Hospitality Action has announced that Mark Lewis will step down from his role as Chief Executive in March 2027 after nine years at the charity.
Mark joined Hospitality Action in 2017 having previously spent 14 years at The Caterer, where he served as editor and publisher.
A long-time supporter of the charity, Mark also served as a trustee to the organisation for 11 years prior to joining Hospitality Action as Chief Executive.
During his tenure, Mark has led the charity through significant challenges facing the hospitality industry, including Covid, Brexit and global economic turbulence.
At the same time, his mission to strengthen the charity’s support services for people who work, or have worked, in hospitality when they find themselves in crisis has always been his top priority.
Mark has overseen the expansion of Hospitality Action’s Employee Assistance Programme, making it best-in-class in the sector, the development of countless new fundraising initiatives and more recently, the introduction of a welfare benefits advice service which has already unlocked more than £1 million in unclaimed benefits entitlements for beneficiaries, all of which have served to strengthen the charity’s ‘we’ve got you’ commitment.
Reflecting on his departure, Mark said: “It’s been the honour of my life to be the custodian of our beautiful charity. Hospitality needs and deserves a strong charity to act as its safety net, and I’ve always believed that when you understand what Hospitality Action is and what it does, you can’t help but fall in love with it.
”I’ve been blessed to work alongside a fantastic team focused single-mindedly on improving the lives of others. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together and deeply grateful to everyone who has supported Hospitality Action along the way.
“I’d love to live in a world where there was no need for a charity like Hospitality Action to exist. Sadly, the need for our services continues to rise, not diminish. I look forward to seeing our charity’s impact continue to grow in the future and I urge everyone working in hospitality to ‘pay it forward’ by finding a way to support our work.”
“It has been a privilege to serve the UK’s hospitality industry and to be part of a charity that delivers daily on its promise, ‘We’ve got you.’
Speaking on the announcement, Jonathan Raggett, CEO of Red Carnation Hotels and Chair of Trustees at Hospitality Action, said: “I would like to thank Mark for everything he has done for Hospitality Action during his nine years as Chief Executive. On behalf of myself and the Trustees, I wish him all the very best for the future and know he will remain a passionate advocate of this much-loved and essential charity for the hospitality industry.”
Mark will remain in post until March 2027, helping launch a year-long programme of celebrations to mark Hospitality Action’s 190th birthday celebrations next year.
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