Simon Rogan appoints MD to manage restaurants

Simon Rogan has appointed David Simms as the managing director of his Umbel Restaurant Group.

He will oversee all of Rogan's restaurants, including: L'Enclume; Rogan & Co; Aulis, and the Pig & Whistle in Cartmel, Cumbria; The French, and Mr Cooper's House and Garden at the Midland hotel in Manchester; and Fera at Claridge's in London.

Simms (pictured) started his culinary career in 1994 when he joined Roux Fine Dining, the contract caterer group overseen by Albert Roux and Michel Roux Jr.

In 1997, he became senior chef de partie at Le Gavroche under Michel Roux Jr, before becoming senior under chef consultant John Burton-Race at Temple restaurant in London (1999-2000).

He moved back into the contract catering sector to join Alison Price & Company as executive chef (2000-5) and more recently took the role of group executive chef at Restaurant Associates, overseeing 20 fine dining establishments across London for five years until launching his own catering consultancy company, Kendall & Simms, in 2012.