“Between us, we have more than 40 years of experience. When we started our business, we turned to people we know and trust; people that would support us in our journey and have a lot of fun along the way. We see ourselves as an extension of our clients’ teams - here to deliver what we believe is one of our clients’ most important employee benefits.”
Simon & Dave
Simon Houston, Director
Simon first met Dave at the age of 19 during a work placement from Oxford Brookes University, where he was immediately bitten by the hospitality bug. He joined BaxterStorey and progressed through the ranks in various management roles in the UK and Europe before joining Bartlett Mitchell as sales director in 2013, which under his leadership grew from £19m to £55m.
A fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, Simon’s stellar track record has been recognised with several industry accolades leading to a Foodservice Catey in 2016. He is a vocal champion of an industry that he loves and relishes the opportunity at Houston & Hawkes to share his passion for superb food, first-class service and talent development.
Loves: Cooking anything on the Green Egg / Fleetwood Mac / family time
Hates: Bunkers (yes, I’m a golfer) / rain / rubbish coffee
Top 3 TV shows / films: Killing Eve / Luther / any Bond (Connery all the way!)
Dave Hawkes, Director
Originally trained as a chef, Dave quickly discovered a passion for hospitality during his first few years working in kitchens. He understood that building a great team is fundamental to the success of any business and he retains that philosophy to this day. His appetite for personal and professional development led to him working his way through the ranks at Baxter & Platts, remaining with the business when it was sold to Granada Food Services and, latterly, Compass Group. He joined BaxterSmith in 2001, and following the formation of BaxterStorey in 2005, played a pivotal role as Managing Director of the company’s central region, which under his leadership grew to more than £70m in turnover.
Dave’s impressive track record stems from his commitment to service excellence for both his clients and customers as well as the development of his people.
Loves: Sourdough (Tartine is a great place to start) / anything with a Merlin engine - lets kick off with a P51D / did I mention coffee?
Hates: Hills, when I’m not fit enough to cycle up them / daylight saving / slugs - I mean really!
Top 3 TV shows / films: Northern Exposure (yep, I think it’s just me) / Cheers or M.A.S.H - not sure I can split them / Would I Lie to You? (When Bob’s on…)
