Acorn winners 2012 – Joel Fagg
Age 26
Position General manager, Palace hotel, Buxton, Puma Hotels Collection
Nominator Jane Sunley
Proudest moment Becoming operations manager of the four-star 130-room Walton hotel and 56-room Walton Hall hotel. I was the youngest to hold the position in company records.
Greatest inspiration Iconic people such as Robert Cook because of what he achieved at Malmaison. Also Jane Sunley, founder of Learnpurple, who supports people in the industry through training.
Ambition I'd like to become managing director of a luxury hotel group.
Hospitality is Joel Fagg's passion. At 15 he set up his own disco business, which he ran for five years. He studied A-level hospitality management, with work experience at the Savoy, the Lowry in Manchester and Compass Group, and received the Student of the Course Award. Prior to joining Puma Hotels Collection in 2005, Joel worked as F&B supervisor at Barton Grange hotel. Since joining Puma, he's worked in five UK hotels, starting as trainee manager. He also completed a foundation degree while progressing through managerial roles in conference & banqueting, bars, F&B and operations, before becoming general manager.
Joel is now responsible for the day-to-day management and overall business strategy of the Palace hotel. He oversees a business with a turnover of nearly £4m and manages 130 staff. Joel was the winner of the 2011 Acorn Scholarship.