Confidence, Courage, Clarity: What Actually Holds People Back with Lorraine Copes

<p>Lorraine Copes, Founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality</p><p>Chris sits down with Lorraine Copes, founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality, for a proper chat about the people side of the industry. From bringing Shake Shack to the UK to procurement boards at Gordon Ramsay Group and Corbin &amp; King, Lorraine has built a 24-year career, then walked away from the &quot;proper job&quot; to build something with purpose. Six years on, BIH has trained 2,000+ leaders. We get into the data on who makes it up the chain, why confidence beats everything, and the gap between what boards say about people and what they actually do.</p><ul><li><strong>From logistics to leadership.</strong> The &quot;safe&quot; degree, falling into hospitality supply chain, and pushing into procurement for the wins and the impact.</li><li><strong>The Shake Shack effect.</strong> Danny Meyer, &quot;Setting the Table&quot; as her ops bible, and the lesson that stuck: take care of your people and they take care of your guests.</li><li><strong>Why she pivoted.</strong> Not away from procurement, but towards purpose. She never once said &quot;I want to be an entrepreneur.&quot; She wrote the plan in her garden, took redundancy, and went for it.</li><li><strong>Be Inclusive Hospitality, six years in.</strong> Launched June 2020 into a sector finally ready to listen. Two halves: training leaders on inclusion and belonging, and an upward social mobility arm running mentorship, scholarships and education.</li><li><strong>The Better Hospitality Campaign.</strong> An industry-wide survey looking at the consequences of what&#39;s happening, plus a leadership committee building a set of standards. Report drops end of September.</li><li><strong>The numbers.</strong> Entry level is the most diverse part of the industry, the boardroom rarely reflects it. Hospitality has the ingredients to be the best, if it builds real career pathways.</li><li><strong>Confidence, courage, clarity.</strong> The three things that show up when Lorraine coaches leaders, with confidence at the top. Why she refuses to call it &quot;imposter syndrome.&quot;</li><li><strong>The board-level gap.</strong> It always comes back to people. Investing in them costs little and lifts every KPI you sweat over.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Restaurant:</strong> Akoko on Berners Street</li><li><strong>Tech that earned its place:</strong> Fixr (the expense tool Chris put her onto)</li><li><strong>Best advice:</strong> Find your tribe</li></ul><ul><li>