Angela Hartnett OBE has been confirmed as founding chair of Hospitality Futures, a structured mentorship initiative launching this spring that will pair emerging culinary professionals with established operators across the UK.
The programme, developed in partnership with a coalition of industry bodies and independent operators, is designed to address what its founders describe as a "systematic gap" in formal career development pathways for chefs and front-of-house professionals outside of the major hotel and group restaurant sector.
"The talent has always been there," Hartnett said in a statement released this week. "What's been missing is a reliable structure for connecting the people who want to grow with the people who have been through it. This is an attempt to build that."
How the Programme Works
Hospitality Futures will operate on a six-month cohort basis, accepting applications twice yearly. Each cohort will include up to 40 mentees matched to mentors based on career stage, specialism and geography. Mentors will include senior chefs, general managers, operations directors and independent operators — reflecting the programme's intention to develop commercial and leadership skills alongside culinary ones.
Participants will meet formally at least once per month, with structured check-ins and milestone reviews managed through the programme's co-ordination team. Mentors are expected to commit four to five hours per month to the programme, including one site visit per cohort cycle.
The programme is free to mentees. Mentor participation is voluntary, though Hartnett has indicated that a number of larger operators have agreed to provide paid secondment opportunities for mentees within their businesses as an extension of the programme.
A Gap the Industry Has Long Acknowledged
The issue of career development in hospitality is not new. High turnover rates, the prevalence of informal knowledge transfer and the relatively flat hierarchy of many kitchen operations have historically made structured progression difficult for junior professionals to navigate without the advantage of working within a well-resourced group.
Hartnett has been a vocal advocate for better industry conditions for over a decade, including through her involvement with Chefs in Schools and various apprenticeship advisory roles. Her appointment as chair signals an ambition to make Hospitality Futures credible to both employers and participants from the outset.
"Angela carries enormous weight with every part of the industry," said one programme co-founder. "That matters enormously when you're asking experienced operators to give their time and asking emerging talent to trust that the programme will actually deliver."
Applications and Timeline
The first cohort will launch in May 2026. Applications for mentees open on 14 April and close on 30 April. The programme is open to culinary and front-of-house professionals at any stage of their career, with particular focus on those in their first five years in the industry.
Operators interested in providing mentors or secondment opportunities are invited to register interest through the programme's co-ordination team. Further information is expected to be published through the programme's industry partners in the coming weeks.