Foodservice Cateys 2022: Rising Star Award – Jess Savva, Amadeus

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Jess Savva is retail manager for Resorts World Arena in Birmingham. She leads a team of three and oversees the public catering operation at the venue in retail areas, with a turnover worth almost £4m. She can boast the arena's best-ever mystery shopper audits, achieving an average score of 93%, as well as achieving commercial success in spend per head figures with an average of £6.79, well above the forecasted average of £5.23. The venue is also operating at 130.7% of pre-pandemic levels.

Two recent successes included record profits at arena shows for the Stereophonics, where Savva and her team had a budget of £139,600 which they exceeded that by almost £40,000, and a run of shows from Little Mix, where her budget of £252,000 came in just shy of £300,000 in three days.

Savva is known for her positivity and is legendary for having her "positive pants on". She previously held roles in Amadeus' external events team, but was unfortunately made redundant during the pandemic. However, she rejoined the company as retails manager, with the same infectious spirit and attitude.

A bigger project for Sava more recently has been the ongoing industry issue of staffing. With the swift return to arena events after Covid, she had to quickly learn the retail side of the business, adapting to staff and stock shortages while ensuring revenue generation. She took it upon herself to take a lead role in solving staffing issues for Amadeus at the venue, overseeing a huge recruitment drive. She also introduced robust structures into the retail operation, helping to streamline the process and drive revenue.

On the NEC campus, Savva has worked with Amadeus' parent company the NEC Group to get more apprentices into the business. She used the Kickstarter programme to create new roles for 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit, who are at risk of long-term unemployment. One of the best examples of this scheme in action has been Harry Jones, who joined having no experience in the events catering industry but, with Savva's supervision and guidance, now leads a small team, overseeing multiple areas at the arena and helping to look after the business's cellars.

Savva is also an active member of the Springboard charity and works as a mentor, conducting mock interviews. She also works closely with a Birmingham-based network called Women in Hospitality, an initiative which creates a supportive network for all women and marginalised people in the city. She meets with the team and helps to host a variety of events, including supper clubs, poetry readings, drawing classes and charity bake sales.

What the judges said

"So many great nominations for this award but Jess pipped the others with her obsession and passion for food and service." Sarah Prentice

"Jess impresses with her hard work, focus and determination in a tough environment. She bounced back after an especially difficult lockdown for her sector and has worked incredibly hard to achieve great results." Chris Stern

The shortlist

Alice McGall, BaxterStorey

Jess Savva, Amadeus

Rose Hamlet, Wilson Vale

Tabitha Kirby, Baxterstorey

Past winners

2021 Joanna Watt, Sodexo

2019 Alex Borley, BaxterStorey