of a five-star hotel by the age of 40 - which for someone of Hercock's calibre should be a walk in the park.