Meet the award winners of our 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality 2022

Most Influential

Sponsored by Harri

Kate Nicholls OBE
Chief executive, UKHospitality

Kate Nicholls OBE was appointed CEO of UKHospitality in 2018 and has become a leading voice in the sector. Pre-pandemic, Nicholls worked to ensure the industry was heard, but it was in March 2020, as pubs, restaurants and hotels suffered the wrath of Covid-19, that she truly found her platform. Since then, through lockdowns and beyond, Nicholls has been at the forefront in orchestrating hospitality’s response, lobbying the government to secure the support and legislation the industry needed. With the pandemic now taking a backfoot, she continues to press for its representation in Parliament.

Read our interview with Kate

Most Influential Woman in Drink

Sponsored by Bibendum Wine

Monica Berg
Founder, Tayēr + Elementary

Berg is, without qualification, one of the best bartenders in the world. She has pioneered the use of seasonal, often unconventional ingredients in cocktails, while sticking to her ‘one sip’ philosophy: the idea that a drink’s full flavour must be tasted and experienced in a single sip. At Tayēr + Elementary, the bar she founded with Alex Kratena in 2019, staff collaborate on a daily changing menu, making use of whatever produce is freshest and available. It’s currently ranked second in The World’s 50 Best Bars. This year, Berg was named creative director at the Campari Academy, and continues work with the educational non-profit P(OUR). 

Read an interview with Monica

Most Influential Entrepreneur 2022

Sponsored by FLM

Lorraine Copes
Founder, Be Inclusive Hospitality

After two decades in high-powered hospitality roles, Copes founded Be Inclusive Hospitality, a social enterprise built to address the lack of diversity she saw in positions of influence within the industry. Through it, Copes has mentored people of colour, coached businesses, and ignited conversations about how to make hospitality more inclusive and reflective of society. This year, Copes was named Food & Drink Innovator of the year by GQ, and as her influence grows, so does the supportive, interconnected community of people of colour that she’s helping to build.

Read an interview with Lorraine

Most Influential in Sustainability 2022

Sponsored by Haeckels

Chantelle Nicholson
Chef-owner, Apricity

Nicholson’s career has taken her to some of the country’s most respected kitchens – The Savoy and Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley among them. Now, following the success of her Covent Garden restaurant Tredwells, Nicholson is running things her own way. At Apricity, her new restaurant in Mayfair, she places sustainability and a love for the planet at the very core of the menu and its practices. Her book, Planted, champions seasonal veg-forward cooking.

Read an interview with Chantelle

Most Influential Mentor 2022

Sponsored by Mr Yum

Ravneet Gill
Founder, Countertalk

Gill has been a regular feature of our 100 Most Influential Women list in recent years and as her profile gets bigger, so does the impact of her mentorship to the industry. Her platform Countertalk, which promotes positive workplace culture, is a vital resource for sharing advice, support and a sense of community at scale. Between TV filming, podcasting and running her online cookery school, Damson Jelly Academy, Gill is busy hosting networking events and running practical skills workshops on topics from financing to brand building. More recently she and her team have launched Countertalk Spaces – a much-needed tool to connect chefs and pop-up venues, opening doors to usher in a whole new wave of brilliant industry talent.

Read an interview with Ravneet

Most Influential in Community 2022

Sponsored by Saira Hospitality

Olia Hercules
Chef and food writer

A regular fixture on Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch and one of Ukraine’s most celebrated chefs and food writers, Olia Hercules has been at the forefront of British hospitality’s response to the Russian invasion of her homeland. Before the war, Hercules trained at Leith’s Food and Wine and went on to publish three popular cookbooks – with another imminent. She won the Observer rising star award in 2015, and the Fortnum & Mason Award for best debut cookbook a year later. Today, Hercules’ work is concentrated on raising vital funds for Ukraine’s war effort against Russia, most notably through the Cook for Ukraine campaign, as well as championing the nation’s cuisine and culture, across Europe and around the world. 

Read an interview with Olia

Read the full list of our 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality 2022 here