Nick Bish has had an extensive career in the hospitality industry, running pubs for Imperial Inns & Taverns as regional director and later as Director of Pubs for H.H.Finch in London.
But in 1991 he was asked to set up and run a fledgling trade association for multiple operators in the pub and bar sector. This became the ALMR where he was chief executive and which grew to be the undisputed champion and advocate for hospitality businesses. The purpose of the association was to represent members’ commercial interests with government, parliament and in any forum where we could make the case for this important sector and it became the pre-eminent networking group for those companies whose combined effort exceeded what they could do individually. He stood down from his role there in 2013 but continues in a non-exec role to support the organisation which is now become UK Hospitality.
While at ALMR he devised the Operations Managers Awards which, with its MasterClass for strategy and leadership, has celebrated and promoted the importance of area managers as the crucial link between successful sites and their parent companies. The Awards are run every year and regularly identify future leaders of the industry, and themselves were recognised by the Awards Awards programme as having the Best Judging Panel and Process of all such competitions.
Nick has continued this theme with a new project, Transition, that helps and supports unit managers making the challenging career move into multi-site management. Whenever and wherever he can he advises, helps and contributes to any project or initiative that makes hospitality a better place.