Supporting Young Hospitality Professionals

since 1949

OUR MISSION:

Nurturing young talent.

Supporting the training & development of young people within the hospitality industry.

Listen to how the pm trust has helped some hospitality students

Partnerships

Alumni

Meet the Trustees

Ruston Toms FIH

Chairman of the Trustees, Former Founding Director– Blue Apple

Ruston was one of the founding trustees when the PM Trust was formed in 2002. He qualified as a Chef at Westminster Kingsway College and completed his apprenticeship at Pennyhill Park Hotel & Spa in Surrey and was a resident of the original PM Club in 1980's. He worked in various sectors of hospitality prior to founding his own business.

He co- founded independent foodservice business, Blue Apple in 1998 which, at its peak achieved revenues of £25m & employed 400 staff. The business was acquired by CH&Co in 2022 and subsequently Compass UK. Ruston is also a member of UK Hospitality’s, Foodservice Forum and past chair of the Association of Catering Excellence and a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality.

Tim Jones

Trust Secretary & Former Chairman CH&CO Group

Tim established CH&Co with his late wife, Robyn, in 1991. The business was acquired by Compass UK in 2023. He originally trained as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse and was Financial Controller of Marvel Comics between 1986 and 1990.

Tim has always been actively involved in all aspects of the business, focusing principally on strategic direction, business planning and client relations helping the group increase its turnover to £265m operating at over 700 sites across the country with approaching 6,000 staff. Tim is also involved with a number of charities and is a trustee of Hospitality Action.

Holly Addison

Partner, Commercial & Board Practice - Leathwaite Executive Search

Working at the intersection of Consumer, Technology, Lifestyle and Digital, she specialises in senior and board-level appointments with a focus on transformational leadership within the marketing, sales, operations, customer experience and commercial functions.

Earlier in her career, Holly was the founding Director of a boutique executive search and consulting firm and spent five years working for the Walt Disney organisation in the USA, London and Paris.

Holly is a passionate supporter of inclusion and diversity and is a founding member of Plan B - a leadership mentoring initiative to help female professionals break through to executive and board level.  Holly also chairs the Global Inclusion Council at Leathwaite and is an active member of the Business Leaders Group for Disability Confident.

Holly was a former Acorn Award Winner, chaired The Acorn Club for 13 years and was one of the founders of The Acorn Scholarship. She is also a Mentor for Springboard UK and is a passionate supporter of young people’s careers in the industry.

Medina Williamson

Head of Sales The Lansdowne Club Mayfair

Medina joined the Trust in the Summer 2023 and and brings 28 years of industry experience, working in the hospitality sector in front of house operations working her way up to having held positions at several notable London institutions, including Director of Events Sales at The Connaught (where her team was awarded Best Conference & Banqueting Team at the Cateys 2012 ), Director of Event Sales at Royal Lancaster London, Sales Manager at The Dorchester, and Business Development Manager at Café Royal.

It was whilst working at The Dorchester that Medina was awarded Honorary Fellowship from West London College for her contribution to hospitality. Working with Professor David Foskett, she has also consulted for various organisations offering hospitality education and training advice to FE and HE establishments across the globe.

Medina loves hospitality and is keen to promote the opportunities that it offers to young people.

Our Patrons

Brian Turner CBE

Brian is one of Britain’s most well-known chefs having trained at Simpson’s in the Strand, The Savoy, The Beau Rivage in Lausanne and Claridge’s. In 1971 he opened the kitchens of The Capital Hotel with Richard Shepherd where they won a then rare Michelin star.

Turner is the President of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts which he has combined with a successful career as a TV personality.

In June 2002 Turner was awarded a CBE for his services to tourism and training in the catering industry. Since then Turner has been made an Honorary Professor of The University of West London, a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute as well as receiving Honorary Doctorates of Science at Leeds Metropolitan and Sheffield Hallam Universities.

Brian plays an active role in campaigns to encourage British people to get back into the kitchen and enjoy cooking even more.

John Williams MBE

As Executive Chef at The Ritz, Williams oversees a kitchen brigade of over 60 chefs. He is responsible for the seasonal menus as a Two Michelin Star chef for The Ritz Restaurant and The Palm Court, renowned for their world-famous Afternoon Tea and The Rivoli Bar and Room Service. The Ritz received a Royal Warrant for Banqueting and Catering Services from His Royal Highness King Charles; The Ritz was the first and only hotel to receive this prestigious accolade.

In May 2024, Chef John Williams was named President of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, through which he tirelessly promotes the education and training of young chefs.

Under his leadership, The Ritz Restaurant was awarded one Michelin Star in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2017 for the first time in the hotel’s history. In 2019, The Ritz London: The Cookbook by John Williams was published. In 2025, The Ritz Restaurant was awarded Two Michelin Stars.

Our Ambassador

GARY HUNTER

Gary is a former Trustee of The PM Trust and is co-founding Director at Hunters Academy of Food. His culinary and education career is unprecedented and not only is he a culinary authority in his own right, but he is also a world renowned award-winning tutor and an author.

Born in North Norfolk, Gary enrolled at City College Norwich on a professional chef course, later specialising with an advanced course in patisserie and confectionery.

For the next few years, Gary honed his skills in high end hotels and restaurants, before being offered the chance to teach at the legendary Westminster College in Central London. It is the UK’s leading and oldest professional culinary and hospitality school that was launched by the legendary chefs Auguste Escoffier and Iwan Kriens.

Gary also works as an international judge for chocolate and patisserie. His long-standing role as one of the first UK Ambassadors for Barry Callebaut UK enables him to provide specialist seminars, demonstrations, classes and product development for chefs, pastry chefs, chocolatiers, restaurants, hotels and individual hospitality companies.

Finding the time to write is a compelling passion. As a consequence, Gary has now written and published seven educational professional cookery books for students and training chefs, alongside his most recent and highly acclaimed ‘In a Class of Its Own’.

The Association Culinaire Française honoured Gary with the Palmes Culinaires Diploma in 2003. City & Guilds awarded a Gold Medal in their annual 2009 awards to Gary for his contribution to Further Education and the Craft Guild of Chefs have recognized his contribution to the industry by making him a Fellow in 2010. He has also won an award for the Best Education Chef in 2012 culminating with two Cateys (the hospitality equivalent to an Oscar) in 2020. Gary is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts where he sits on the education committee. He is also a fellow of the Master Chefs of Great Britain.

Gary relocated back to North Norfolk in 2018 and after extensive research and planning, he and Nichola followed their hearts and Hunters Academy of Food was born.

Get Involved

We usually hold a number of events during the year for which we would welcome any support.

Recent fundraising partners are The Association of Catering Excellence (ACE) and The Reunion des Gastronomes.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like to become a fundraising partner, thank you.