Whenever I do a profile or extended news story on a leading figure in the hospitality industry, I always try to winkle something out of the ordinary from my “victim”.
So, for example, after sitting for an hour with Alan Clark, the SABMiller CEO, and almost falling asleep with boredom (only joking, Alan!), he mentioned as a parting shot that not only had he been a clinical psychologist early in his career, but he had also spent four years in the South African prison service as a prison warder and building administrator.
So you see. Just because the guy you’re interviewing is wearing a smart suit and likes to talk about things like “progressing strategic priorities” and “monetising our eco-system”, doesn’t mean his life is as dull as ditchwater.
Another example of a business leader who turns out to have a different and interesting side to him is Gerry Ford, the founder and CEO of Caffè Nero (who funnily enough, like Clark, has a PhD and is therefore entitled to call himself doctor).
Although I’ve known Gerry for more than 20 years - since before he floated Nero in 2001, in fact – I had not realised that, in addition to being a successful entrepreneur, he was heavily into the arts and culture and has encouraged and sponsored them in the communities where Caffè Nero operates as well as within its coffee houses.
It turns out this has been part of Gerry’s brand philosophy since he started Caffè Nero 27 years ago and persists even after passing the 1,000 stores mark. Over the years, Nero has partnered with The British Museum, The National Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Portrait Gallery, the V&A, Royal Academy of Arts and Central Saint Martins. Caffè Nero has books in most of its coffee houses, while in its Polish operations it has a programme of exchanging books for a coffee - customers can bring in a book, put it on a shelf and get a free coffee.
Caffè Nero also supports a photography prize in Poland and runs a long-standing, dedicated music programme in the UK, which champions highly talented young singer-songwriters, helping them to get discovered and supporting them in their careers. This happens through its Artist of the Month programme - selected musicians have their music played in over 600 coffee houses during a given month.
That’s not all. Ever razor-sharp, when Gerry saw that bitter coffee rival Costa (and previously Whitbread) was exiting the Costa Book Awards after 50 years, he wasted no time in putting together a replacement awards scheme. This month saw the culmination of the first Nero Book Awards “celebrating the craft of great writing and the joy of reading from writers in the UK and Ireland”.
The way it works is that there are four categories – children’s fiction, debut fiction, fiction and non-fiction – the winners of which then vie for the top prize, the Nero Gold Prize for the Book of the Year. And Gerry isn’t mucking about, either. At a time when the purse strings are still tight, he has stumped up £50,000 in prize funding. The final judging panel was also impressive, comprising the award-winning author Bernardine Evaristo (chair of judges); veteran journalist James Naughtie; and broadcaster Susie Dent, best known for Countdown.
The signs are that the new awards were a success. Having been opened to entries last May, the awards received more than 900 entries across the four categories. Each category was then whittled down to four books, which were announced in November, with the category winners then being revealed in January. The winner of the inaugural Nero Gold Prize and a cheque for £30,000 (do cheques still exist?) was the Irish author Paul Murray for The Bee Sting, a comic family saga set in rural Ireland.
So why launch the awards (which he insists are definitely NOT to indulge in a spot of one-upmanship with Costa)? Gerry says it harks back to the reason he originally founded Caffè Nero. His aim, he says, was “to create a community hub or neighbourhood gathering spot where people could come together, share ideas, discuss and debate the issues of the day and generally relate to other people about topics and themes which interested them. That’s what I had in mind for Caffè Nero - a coffee house rather than a coffee shop - full of ideas, vibrancy and music.”
He adds: “These awards are a natural extension of that. For some time I’ve been wanting to launch a set of awards celebrating great writers, inspiring new writers and providing readers with ideas and imagination. In this world of short attention spans and social media obsession, our awards help put balance back in our communities.”
So there you are – step forward Gerry Ford: businessman, family man, coffee aficionado, book lover and sponsor of culture and the arts.
PS If you or anyone in hospitality you know has an unusual background, pastime or passion, please email me at Dominic.walsh@thetimes.co.uk. You know the sort of thing: sub-aqua dominoes, cross country kayak-throwing, etc. In case you’re interested, my own special interest is the Zeebrugge Raid, a little-known naval attack on the submarine nests of Zeebrugge and Ostend that took place on St George’s Day 1918. I am writing a book on those who took part based on almost 50 years of research. I wonder whether it would merit a prize!
