What superpower would you grant your 14-year old self?

Either being super multi-linguistic – how fantastic both for business and pleasure, or to be the next game-changing World No.1 golfer. Either will do nicely.

What one moment in your career defined your future?

Deciding to give up the comfort of being a manager at KPMG and head out into the big bad world looking for adventure and fortune. Glad I took the plunge when I did, aged 27, as I was far too sensible to have done it if I was any older. Was very much encouraged by my entrepreneurial father.

Which people and places are exciting you about the hospitality industry right now?

Michael McIntyre.

The greatest gift in life is the ability to laugh and I don’t think you can ever have too much of it. There is a danger that in the modern world we all put so much pressure on ourselves to ‘succeed’ we lose track of the basic goal of enjoying the short amount of time we have in this world.

What advice would you give to me-toos?

It depends how old the person you are advising is. If young, then a well rounded education is the foundation – music, sport, languages, as well as the classic school education. If older, then stop and think outside the box. 50% of existing occupations will not exist by 2025. The world is changing so quickly, one needs to plan ahead more so then any time in our past. Do not let geography stand in your way of happiness and development. And most importantly, good luck. We all need it!