Leadership series: David Singleton

In our Leadership Series, we put inspiring industry leaders in the spotlight through exclusive interviews

In this interview, we speak to David Singleton, Founder and Strategic Advisor to International F&B brands at oraculi.co

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.

I’m a career hospitality guy, having run, created and built high performance teams and brands around the world, originally from the, my career has spanned 40 countries. I’m based in Dubai in my 14th year leading my own practice that focuses on high performance at a human and organisational perspective. I ask the difficult questions and help others answer theirs. My two daughters graduated and started their careers here, Hollie working for Bacchus PR as a senior account manager in luxury hospitality, and Katie a global account manager with Cigna. 

What initially inspired you or sparked your interest in pursuing this career?

I was 17 and needed a job. I saw an advert for a commis waiter at the Holiday Inn, Slough Windsor. Two problems; I didn’t know what a commis was or has ever been to a five star hotel. When I arrived in the hotel I thought “this is pretty cool. I can meet people, have fun and learn lots.” The restaurant manager asked me why I wanted to be a waiter “I don’t, I want you to teach me how to run this hotel’ I was hired. He knew that he had found someone to make his life easy. I moved to Toby Restaurants 2.5 years later… 

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

I’ve been blessed to work with some of the industry’s finest and most impactful leaders and with some of the world’s best loved brands. I’ve been trusted to deliver, create, grow and learn. I’ve broken so many rules and driven many mad along the way but always because I’ve fundamentally trusted myself and what I believe in – what’s been right in the eyes of the Guest and the heart of the team. 

What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing the landscape where you are and how should/will a business like yours respond?

The Middle East has and still is deep within one of the most difficult challenges this generation, alongside Covid. People who once felt invincible, are no longer. Luxury is challenged, community business has bounced, hotels have struggled. This will take 12, possibly more months to find its new level, and then it will be running differently. Not everyone will make it. 

Thinking about the (current) macro-economic and social environment (cost pressures, labour market, changing customer expectations, sustainability), what shifts do you believe will redefine “success” for our sector in the coming year or years?

People. Learning how to govern cost base, rather than singularly manage. Being obsessively brilliant. Having a distinct point of difference. Being braver, bolder and investing in the entrepreneur who is closest to good ideas and how to do things differently. 

How do you stay updated on industry trends, customer expectations, and regulatory changes?

I meet at least five new people a week. I network, I read, I ask curious questions. 

Where do you think the most promising investments should be focused on and/or made on?

If you could influence one thing about the future of hospitality (policy, regulation, social trend, business model…) what would it be, and why?

I’m fortunate that I have chosen to base myself in one of the most visionary countries in the world. I was part of a small group of industry leaders who gathered at covid to inform government of industry risks and actions they could take to support the industry – they adopted pretty much everything.   

What skills or mindsets do you think will be most important for the next generation of hospitality leaders?

The next generation of leaders are at school, where students sit alongside entrepreneurs. The current generation would do well to have these within their network. Leaders need to be obsessively visionary, to be able to think deeply and trust others to deliver 

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

I believe I have led and been a part of the creation of some of the most obsessively passionate teams of high performing leaders, many of whom started where I did and now lead, own and inspire in the same way as their mentors, leaders and peers

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

To believe in yourself and you will win. I also say, ‘be the leaders today, you want to be tomorrow’. And  ‘when you find your purpose you have clarity; with clarity you have strength and with strength you have the courage to do anything.’ We are surround by people with ‘good ideas’, less support with strategy, and even less with action combined. 

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

Good grief no

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

I have a ‘to do list’ and a ‘to don’t’ list. Is everything on your list ‘important to you’ or serving someone else’s agenda…

Have there been any hard decisions you had to take as a business leader? 

Many, too many. But having the courage to take action is the most important 

Could you briefly introduce yourself, your role, and the core mission of your organisation within the hospitality landscape?

"Many coaches have left industry, and most advisors don't coach and I do both by design. Being embedded in live commercial environments makes me a sharper coach. Working closely with leaders at a human level makes me a more effective advisor. The two practices compound impact, clients get someone who understands the boardroom pressure they're under, because I’m still deep within them"I have led and developed organisations around the world, working with some of the world's most recognised brands across 40+ countries. As Founder of Oraculi, I deliver strategic advisory and executive development solutions that drive growth and transform leadership capability for ambitious organisations and C-suite executives.Oraculi operates across two complementary practice areas: Strategic Advisory for brands and companies pursuing accelerated growth and international expansion, and Executive Coaching for C-suite leaders driving organisational transformation.I combine operational boardroom experience with advanced coaching methodologies, offering proven strategies validated across diverse global markets and complex business transformations.

What do you see as the most significant challenges and opportunities currently shaping the service industry /sector?

In my region, getting through the current geo political situation.

Are you expecting consumer expectations to shift this year?

They are becoming more demanding – for value for newness, comfort, service, experience

How has your leadership philosophy evolved, especially over the past few years of rapid change?

It has stayed the same. I was taught to be you and not try to be anyone else, to be the best you can ever be, serve in a way that the Guest demands. Be visionary, know what’s coming next in terms of trend, your career, the next shift, next door, globally. 

How do you balance the demands of commercial performance with staff well-being, retention, and culture building?

Be a people first organisation. In doing so, everyone thrives. Be inclusive, be open, and make sure that whoever they are in the organisation they have the right to ask you any question and expect an honest answer. 

What strategies have proven most effective for attracting and growing future talent?

Hire the best future leaders that people want to work for and with. Be uncompromising, have the brand, the Guest and the team in mind. Have no excuses. You only need 20, 40, 100 people from a town of millions. You can find them. Be the leader they want to work for. (like dating) 

What innovations, technological, experiential, or operational, excite you the most right now?

HeadsUp, Ambl, Claude

Sustainability is a growing priority. How are you embedding meaningful, long-term sustainability practices into your business?

Sustainability is not new. It’s an attitude and behaviour. The earth is our responsibility. Wastefulness is simply unacceptable. 

Looking back, what has been the most pivotal moment in your career, a turning point that shaped how you lead today?

When I first travelled internationally, firstly to Russia as part of a team, then to Dubai to realise a vision I set five years previously. 

What’s a lesson you learned that still influences your decisions?

Be uncompromising with your standards. Hire the best people for the best of the business and their careers. Be a servant leader but make sure you serve yourself.

Who or what has had a major influence on your approach to leadership?

I have had many mentors, in my career. Most people reading this who know me will remember my career at Mitchells and Butlers and the leadership there. I’ve also learned from leaders who failed to lead. Leaders who lacked curiosity. The list is long, because I’ve chosen to pick my mentors quietly. I chose to meet people across industries to learn from, I learned later that the hospitality industry has so much to transfer to service sectors around them, when I had the chance to lead in my own right in Dubai with Al Tayer, I was trusted with my knowledge which I put to work. It inspired me to learn, and it was then that I realised I’m a ‘high performance leader’ rather than a leader in hospitality, it just so happens to be my rookie skill. I now apply all this to industries around the world.     

What does the industry need more of (or less) to continue thriving?

Disciplined leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship from all generations, they are all different and inspiring. A coach leader mindset

What is your long-term vision for your organisation, and what legacy would you like to leave within the industry?

My focus is of high performance, to do what I have in one boardroom at a time in many at a time. 

What first drew you into hospitality, and how did that early path lead you toward coaching, advisory work, and eventually Oraculi?

I was being asked more and more to help, advise, coach support. It was a natural calling that has become my purpose – see above…

Moving between boardrooms, franchise strategy, and one-to-one coaching, what motivates you now, and what do you find most fulfilling?

I am driven in creating frameworks from theory and vocational practice. I get deep satisfaction in seeing the transformation in people, teams, organisations 

Sitting across so many boards and advisory roles, how do you personally stay on top of industry trends and regulatory change across so many markets at once?

In addition to my earlier answer, one of the boards I have sat on and hope to be re-elected back to is the British Chamber of Commerce, this is where I am able to support British industry and build my government network

Given your advisory work spanning tech, luxury franchise, and hospitality, where do you think the most promising investment is right now?

In any industry, where you have a distinct point of difference, with a well thought out strategy, ran supremely

You now spend much of your time developing leaders through Oraculi. What skills or mindsets do you think will matter most for the next generation of hospitality and business leaders?

Have a coach leader mindset, learn, be you, have a future vision, understand your make up…

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned whether on stage at TEDx or in a boardroom?

TEDx was an intention, a vision, and to be invited to deliver my first Talk. Other lessons are throughout my answers

Have you achieved everything you wanted in your career so far, or is there still a “beyond boundaries” ahead for you personally? 

There’s much more I intend to do now which includes two books that are in the making and taking my transformation work more globally

Across so many advisory and board roles at once, how do you prioritise when everything feels urgent?

I plan and allocate my time, I have to be really 

Have there been hard decisions you’ve had to make, whether as an operator, a partner, or now as an advisor? 

Very many in my career, but now with my own practice I am able to choose to end a relationship if it not aligned. Now I ask the hard questions and help others answer theirs

Your TEDx talk touched on “movement of mind” and mastering balance. How has your own leadership philosophy evolved, especially over the past few years?

My time in Russia was transformative for me personally. I realised that when I was in the UK I was living and working in a place of subliminal command and control be that in relationship or the work place, now I was in a place of cultural command and control. I vowed there after I would put my own agenda and self-first, and in doing so I would be a better person, friend, colleague, leader as a result. It inspired my decision making thereafter, including my move to Dubai. I had an opportunity to move to London but chose to extend my international career a decision that was best for me. 

A lot of your coaching work centres on burnout and balance. How do you help leaders balance commercial performance with well-being, retention, and culture?

This is such an important area that had little to no focus in my time in the UK. Looking back, I use that time to serve the work I do now. We were expected to be on call, answer mails and messages no matter the time. Having said that I worked for some of the industry’s most inspiring leaders and I would not be here without them. MAB was an incredible organisation that contributed to more that 25 years of my career. I would love to go back and see the business now, the people I worked with then who are still there. The UAE puts workplace culture as a high priority which makes the work I do well received.  

Between AI advisory work and more experiential approaches like equine-guided leadership, what innovations excite you most right now?

My work is focused on high performance, and discovery. The work I do with equine-guided leadership was born from my love of horses, and through the inspiration of a client I worked with. When I left Russia, I thought if I can do this, I can do anything, and from then on, I decided that every year I would learn something new each year that I thought I could or would never do. Learning to ride an Arabian race horse in the desert was one of my first things, that led to polo, then to transformation work – it’s a whole article in itself this! There so much that inspires me in my work.

What advice would you give emerging leaders who want to build a career like yours, moving between operations, advisory, and coaching?

Have a plan and a reason why. It’s not easy to transition and it takes time. I used my last two years in the boardroom with Hard Rock to shape what I wanted to do, then came covid and had the longest two years of my life. It was difficult but made my practice stronger. Hire a coach to help guide you, surround yourself with the right people to support you. Don’t think it’s easy, it’s not, but as Professor Dr Chris Edger said to me who was one who encouraged me “you’ve been a coach leader all your life, now become leader as coach”. He went on “fortune favours the brave”