Paul Grace, Coca-Cola Enterprises
Grace's CV
BackgroundPaul Grace trained as a chef in 1988 after getting the hospitality bug in his parents' pubs. He continued to train through college and ran a hotel and a theme bar and restaurant before becoming a development chef for Samworth Brothers, at the start of the ready-meal revolution in the early '90s. He later went into national account sales before joining Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) 11 years ago.
Areas of expertiseGrace held numerous positions across sales at CCE before settling into the marketing team nine years ago. Apart from a spell managing Schweppes, Appletiser and Oasis, the majority of his time has been focused in the on-premise arena.
Grace says: "I am delighted to be part of this initiative and to help bring some positive answers at a time when we are all acutely aware of how difficult the trading environment has become for the trade. This MA programme is an opportunity for us to stop looking over our shoulders at legislation and come together to get more people into pubs.
"The upside of the smoking ban is that a whole new audience, including families, are starting to consider pubs for the first time. Collectively we can identify some practical ideas that are easy to implement, to ensure that these people keep coming back."
