Overall winner, the Woman of the Year award was presented to Samyukta Nair. As CEO of LSL Capital, Nair is the name behind leading Indian restaurants Jamavar and Bombay Bustle and in the past two years she has branched into new territory with contemporary izakaya Koyn, Chinese restaurant Mimi Mei Fair and French-Mediterranean bistro Socca.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Camellia Panjabi, cookbook author and Director at MW Eat. Few have done more to fly the flag for Indian food and restaurants than Camellia Panjabi, who has long banged the drum for her country’s diverse cuisine.
Winners from the following categories were also announced:
Connector of the Year: Queena Wong, Founder of Curious Vines
Wong harnesses her 15 years of experience in the wine world to help promote women in wine, especially fine wine, which is still something of a boys’ club. An outspoken champion of women, her Curious Vines platform offers a safe space for a diverse community to connect and learn.
Disruptor of the Year: Jules Pearson, Global VP of F&B, Ennismore and Co-Fouder / Editor at Large, London on the Inside
Pearson could lay claim to being one of the hardest working women in hospitality – along with her team, she works on hundreds of projects globally at a time. After founding London on the Inside in 2010, she has gone on to play a pivotal role in developing Ennismore’s global food and beverage operations, which include The Hoxton hotel group and Gleneagles.
Campaigner of the Year: SongSoo Kim, Head of Sourcing and development, Super 8
As head of sourcing and development at Super 8, the group behind much-loved London restaurants Kiln, Smoking Goat and Brat, SongSoo Kim’s knowledge and passion for building truly sustainable supply chains, where producers are treated as partners rather than suppliers, is second to none.
Leader of the Year: Justine Murphy, Founder and CEO, mymuybueno.
Founded in 2011, mymuybueno has risen to become the largest private chef agency in the world, receiving endorsements from some of Britain’s top chefs, including Tom Aikens and Adam Handling.
Now in its fifth year, the list – previously known as 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality – returned to champion the sector’s unsung heroes, the women who are pushing the boundaries for change.
This year’s list, sponsored by Bibendum Wine, had more than 500 nominations and has been judged by a panel of industry experts including Kate Nichols OBE, Romy Gill MBE, Ikoyi co-founder Iré Hassan-Odukale, The Good Food Guide editor Elizabeth Carter, and award-winning food writer Ajesh Patalay.
Romy Gill, MBE, said, “People know me. For this list I want women who are unsung heroes; who do more than me but aren’t heard of. It is a chance to celebrate women everywhere.’
Adam Hyman, founder of CODE Hospitality, said, “We are thrilled to reveal the winners of the CODE Hospitality’s Women of the Year list for 2023. This year has been all about championing the unsung female heroes of our industry. All of the women in this year’s list often do not get the recognition for what they do. The list is a reminder of the amazing things that they are doing every day, and the meaningful change and impact they have on the hospitality industry.”
CODE Hospitality’s Women of the Year 2023 can be viewed here: https://www.codehospitality.co.uk/hospitalitys-women-of-the-year-2023/?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=woy_2023_launch&utm_content=link