Q&A With Master Innholders Executive Secretary, Alistair Sandall

Following the recent appointment as the new Executive Secretary of the Master Innholders, we sat down to hear Alistair Sandall’s reflections on his first month in the role, his vision for the year ahead, as well as why he believes the upcoming Innholder Scholarships are the perfect opportunity for any hotelier looking to excel in their career…

How has your first month been in your new role as Executive Secretary of the Master Innholders?

It’s been great, I’m thoroughly enjoying it and getting stuck into the role and all of the great work it entails. There’s a lot to get my head around but it’s clear there are so many things currently happening and in the pipeline and I’m eager to help contribute moving forward.

Is there anything interesting about the role that you didn’t initially expect?

I had some prior knowledge around the education and development that the Master Innholders offer, but now being directly involved in it, it’s incredible to see how much work goes into developing junior managers in our industry. The programmes such as the Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma and Innholder Scholarships are doing an incredible job in supporting hoteliers in their careers and I’m excited to now also help support in this.

I’ve also had the privilege to join at a time when this year’s new Master Innholders are being shortlisted, and being able to coordinate the judging process has been both incredibly humbling and also greatly rewarding to see firsthand just what some of our leading hoteliers are doing to support our industry.

As Executive Secretary, what's your vision for the Master Innholders for the next 12 months?

My main focus is to provide support for the many unique events taking place throughout the year, helping to ensure they are bigger and better while also widening our remit to bring in people who perhaps haven’t attended any of our events before. Part of this also involves looking into ways we can modernise our approach to reach new people while continuing to champion what we do best as a professional body, promoting best practice and supporting hoteliers in their professional careers.

The Innholder Scholarships are opening soon – what would you say to someone potentially looking to apply?

In my role, I’ve been liaising with both Cranfield and Cornell, the two universities that winners of the Innholder Scholarships can attend and study at. As I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the programmes on offer, as well as speaking to Innholder Graduates, it’s clear to see just how in-depth and unique an opportunity like this really is.

Many of our Innholder Graduates now hold very senior hotelier positions in our industry and many have said to me how impactful the Innholder Scholarships have been in helping them reach their positions. It really is a career-changing opportunity and I would encourage any hotelier with a drive to excel in their field to apply.