Acorn winners 2011 – Natalie Mainwaring

Age 28
Position Business development manager, It's The Agency
Nominator Alison Tyler
Proudest career moment The moment our new It's The Agency brand went live last year.
Greatest inspiration The fact that in our industry, you are only as good as your last event.
Ambition It's The Agency New York! I want us to take our events and venue solutions global. Also to add some stunning new venues to our portfolio to offer clients a greater opportunity to experience our hospitality.

Natalie Mainwaring discovered a passion for hospitality while working as a waitress while studying for a law degree.

Time spent as an events and sales co-ordinator at Las Iguanas in Cardiff led to a move to London in 2007 to join Chester Boyd as an event coordinator. She was soon promoted to sales executive, in which role she drove 20%-plus increases in sales of Christmas packages.

In 2009 Mainwaring became business development manager at Chester Boyd, and was instrumental in the creation of its offshoot, It's The Agency. Today, she is responsible for revenues of well over £5m.