NEWCASTLE-headquartered Cairn Group has welcomed a new head of operations to its North East team, to support its senior management members as it continues its UK-wide expansion.
Former head of restaurants at global chain CAU, Gemma Stocks brings almost 10 years’ experience to her new role with Cairn Group – a position created to help launch new business collaborations and developments both in the region and further afield.
At CAU, Gemma played a pivotal role in expanding a portfolio of three sites to 23 on her departure, following three years with the business. During this time she made up a core part of the senior management team, aiding the growth of the international brand.
As head of operations for Cairn Group, Gemma will be responsible for the recruitment of junior, manager and senior positions across a number of the businesses’ 31 hotels and over 30 bars whilst helping drive the internal culture throughout the group, which employs over 3,000 staff.
Gemma, who lives in Newcastle, said: “After meeting the owners of the business socially and hearing their story and plans for the future of Cairn Group, I just knew I had to be a part of it. The creative and collaborative approach they take to business development is really unique to this sector – they have a clear vision of how they want their guests to experience the brand, which is something I find hugely inspiring.
“I’ve experienced both ends of the scale operationally within the hospitality sector – from working at grass roots to grow a relatively small business into an international operator to being really hands on with staff and establishing fantastic teams of industry professionals, so I’m excited about building on these successes to date with the group.”
Cairn Group HR director Richard Adams said: “With her impressive background and wealth of expertise, we have no doubt Gemma will provide integral support in escalating the company towards great opportunities both in the region and across the UK. We are looking forward to what the future holds for Cairn Group with Gemma on board, and are sure she will prove an excellent asset to our operation.”
Over the past five years, the Group has spent over £60m improving assets and more than doubled employee numbers in that period, establishing it as a leading player in the privately owned hotel owner and operator market.