BII reveals Licensee of the Year 2021 finalists

13-Oct-2021 - Last updated on 13-Oct-2021 at 09:26 GMT

Finalists chosen: from more than 200 entries, six contenders are in the running to be crowned Licensee of the Year 2021

The final six of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII)’s Licensee of the Year 2021 competition have been unveiled.

After being whittled down from more than 200 entrants, the finalists were chosen based on their community impact, exceptional mystery diner visits, financial and web presence audits alongside face-to-face interviews in their pubs with judges hospitality trainer and consultant Sue Allen and trade consultant Paul Pavli.

The competition, which was launched in June, encouraged those in the trade to enter on the basis of their involvement in their communities over the past 18 months, as well as in recognition of their resilience and diversification.

Final six

Sponsored by Sky, the Licensee of the Year competition is regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensees in the UK.

All six finalists will be presented with a trophy at the BII Winter Event on Tuesday 23 November, where the overall Licensee of the Year 2021 will be announced.

This year’s finalists are:

Ellie and Matt Furzeman – the White Lion, Wigan
Jason and Chris Black – the Pityme Inn, Wadebridge, Cornwall
Mick and Sarah Dore – the Alexandra, Wimbledon, south west London
Colum and Annemarie McCarthy – the Greyhound Hotel, Carshalton, Surrey
Tom and James Bainbridge – the White Hart, Welwyn, Hertfordshire
Stephen and Rebecca Prince – the Grey Mare, Belthorn, Lancashire

Incredible standard

BII chief executive Steven Alton said: “Our Licensee of the Year Award is the most prestigious and hard-fought award, showing the excellence in our sector.

“The final six are of an incredible standard. We are proud the awards process this year, more than ever, is offering a value added experience to all those involved with business insight and the chance to evaluate your business available at every stage, from mystery diner visits and feedback, right through to our final judging day at Sky HQ.

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all involved and wish them the best of luck for the final stages of the competition.”

The BII also thanked everyone who entered the competition this year.