Biographies

Trustees

Robert Davis

Robert is a solicitor and has enjoyed a long career in the political arena. Robert was elected as a Councillor on Westminster Council in 1982, serving for over 36 years during which time he was Deputy Leader between 2008 and 2018 and held the position of Chairman of the Council’s Planning committee for seventeen years. He served as Lord Mayor of Westminster from 1996-1997 and subsequently acted as Deputy Lord Mayor on a rota basis until 2018. Additionally, Robert chaired the London Mayors’ Association for 18 years. Robert was a partner in a West End firm of solicitors, retiring in 2015. One of His Majesty’s Deputy Lieutenants for London, he received an MBE in 2015 for his contributions to local government and planning. Robert was Chairman of the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park between 2009 and 2019 and served on its board for 36 years. Robert is currently a trustee of Go Live Theatre Projects and Deputy Chairman of the Sir Simon Milton Foundation, a charity set up in his late civil partner’s memory. His autobiography “Unplanned” was published in 2022. Robert was appointed a trustee of the Savoy Educational Trust in 2000.

Howard Field

Howard is a qualified chartered accountant and has enjoyed a long career in financial management in the hospitality industry. He joined the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington in its opening year and subsequently held positions at unit, regional and corporate level for a range of UK and North American owned companies. Howard became Financial Director of the Savoy Group in the early 1980s. He founded FM Recruitment in 1985, an agency specialising in the recruitment of finance, IT and consulting professionals for the hospitality industry. Howard has acted as an independent consultant for institutional investors and hotel operators over many years and was a Non-Exec Director of Firmdale Hotels for 5 years. He is a founder member, ex-board member and Honorary Fellow of HOSPA, has served on the board of Springboard UK and holds a Fellowship of the Institute of Hospitality, having been a member for over 50 years.  Howard held a visiting fellowship at Oxford Brookes University where he gave regular guest lectures for over 25 years and mentored many students on the Bacchus Mentoring Programme. Howard was appointed a trustee of Savoy Educational Trust in 2013 and has served in the role of Chair of Trustees since 2017.

Peter Jones

Peter has enjoyed a varied professional career, in a range of army, industry, and higher education appointments. He is a published academic and has edited a number of academic and professional journals. Peter has held senior academic roles including headships at Bournemouth University, Blue Mountains Hotel School in Australia, and the University of West London. He was Principal Consultant and Project Director for the Edge Hotel School. Peter has chaired and been a member of a range of professional and government bodies in the UK, Australia and Lithuania. He is currently Chair of the Professional Review Panel of the Institute of Hospitality, Chair of Gate College Academic Council (Nepal), Board Advisor of the International Association of Hotel Schools (EUHOFA), Academic Director of eHotelier and is a member of the Education Committee at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. Peter also Chairs The Crumbs Project, a disability charity that provides hospitality education and training for adults with learning and mental health disabilities. He was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 2007 for his services to the hospitality industry. Peter was appointed a trustee of the Savoy Educational Trust in 2022.

Steve Lowy

Steve has been connected with hospitality and tourism his whole working career. From managing a restaurant in London in his late teens to studying Hospitality and Tourism at the University of Salford; Steve is very passionate about the sector. Starting his career managing a 500-bed Backpackers Hostel in London, he went on to create his own brand of budget hotels, Umi Hotels, in 2007. In 2010 Steve set up Umi Digital, a design and technology agency dedicated to hospitality and travel businesses. He is currently CEO of Anglo Educational Services (AES) and The Residence Apartments. AES is a full-service education-abroad business offering a suite of academic services to over 3500 students per year and operating over 250 student apartments in Central London. In 2016 Steve was appointed Chairman of BETA (British Educational Travel Association) having been a board member since 2010. He is also a board member of the Tourism Alliance and Chairman of ASAP (The Association of Serviced Apartment Providers). Steve regularly delivers guest lectures at universities both in the UK and abroad and remains passionate about promoting hospitality careers to young people. Steve was appointed a trustee of the Savoy Educational Trust in 2022.

Sally Messenger

Since 2012 Sally has been actively engaged in technical/vocational education and qualifications research and development, including representing WorldSkills on projects with the EU, OECD, ILO, and UNESCO. This role followed serving as Director of Portfolio Management & Development at City & Guilds where she headed the integration of the Hospitality Awarding Body. Prior to this she was the Chief Executive of NEBS Management where she led the creation of the Institute of Leadership & Management. At the National Council for Vocational Qualifications, she gained accreditation for the first NVQs for the hospitality sector. Sally began her career in hospitality management, subsequently moving into education as a lecturer at Westminster College and later at the University of Surrey, where she also undertook research/publications and was Associate Director of the Educational Liaison Centre. She is also an Enterprise Advisor, a Member of the Education & Skills Committee for the Royal Aeronautical Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality. Sally was appointed a trustee of the Savoy Educational Trust in 2016.

David Taylor

David Taylor is CEO of The Lore Group. Between 2015 and 2020 he led the transformation of a number of UK hotels, developing the Principal brand under the ownership of Starwood Capital and latterly Covivio, with the management of the hotels assigned to InterContinental Hotels Group. Before taking on this role in April 2015, he was General Manager of The London EDITION where, under his leadership, the hotel won numerous awards including the prestigious Catey Hotel of the Year award. David is associated with other high-profile openings and re-positioning projects such as the original Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch, along with the Great Eastern Hotel and Sofitel St James in London. His dedication to promoting best practice within the hotel industry has been widely recognised and he was awarded a Master Innholders Scholarship in 2009 and invited to join the prestigious Master Innholders as a member in 2012. David was awarded the Cateys “Manager of the Year” in 2015 and the highly coveted “UK Hotelier of the Year” award for 2018/2019. David was appointed trustee of the Savoy Educational Trust in 2018.

Bill Toner

A chef by training, Bill joined Gardner Merchant where he rapidly rose through the ranks to become the UK & Ireland Managing Director of its £600m B&I catering business. He then went on to join catering giant ARAMARK as CEO of its UK subsidiary, growing the company from £150m to £400m turnover in just five years. In 2002, Bill received the prestigious Catey Award for “Foodservice Caterer of the Year”. As CEO of CH&CO since 2015, he has overseen significant expansion through organic growth and partnerships. Pivotal mergers and acquisitions transformed the company into a dynamic business with a turnover nearing £500m, employing over 10,000 employees, and operating over 1,000 sites in the UK and Ireland. Bill has actively supported industry and business groups over many years. He has held trustee roles at Hospitality Action and Springboard UK and also served on the boards of the CBI’s London Business group and UK Hospitality.  He is currently Chair of the Board of Governors and Trustee at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. Bill was appointed a trustee of the Savoy Educational Trust in 2022.

Executive Office Team

Angela Maher

Angela enjoyed a long career in higher education, mainly at the Oxford School of Hospitality Management, but she also taught at the University of Huddersfield and guest lectured at various universities both in the UK and abroad. She began her academic career in 1991 at Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University) having completing her BA in Hospitality Management & Accounting and Finance there in 1990. Appointed as a lecturer in 1993, Angela taught across a wide range of subjects on undergraduate/postgraduate hospitality & tourism degree courses and contributed to the development of many new programmes and initiatives at the university. In addition to her teaching duties she held various management positions including Undergraduate Programmes Director, Director of Careers and Work Experience, Co-Director of the Bacchus Mentoring Programme and Acting Head of School. Angela has a particular interest in leadership, professional development, work-based learning, employability, and mentoring. She was appointed as Chief Executive of the Savoy Educational Trust in 2023.

Louise Hewitt

Louise has been involved in the hospitality industry for many years. Having worked in numerous hospitality roles whilst studying, Louise secured a role as manager at Turner’s of Walton Street, chef Brian Turner CBE’s flagship restaurant in London. Soon after she became Brian’s Business Manager, looking after Brian and his business at the start of his TV career, through the height of his ‘celebrity’ status and supporting him throughout his many exciting business ventures and philanthropic work. On a freelance basis, Louise has worked as Content Producer for the Countryfile Live shows and has undertaken consultancy work for Hospitality Action. She is a long-time supporter of many industry charities/competitions. Louise has a lifelong passion for art, something at which she excelled at both in school and college, and she holds a BA Hons degree in photography from the University of Manchester. This creativity has been instrumental in her career in hospitality and TV. Louise was appointed to the role of Savoy Educational Trust Grants and Trust Administrator in late 2023.

Sarah Tunstall

Sarah has a lifelong passion for hospitality and the educational development of others. Her career started in the hospitality industry where she worked in many different roles in both the UK and North America. Sarah has a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University and a master’s degree from Oxford Brookes University. After a short spell working as HR Advisor for the UK Atomic Energy Authority, she re-joined Oxford Brookes in 2005 as a Project Manager then lecturer at the Oxford School of Hospitality Management. In 2015 Sarah was awarded a PhD from the University of South Wales where she undertook research on the catalysts and triggers for lifelong learning. From 2015-2021 she held an Associate Faculty position at the University of Leeds Business School. Since 2015 Sarah has supported her local pre-School, a registered charity, where she has held the positions of trustee, secretary and bursar. Sarah was appointed to the role of Savoy Educational Trust Grants and Trust Administrator in late 2023.