Key People
Des Gunewardena
Chairman and Chief Executive
Des has worked with Terence Conran since June 1991 in founding and developing the Conran Holdings Group and was appointed CEO in 1995. Following the buyout of the restaurants Des has been appointed Deputy Chairman of Conran Holdings. In the mid 1980’s Des was responsible for financial planning at Heron International, a privately owned group of companies with activities in property, trading and financial services in Europe and the USA, and held directorships in operating companies within the Heron Group. Des currently holds non-executive directorships of London First, Visit London and the AIM listed Individual Restaurant Company plc.
David Loewi
Managing Director
David has accumulated over twenty five years experience in hotels and restaurants. After completing a postgraduate in Swiss Hotel Training, David worked for three years with the Savoy Group at Claridge’s. In 1984 he joined the Hyatt Group where he rose to the position of Food and Beverage Director at Hyatt Carlton Tower in London, he also worked in Hyatt’s Far East operations. David joined the group in 1995 to launch Mezzo and following the successful establishment of this restaurant was appointed to Managing Director in 1998.
Adam Bellamy
Finance Director
Adam joined the group in 2006 from House of Fraser plc where he was Head of Commercial Finance. This role involved responsibility for acquisitions and strategic financial planning for this £1 billion turnover group. A qualified accountant with a wealth of retail experience, his previous roles include that of Financial Planning Manager for Allders Department Stores.
Ian Horrox
Human Resources Director
Ian started his career with Hilton, joining its graduate development programme from Leeds Met University where he studied Hotel Management. He progressed to become General Manager at the age of 25, moving on to become Director of Brand Development and then Director of Quality. After winning an Acorn Award he was promoted to Head of UK Human Resources for Hilton International (UK). Ian joined Conran Restaurants in 1999 and in his role as Human Resources Director has launched the company’s chef apprenticeship programme and management development scheme, Elevate.
Max Renzland
Food Development Director
Max joined the group in 2005 following a number of years as a consultant in food, menu development and conceptual design for both the corporate and private sectors. He has been influential in the development of a number of London’s most important restaurants, including Le Petit Max and Chez Max – a joint venture with Marco Pierre White – as well as working on international projects such as Café Grand Prix in Monte Carlo where he was a consultant and shareholder.
OUR MANAGERS
Nicolas Mori
Manager, Kensington Place
Nicolas joined Kensington Place in March 2008 from his position as Acting Restaurant Manager at Rhodes W1. Previously he worked as Restaurant Manager at La Noisette and Assistant Manager at The Greenhouse.
Hadi Aknin
Manager, Launceston Place
Hadi joined in February 2008, from his position of Assistant Manager at Michelin starred Petrus. Hadi also has hotel experience having worked at the 5 star hotel group'One & Only Royal Mirage' in Dubai, having previously worked with the Conran group between 1999 and 2003 at Le Pont de la Tour.
Duncan Colbeck
Manager, Cantina
Duncan joined Cantina in January 2008, having previously worked at Butlers Wharf as Assistant Manager from 2005 to 2007, and prior to that he gained experience as Bar&Grill supervisor at Pont de la Tour from 2002.
William Douglas McKechnie
Manager, Blueprint Cafe
William joined Blueprint Café in September 2007 from his role as Senior Assistant Manager at Paternoster Chop House, where he worked since 2001
Cedric Toussaint
Assistant General Manager, Le Pont de la Tour
Cedric joined Le Pont de la Tour in July 2008 from D&D London's Skylon restaurant where he was the Manager since its opening in May 2007. Cedric has had extensive experience in London and abroad having worked at Harvey Nicholas Fifth Floor restaurant, Marcus Wareing restaurant at the Savoy Grill and the French Embassay in Bogota.
Pascal Signe
Manager, The Avenue
Pascal joined the group in June 2007 with the acquisition of Image restaurants. He has worked at The Avenue since November 2006, having previously overseen the opening of La Noisette for Gordon Ramsay and worked with Richard Corrigan. Prior to this he spent over fifteen yeards in New York managing renowned restaurants such as Picoline and Daniel Boulud DB Bistro.
Niels Pallesen
General Manager, Custom House
Niels joined Custom House in September 2007 from First Hotel Vesterbro where he was the Hotel Manager since 2003. He has more than ten years experience in hotel operations and management.
Michel Besmond
General Manager, Alcazar
Michel joined Alcazar in 1996, overseeing its opening in 1997 followed by the opening of the Wagg Club in 2002. Michel has a strong artistic background working as a First Assistant Director in the television industry and in fashion promotions, before moving into the field of hospitality.
Michael Clark
General Manager, Le Pont de la Tour
Michael joined Le Pont de la Tour in July 2007. Michael previously worked within the group between 1998 and 2007 as Restaurant Manager for Sartoria and Coq d'Argent and has extensive hospitality experience in both London and his home country of New Zealand.
Giuseppe De Wilde
Manager, Bluebird
Giuseppe joined Bluebird in July 2007. Giuseppe has worked within the group since 2002 as General Manager at Le Pont de la Tour. Prior to this he was General Manager at Bentley's Seafood Restaurant.
Sean Gavin
General Manager, Coq d'Argent and Royal Exchange
Sean joined Coq d’Argent in 2005 from Butlers Wharf Chop House. Prior to this he worked with Bewley’s Oriental Café in Dublin as Assistant General Manager and with Antony Worrall Thompson Restaurants.
Niels Kristensen
General Manager - Bluebird, Cantina del Ponte, Blueprint Cafe
Niels joined the group in 2000 as manager of the Butlers Wharf Gastrodrome, taking on the additional role of General Manager for Bluebird in 2005. His previous experience includes working within the prestigious Berkeley and Sheraton Hotels as Food and Beverage Manager.
Sascha Kurz
General Manager, Quaglino's
Sascha joined Quaglino’s in 2005 from the Westbury Hotel where he held the role of Director of Food and Beverage. Previously he has worked in Hungary, Germany and Beijing.
Spero Panagakis
Manager, Paternoster Chop House
Spero joined Paternoster Chop House in 2004 from Quaglino’s where he held the position of Restaurant Manager for three years.
Alessandro Piombino
Manager, Orrery
Alessandro joined Orrery as Restaurant Manager in October 2007. Prior to this Alessandro was Restaurant Manager at Skylon and Restaurant Sauterelle which he assisted in their launch, both of which are part of D&D London. Previous experience includes five years at The Lanesborough, London as Assistant Restaurant Manager.
Simon King
General Manager - Skylon
Simon joined Skylon in May 2008 from his position as General Manager at Theo Randall restaurant, which he helped open. Previous experience includes three years as General Manager at the Savoy Grill and two years at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay as Restaurant Manager.
Melissa Schmidt
Manager, Butlers Wharf Chop House
Melissa joined the group in 1995, working at Le Pont de la Tour prior to taking on her current role as Restaurant Manager at Butlers Wharf Chop House. Melissa has extensive hospitality experience in both London and her home country of Australia.
Graziano Arricale
Manager, Almeida
Graziano joined Almeida in October 2007 from his role as Assistant Restaurant Manager at Le Pont de la Tour restaurant which also belongs to D&D London. Graziano joined the Group in September 2005 through winning a place on the Elevate Management programme.
Loyd Loudy
Manager, Sartoria
Loyd joined Sartoria in November 2008 from his position as Deputy General Manager at China Tang at The Dorchester. Prior to this Loyd gained experience at well-known London restaurants including Hakkasan, Oxo Tower and Fifth Floor, Harvey Nichols.
Raffaele Floris
General Manager, Plateau
Raffaele started as General Manager at Plateau in November 2008. Prior to this he has worked as the Restaurant Manager at Sartoria and Orrery, both part of D&D London. Before joining the company in 2003, Raffaele was the Restaurant Manager at Vong Restaurant in The Berkeley Hotel, Knightsbridge.
OUR CHEFS
Andy Rose
Executive Chef, Flordita
Andy joined Floridita in October 2004 from Mezzo where he was Executive Chef.
After cutting his teeth in the kitchens of Anton Mossiman’s London club, Andy spent much of his early career in Switzerland working the kitchens of some of the country’s leading hotels before returning to London.
Brian Fantoni
Head Chef, Cantina
Brian joined Cantina del Ponte in Autumn 2007 from his role as Head Chef at Enoteca Turi in Putney, London. Previously, Brian has over twelve years expereince in hotel kitchens including Claridge's and The Savoy in London.
Helena Puolakka
Executive Chef, Skylon
Helena joined Skylon in May 2007 from Harvey Nichols' Fifth Floor where she worked as Executive Chef since 2005. Helena has worked at a number of high profile London restaurants such as Aubergine and La Tante Claire.
Henry Vigar
Head Chef, Kensington Place
Henry joined Kensington Place in January 2008, having previously worked in a number of Michelin starred restaurants such as La Noisette and The Greenhouse in London and Hotel des Pyrenees in France, amongst others.
Richard Bannister
Head Chef, The Avenue
Richard joined the group in June 2007 with the acquisition of Image restaurants. He joined The Avenue in March 2006, having previously worked as Sous Chef at The Ivy and J Sheekey. Prior to this he developed his banquet and catering experience with Claridge’s and Savoy hotels.
Tristan Welch
Head Chef, Launceston Place
Tristan joined Launceston Place in Autumn 2007, having previously worked as Head Chef at the two Michelin starred Petrus in The Berkeley Hotel. Tristan has forged a great reputation in some of the top kitchens in the UK and Paris including Le Gavroche and Aubergine in London; l'Arpège in Paris and Box Tree in Yorkshire.
Alan Marchetti
Head Chef, Sartoria
Alan joined Sartoria from his role as Head Chef at the Drones Club Mayfair, having previously worked in some of London’s finest Italian restaurants. He acquired a wealth of experience from working in Michelin starred restaurants in Rome, such as La Pergola.
Alan Jones
Head Chef, Almeida
Alan joined Almeida in June 2007 from his role as Senior Sous Chef at the Relais and Chateaux hotel, Lucknam Park in Bath. Alan has specialised in fine dining , having worked in some of England’s most acclaimed restaurants and hotels such as Foliage in London’s Mandarin Oriental.
Mark Block
Head Chef, Bluebird
Mark joined Bluebird in September 2005. He was previously Senior Sous Chef at D&D London's Almeida restaurant for three years and he spent two years at Orrery restaurant. Mark has over twenty years experience working in 5* hotels and restaurants around the country. He enjoys cooking classic British cuisine with locally sourced produce.
Robin Gill
Head Chef, Restaurant Sauterelle
Robert Gill joined Restaurant Sauterelle in May 2008. Before joining the team at Restaurant Sauterelle , Robert was head chef at the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal FC. His career has seen him work in some of England's top restaurants including The Oak Room, Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saison and Cuckoo Club. His career has also taken him to Europe, working at Fitzwilliam Hotel in Dublin and Don Alfonso 1980 in Italy.
Jeremy Lee
Head Chef, Blueprint Cafe
Jeremy joined Blueprint Café in 1995 as Head Chef from Euphorium and Alastair Little. During his time at Blueprint Café he has been instrumental in the creation of a unique cooking style using frequently changing seasonal ingredients cooked and served simply.
Oliver Prince
Head Chef, Royal Exchange
Oliver Prince joined the Royal Exchange in summer 2008 from Bumpkin restaurant in Notting Hill where he was Executive Chef. During his career Oliver helped set up Lucky Seven in Notting Hill with Tom Conran and set up his own establishment, The Boathouse in Maida Vale.
Xavier Nicolau
Head Chef, Meza
Xavier joined Meza in Summer 2008 from Unicornius, Barcelona, where he was Head Chef for two years. Mallorcan born, Xavier's previous experience has been based in Mallorca in a number of well regarded restaurants.
Tim Tolley
Head Chef, Plateau
Tim joined Plateau at its opening in 2003 from Vong restaurant in The Berkeley Hotel, London, where he held the role of Head Chef. Since then he has created a refreshing approach to creative cooking using innovative ingredients.
Lee Bennett
Head Chef, Le Pont de la Tour
Lee joined Le Pont de la Tour in January 2008 from his role of Head Chef at the Savoy Grill, Savoy Hotel, in London. Lee has a varied professional background, having worked in such acclaimed restaurants as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London and Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, Paris.
Peter Weeden
Head Chef, Paternoster Chop House
Peter joined Paternoster Chop House in 2004 at its opening from Coq D’Argent. He has a passionate interest in wild food and has created menus featuring high quality, well reared meat and British caught fish.
Igor Tymchyshyn
Head Chef, Orrery
Igor Tymchyshyn joined the Orrery restaurant as Head Chef in April 2008 from his previous position of Head Chef at the Michelin starred Mirabelle in London's Mayfair where he had been for eight years. Prior to this Igor gained experience in other high profile London restaurants including L'Oranger and Maison Novelli.
Mickael Weiss
Head Chef, Coq d'Argent and Executive Chef, Quaglinos
Mickael joined Coq d'Argent as Executive Chef in 2000 and during this time he has also been instrumental in the kitchen design and menu development for the opening of The Royal Exchange and Paternoster Chop House. Mickael has also appeared in a number of British televised cooking shows including 'Kitchen' and 'Master Chef'.
Winston Matthews
Head Chef, Butlers Wharf Chop House
Winston joined Butlers Wharf Chop House in August 2008 from the Paul Rankin Group in Belfast where he worked as Executive Head Chef. Previously, Winston was Chef Patron of his own restaurant, Red in Berkshire. Prior to this, for nine years Winston was a Director and Head Chef at Le Palais du Jardin in Covent Garden, London, which he helped open and launch.
OUR OFFICES
Our offices in Kirby Street, Farringdon house our head office departments: finance, purchasing, sales and marketing and HR and our Chairman and Chief Executive and Managing Director
Key contact details are shown below:
Head Office
16 Kirby Street
London
EC1N 8TS
Telephone: 020 7716 0716
Chairman and Managing Director's Office
Francesca Smilgin Box
Email: francescasb@danddlondon.com
Purchasing Manager
Paul Jenkins
Email: paulj@danddlondon.com
PR and Marketing Officer
Annabelle Tilley
Email: annabellet@danddlondon.com
HR and Employment
Anne Avery
Email: annea@danddlondon.com
Sales and Events
Frances Dore
Telephone: 020 7716 7887
Email: events@danddlondon.com