THE FORD CONSULTANCY TEAM
Dominic Ford
Director
Kevin Webley
Director
Dominic is an eminent and highly respected figure in the world of retail and hospitality, having been an integral part of early 1990’s ‘food revolution’ in London. He famously helped transform Harvey Nichols into an international lifestyle brand by creating the iconic Fifth Floor Restaurant & Foodmarket, thereby starting a trend for integrating premium fashion with premium food that remains an essential part of modern retailing.
A management career spanning over thirty years in the Wine, Restaurant, Hotel and Food Retail trades brings a wealth of experience. Dominic has worked all over the world and developed successful operations in the UK, Europe, Russia, Hong Kong and the Middle East.
Dominic’s career started in the London Wine Trade, followed by a brief period working in the USA, and then a return to London saw him take management roles at L’Escargot then owned by Nick Lander and Hilaire with Simon Hopkinson and Joel Kissin. He relocated to the Far East to take up the position of Assistant F&B Manager at the award-winning Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong. It was in Hong Kong in 1991 that Dickson Poon approached Dominic to become Restaurants and Food Retail Director of his newly-acquired Harvey Nichols and Company Limited. Dominic was on the Board of Harvey Nichols both as a private and Public Company for 12 years.
Dominic has been a professional consultant since 2004 delivering world-class projects for clients including; La Rinascente, Park Plaza Hotels, Selfridges, Tsvetnoy Central Market, KaDeWe Group, LVMH, DFS Asia, Printemps, Liberty and Intercontinental Hotel Group.
A long-time resident of Wimbledon with his wife, two daughters, two dogs and cats, three sheep, four chickens and a Kuni Kuni pig called Maggie. Dominic is also a keen photographer, skier and vegetable gardener.
A highly experienced and versatile senior consultant with a proven track record in many disciplines and environments including; operational management, food buying, ranging and merchandising, new business start-up, site opening, brand management and development, and senior recruitment.
Kevin’s early career included F&B management positions with major industry players such as De Vere Hotels, City Centre Restaurants and First Leisure, as well as working with niche independents in the world of fine-dining and recruitment.
A move into consultancy work at the turn of the millennium saw Kevin gain valuable experience with large scale projects including; the Eden Project in Cornwall, City Inn Hotels, Park Plaza Hotels, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Liberty, Selfridges, LVMH, Fenwick, Tsvetnoy Central Market and KaDeWe Berlin.
Kevin was the lead consultant for the £4m redevelopment and refurbishment of Fenwick Food Hall in Newcastle, and also managed all F&B operations within the iconic Liberty of London store as part of his remit.
He is specialised in providing operational strategies and solutions, especially the integration of food service and food retail, drawing on his extensive experience in the UK, Europe and Russia.
Kevin lives in the Worcestershire countryside with his three daughters, and enjoys cycling and swimming in his spare time.