Business Leaders interview: Stephanie Wilkinson

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.

Hiya! I’m Steph, I’ve worked in hospitality since I was 19 y/o (now 31). I started out working across the sales function at Proud Cabaret pretty much straight out of Uni, progressing from Sales Exec to Head of Sales, Events & Marketing within the 4 years I was there. Since then, I’ve worked at Mothership, then Nightcap as Head of Brand Marketing across their 11 brands, and now I’m at Archer Street as Head of Marketing. Archer Street is a stunning collection of cocktail-performance bars featuring West End talent – picture drinking hand-crafted cocktails while absolute superstars belt out Proud Mary. It’s unbelievable. Hospo is my life – I love the people (and the laughs!)

What motivates you in your work and what do you find most fulfilling about being a business leader?

The people and the creativity – and I guess from that comes flexibility as hospitality has so much potential for you to infuse your personality into your work if that makes sense, especially in marketing with campaigns and activations. 

In terms of the people – I love seeing people grow in their roles and really make it their own. And let’s be real, work should be fun – we spend most of our lives doing it, so we need to enjoy it. It’s super important.

How did you develop your leadership skills and how would you define your leadership style?

Leadership has been a journey for me. I actually used to be a bit of a micro manager which didn’t do me any favours – you end up with a team that can’t stand you and a brain that’s overloaded with detail. It’s a one-way ticket to burnout. So, I realised that approach wasn’t working and took some solid advice on how to manage effectively. Now I set weekly 1-2-1s with clear expectations, have 10-minute morning touchdowns to address any questions, and give my team the breathing room to just crack on. It’s made a world of difference.

Innovating is crucial in our very diverse industry. How do you stay ahead of trends and incorporate them into your global strategy?

Not quite global (yet!). But in terms of the UK’s marketing landscape, I’m constantly across all socials – you’ve got to love it because it can be time consuming. Plus, I’m subscribed to a few newsletters from key marketing agencies that cover the trends I need to know to stay effective in my role.

What is or are your biggest career achievement(s)?

One of my career highlights has to be the activation for The Cocktail Club when we were opening our flagship site in Birmingham – The World’s Smallest Cocktail Bar with The World’s Best Bartender, JJ Goodman. Honestly so much fun. The concept was strong without the execution, but we nailed that too! We set up a mini TCC bar in the box, hung pictures, pimped it out with branded stickers, had ornaments on the back bar… the works. The whole team were buzzing, plus we scored a load of national press off the back of it. JJ is always top to work with.

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

Trust your team and empower them to take ownership. The best results come when you set clear goals, provide support, and then let your team run with it. Also not a lesson, but one piece of advice that has stuck with me is that… at the end of the day, when you’re sitting in a meeting, everyone usually feels as nervous as you do. Remember we’re all human and learning together. This really helped me.

How do you prioritise tasks when everything feels like a priority?

I know this feeling too well! I guess I focus on what’s going to have the biggest impact. I make a list and tackle the most critical tasks first – the ones that align with business goals or have a tight deadline. I delegate when I can and always communicate with the team so we’re on the same page. Also Monday.com is my silver bullet haha… I swear I should have shares I bang on about it so much.

How important is personal development to your success, and how do you approach it?

Personal development is crucial to my success, and to be honest I need to spend more time working on it. I think you need to be constantly growing, learning, and evolving, whether it’s through reading, researching or simply just taking some time to focus on yourself. It all counts. It’s all about pushing yourself to be better, in and out of work, and consequently this will show in your work. Levelling up!

Have you achieved everything you wanted in your career so far? 

Absolutely not. I’m just getting started.

What does success mean for you as a business leader? 

A happy team and a good ROI. That’s a pretty solid combo. (That keeps my boss happy too).