The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has announced their six finalists for this year’s Licensee of the Year Award (LOYA).
Sponsored by Sky, the Licensee of the Year competition is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the UK.
Since the launch in January this year, licensee operators have been entering the competition, showing the judges evidence of how they have been building their businesses, teams and communities, with a focus on their resilience, sustainability and diversification.
This year, the entries have been of a particularly high standard, making it even more difficult for our team of judges to decide who to take through to the finals.
Selected from a field of over 300 entrants, our six finalists have been selected on the basis of their community impact, sustainability and diversification, exceptional mystery diner visits, financial and online audits and face-to-face interviews in their pubs with judges, Sue Allen and Ashley McCarthy.
The 2023 Licensee of the Year Award finalists are as follows:
Samantha & Mark Robinson – Queens Head Hotel – LA23 1PW
Michelle Gilmour – The Old Windmill – CV1 3BA
Lee & Keris De Villiers – The Pig & Whistle – SW18 5LD
Ollie Coulombeau – The Turk’s Head – TW1 1LF
Joe Buckley & Flo Pearce – The Tollemache Arms – NN6 9NU
Tommy Fox – The Barrelman – DD1 2AJ
To learn more about the finalists, please visit https://bit.ly/LOYA2023
Steven Alton, BII CEO commented: “Our Licensee of the Year Award is the most prestigious & hard-fought award, showcasing the dedication and excellence in our sector. The final six are of an incredible standard.
“We are very proud that the awards offer a value-added experience to all those involved. Our finalists will have had the opportunity to evaluate their businesses at every stage, from mystery customer reports and judging visit feedback, right through to our final judging day at Sky HQ on Monday 19th June.
“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all involved and wish them the best of luck for the final stages of the competition.”
All six finalists will be presented with a trophy at the BII Summer Event on the 20th of June, where the winner of Licensee of the Year 2023 will be crowned.
