Human Resources

🍴 Chef-owner Ryan Blackburn will not renew Kysty's lease, with its final service on July 26. He plans to open two new ventures in Ambleside: 'The Schelly,' a casual dining restaurant with 24+6 seats, and 'Workshop at The Old Stamp House,' a private dining space seating eight. Both are set to open mid-late August and will retain the Kysty team.

📢 Lost Boys Chicken, founded in 2015, closed its standalone restaurant on York Place due to post-Covid market shifts favoring home dining, economic pressures, and other challenges. Owner Tomas Samandi announced the closure as the hardest decision of his career and has relaunched the business at The Joker, its original pop-up location. Encouraging local support, Samandi suggests customers pick up orders instead of using delivery services to better benefit local businesses.

🏨 Vibe, a travel technology provider, appoints Danny Girling as the new business development & head of partnerships for EMEA, signaling a new phase of expansion in EMEA and APAC. Girling, with 14+ years of experience from Travel Counsellors and Inspiretec, joins other 2023 hires like CEO Steve Barrass and non-executive Director Stephane Durand. Vibe has recently invested in customer service, software development, marketing, and design to set the stage for growth.

🏠 Nezasa names Lisa Katsouraki to its Board of Directors, enhancing strategic vision for the future. Katsouraki, senior vice-president of corporate development at Etraveli Group, brings expertise from her roles since 2011, including advisory board member at Ennea Capital Partners. Nezasa CEO Manuel Hilty regards her tourism industry understanding as invaluable for the company's innovative travel industry solutions and growth objectives.

🏨 Torsten Gros appointed as Managing Director of Pax2pay UAB by Pay2pay, coinciding with new office opening in Vilnius, Lithuania. Pax2pay, known for Virtual Card, Bank Transfer, Account Creation, and Invoice Payments technology, supports major OTAs like Loveholidays, TUI, and Tryp. Gros, with nearly 30 years of experience, has previously worked with eNett, Travelport, and Apiso. The Vilnius-based office will be a strategic hub for Pax2pay's expansion in the European Economic Area (EEA). CEO Paivo Eerola highlights Gros' experience as key to the company's growth in the EEA.

🏠 John Davies named CEO of Open Destinations, effective immediately. Founder Kevin O’Sullivan transitions to executive chair. Davies, with previous roles at TUI, the AA, and 3M, rejoined Open Destinations as CTO in 2023 after a stint from 2013-2016. Focuses include releasing a new reservation platform version and developing an app with AI integration for tour managers. Open Destinations experiences high demand for products amid a positive outlook in the travel industry.

🏢 Matthias Rotter, previously managing director of DER Touristik, has been appointed as senior consultant to key accounts at ISO Travel Solutions, a German-based travel technology provider. Rotter is tasked with analyzing IT project requirements, evaluating customer needs, and conceptualizing individual IT solutions. ISO-Gruppe and Rotter have a history of collaboration, with Markus Kretschmer, managing director of ISO Travel Solutions, highlighting the move as an intensification of their long-standing partnership. Rotter's role includes contributing expertise in IT change management and supporting ISO customers in other business areas.

🍴 Sam Lomas, former River Cottage 'Rising Star' and Roux Scholarship finalist, is set to open Briar restaurant in early September at Number One Bruton in Somerset, a venue previously housing Osip. Briar will offer a daily changing menu focused on hyper-local produce, seasonal ingredients, and foraged offerings, including dishes like Westcombe gougeres and Berkshire pork chop with cider sauce. Osip, founded by Merlin Labron-Johnson, plans to relocate to Hardway in a renovated 16th-century inn.

🍴 Kyle Lynch named head chef at Ormer Mayfair by Sofian, located within Flemings Mayfair, in 2021. Previously at Adare Manor’s Michelin-starred Oak Room and Michelin-starred Ichigo Ichie, he now oversees the British five- and seven-course tasting menus at the newly-starred restaurant. Ormer Mayfair by Sofian earned its first Michelin star earlier this year.