Headland hotel recruits Sue Williams to drive sustainability efforts

The Headland hotel in Newquay has appointed Sue Williams as a non-executive director to help drive the hotel’s sustainability efforts.

As part of her role she will focus on reducing carbon footprint and enhancing staff wellbeing.

Working closely with the board of directors, managing director Jason Adams and the senior management team, Williams will be tasked with developing sustainability strategies in conjunction with certification group EarthCheck, and nurturing a "people-powered" culture.

She has a strong background as an industry leader, having been general manager at Whatley Manor until 2023, where she was behind a major sustainability drive at the hotel, which included removing single-use plastic from guest rooms and working to reduce carbon emissions.

Prior to that she held general manager positions at Cliveden House and Bath Priory hotels after spending more than 13 years as operations manager at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire.

In 2023 she founded consultancy Positive Hospitality to support those in the hospitality sector looking to integrate sustainable practices. The same year, she won the Outstanding Contribution Award at the Hotel Cateys, having already been named as Hotelier of the Year in 2017.

The Headland’s director Veryan Palmer said: “It’s not every day a family board of directors opens its arms to an outsider. But Sue brings exactly what we were looking for, fresh thinking, sharp insight and a shared love for this beautiful place and the people who make it special.”

Williams said: “This hotel is part of Cornwall’s soul. It’s an honour to join the team and help shape its next chapter, one that marries the family values with the rigor to meet the opportunities and pace of change that lie ahead.”

In 2023, the hotel bid to install 450 solar panels on site, but plans were rejected by Cornwall Council.

Meanwhile, last month chef Adam Handling relaunched his Cornish restaurant Ugly Butterfly at the Headland after his original premises at the Carbis Bay Estate closed in June.

The five-AA-star family-run Headland hotel occupies a Grade II-listed building dating from 1897 and has hosted guests including King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra and King Charles III. It was used as a location for the 1987 film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, which starred Angelica Houston and Rowan Atkinson.