Smart Group
Quality, passion and integrity drive all the brands at Smart Group, providing unforgettable experiences across events and hospitality. We are a small, intimate company, with over 25 years of experience and personal service is at the core of everything we do.
Meet the team
Greg Lawson
CEO
Chloe Jackson
Managing Director
Elaine Sawford
Commercial Director
Jake Lawson
Group Business Services Director
Georgie Ward
Chief of Staff
Riehanna Graham
Director of Sales
Cara Gilbertson
Head of Seasonal Sales (Maternity Cover)
Olivia Parrott
Head of Venue Sales
Matt Wozniak
Group Operations Director - Venues and Events
Luke Heydenrych
Venue Operations Director
Ellie Tuohy
Senior Event Account Manager
Shilpa Parmar
Senior Event Account Manager
Jonathan Attwood
Group Creative Director
Phil Kind
Managing Director
Patricia De Souza
Head of Operations
Lee Ranns
Staffing Manager
Kate Gass
Senior Event Planner
Caitlin Gray
Event Planner
Ben Tobin-Paris
Deputy Managing Director of Moving Venue - Venues & Events
Paige Norman
Head of Sales
Kate Bassett
Head of Exclusive Venues
Oliver Gough
Senior Event Sales Manager
Anita Jackson
Event Sales Manager (Maternity Leave)
Iona Williams
Event Sales Manager - Illuminate
Cat Middleton
Event Sales Manager
Izzy Urand
Event Sales Executive
Elle Harper
Planning Director
Bethany Dare
Head of Planning
Courtney Mason
Senior Event Planner
Serena Di Matteo
Senior Event Planner
Nina Calvert
Event Planner
Tullulah Moorse
Event Planning Executive
Kim Laley
Group Operations Director
Slawomir Adamek
Operations Director
Lee Bushnell
Operations Director
Abi Bishop
Senior Event Manager
Matthew Castleford
Senior Event Manager
Tom Kocinski
Senior Event Manager
Pascal Warr
Event Manager
Emily Bruce
Event Manager
Greg Wright
Event Manager
Sophie Cuff
Events Assistant
Eleanor Barnes
Group People Manager
Natasha Martin
People and Staffing Assistant
Tom Hornsby
Group Logistics Director
Sylvaughn Allen
Head of Back of House and Warehouse Facilities
Adesh Woosye
Assistant Logistics Manager
Johnel Simpson
Assistant Back of House Manager
Richard Carter
Warehouse Manager
Bela Nemes
Warehouse Assistant
Sam Fellows
Assistant Cellar Manager
David Ridgway
Group Executive Chef
Alistair Riley
Executive Chef for Moving Venue
Sarah Hartnett
Executive Pastry Chef
Tom Adamowicz
Head Chef for Major Events
Mario Eroico
Head Pastry Chef
Maria Hapidou
Pastry Chef de Partie
Oliver Wickham
Head Canapé Chef
Willmar Silva
Development Head Chef
Ivan Tokar
Senior Pastry Sous Chef
Steve Williams
Senior Group Kitchen Manager
Kevin Tew
Kitchen Manager
Matteo De Vecchi
Junior Sous Chef
Shiwei Li
Head of Production
Nitish Ramsahye
Kitchen Logistics Manager
Brandon Spies
Packing and Dispatch Manager
Jason Breacher
Tasting Sous Chef
Mariusz Demkowicz
Production Sous Chef
Alex Ryan
Director of Growth and Development
Lauren Faraday
Director of Sales - Smart Parties
Lucy Gooby
Head of Ticketed Sales
Tess Norcliffe
Event Sales Executive
Sam Gill
Chairman
Steph Daniels
Managing Director
Rosalind Shelley
Managing Director
Melanie Miles
Director
Annabel De Souza
Director
Lulu Summerfield
Account Director
Holly Mann
Events Director
Harry Butcher
Head of Production and Operations
Alexandra Gubbins
Senior Sales Manager
Jess Sinden
Senior Account Manager (Maternity Leave)
Victoria Hinch
Senior Event Manager
Izzy Lambros
Head of Shows
Danielle Palombo
Senior Event and Operations Manager
Robyn Plummer
Senior Event Executive
Lee Rason
Operations Executive
Iona Mckitterick
Senior Account Executive
Becs Stitt
Senior Event Account Manager
Frieda Anwar
Senior Event Account Manager
Abby Squire
Creative Marketing Director
Amy Mitchell
Senior Marketing Manager
Emily Brooks
Marketing Assistant
Joseph Lewis
Marketing Assistant
Dan Smart
Junior Graphic Designer
Martin Real
Commercial Director
Bhav Hirani
Finance Director
Anett Fogarasi
Group Finance Manager
Adrienn Kaszas
Management Accountant
Sagar Nagda
Credit Controller
Jolita Hallas
Purchase Ledger Controller
Jiali Zhen
Purchase Ledger Controller
Anna Yeats
Finance Assistant
Laura Šarinová
Finance Assistant
Mary Amor
Office Manager
Francesca Del Rio
Head of People
Greg Lawson
CEO
Chloe Jackson
Managing Director
Elaine Sawford
Commercial Director
Jake Lawson
Group Business Services Director
Georgie Ward
Chief of Staff
Riehanna Graham
Director of Sales
Cara Gilbertson
Head of Seasonal Sales (Maternity Cover)
Olivia Parrott
Head of Venue Sales
Matt Wozniak
Group Operations Director - Venues and Events
Luke Heydenrych
Venue Operations Director
Luke hails from Cape Town, South Africa where he grew up and subsequently studied management accounting at the University of Stellenbosch.
He previously worked for a shipping services firm in the finance department but decided to take the plunge and join the world of events. Luke is based at Evolution London where he oversees the operations of the venue, from day to day maintenance to venue upgrades.
Ellie Tuohy
Senior Event Account Manager
Shilpa Parmar
Senior Event Account Manager
Shilpa has hit the ground running at Evolution London after joining the group in March 2022 and being in the events industry for over 6 years. Shilpa knew she was destined for the events industry after planning events throughout sixth form and interning at an events agency after university.
Once you have confirmed your event with our sales team, she will be your main point of contact all the way through to the live event answering any questions and making the planning process as easy as possible along the way.
Jonathan Attwood
Group Creative Director
Phil Kind
Managing Director
Patricia De Souza
Head of Operations
Lee Ranns
Staffing Manager
Kate Gass
Senior Event Planner
Caitlin Gray
Event Planner
Ben Tobin-Paris
Deputy Managing Director of Moving Venue - Venues & Events
Paige Norman
Head of Sales
Kate Bassett
Head of Exclusive Venues
Oliver Gough
Senior Event Sales Manager
Anita Jackson
Event Sales Manager (Maternity Leave)
Iona Williams
Event Sales Manager - Illuminate
Cat Middleton
Event Sales Manager
Izzy Urand
Event Sales Executive
Elle Harper
Planning Director
Bethany Dare
Head of Planning
Courtney Mason
Senior Event Planner
Serena Di Matteo
Senior Event Planner
Nina Calvert
Event Planner
Tullulah Moorse
Event Planning Executive
Kim Laley
Group Operations Director
Slawomir Adamek
Operations Director
Lee Bushnell
Operations Director
Abi Bishop
Senior Event Manager
Matthew Castleford
Senior Event Manager
Tom Kocinski
Senior Event Manager
Pascal Warr
Event Manager
Emily Bruce
Event Manager
Greg Wright
Event Manager
Sophie Cuff
Events Assistant
Eleanor Barnes
Group People Manager
Natasha Martin
People and Staffing Assistant
Tom Hornsby
Group Logistics Director
Sylvaughn Allen
Head of Back of House and Warehouse Facilities
Adesh Woosye
Assistant Logistics Manager
Johnel Simpson
Assistant Back of House Manager
Richard Carter
Warehouse Manager
Bela Nemes
Warehouse Assistant
Sam Fellows
Assistant Cellar Manager
David Ridgway
Group Executive Chef
Alistair Riley
Executive Chef for Moving Venue
Sarah Hartnett
Executive Pastry Chef
Tom Adamowicz
Head Chef for Major Events
Mario Eroico
Head Pastry Chef
Maria Hapidou
Pastry Chef de Partie
Oliver Wickham
Head Canapé Chef
Willmar Silva
Development Head Chef
Ivan Tokar
Senior Pastry Sous Chef
Steve Williams
Senior Group Kitchen Manager
Kevin Tew
Kitchen Manager
Matteo De Vecchi
Junior Sous Chef
Shiwei Li
Head of Production
Nitish Ramsahye
Kitchen Logistics Manager
Brandon Spies
Packing and Dispatch Manager
Jason Breacher
Tasting Sous Chef
Mariusz Demkowicz
Production Sous Chef
Alex Ryan
Director of Growth and Development
Alex has worked in the sales industry from a young age, gaining extensive experience on the shores of New Zealand and Australia, before returning to the UK and joining Smart in 2014.
He now manages our highly passionate Ticketed Sales Team, driving the sales of outstanding events throughout the summer and winter months, whether it’s a fantastic day at Ascot or a mind-blowing Christmas party.
When he’s not in work mode, Alex enjoys socialising with friends, practicing his cooking skills and aspiring to be like his favourite chef, Tom Kerridge.
Lauren Faraday
Director of Sales - Smart Parties
Lauren studied Event Management at the University of Derby, graduating with a first class honours & having one of the best experiences of her life. A year after moving to London from Yorkshire, Lauren joined us at Smart Group in 2015, and her career has flourished ever since.
Lauren is responsible for managing the sales of our Summer and Christmas sites, as well as year around events at Evolution London and Oceandiva London. She also heads up our agency incentive scheme, Smart Friends.
Her favourite past times are spending time with family, namely her beautiful daughter who is the light of her life. Loves lunching at new places, freshly baked scones (jam first) and a cold glass of Macon.
Lucy Gooby
Head of Ticketed Sales
After completing a university placement year within the events industry, Lucy just knew she had to continue on this career path, and eventually landed herself a job at Smart in 2018. She’s now dedicated to selling the perfect summer and Christmas parties at a variety of prestigious venues around London and beyond. Lucy loves a bottomless brunch and is regularly out with friends searching for new places to eat and drink!
Tess Norcliffe
Event Sales Executive
Sam Gill
Chairman
Sam is a co-founder of Story, having worked in the events industry since 1986.
Proudest Event Moment
Watching the teams perform their live acts at the recent Towers Watson Festival in a Day – seeing this reminded me of why I love events and how they can add true value to morale, loyalty and team spirit.
Steph Daniels
Managing Director
Steph was one of the first members of the Story family, joining in April 2014 as an Event Manager. She now leads the team in dreaming up and delivering our amazing events and is still obsessed with colour coding and lists.
Favourite Event
Delivering a festival 38 floors high in the sky in the Heron Tower was a career highlight. It was a logistically complicated yet highly creative event which made it all the more rewarding.
Rosalind Shelley
Managing Director
Ros joined the Story Events family back in 2015 as a director, initially heading up the venue finding side of the business. She is now incredibly privileged to lead the Story team and firmly believes that the magic that is created at Story Events is a testament to the team’s dedication, creative and innovative thinking, and tireless efforts.
Best Event
My dream event (which came true) was running the Great Ormond Street Formula One Ball which was amazing as it combined my love of fast cars, events and famous racing drivers!
Melanie Miles
Director
Melanie is one of the original 5 who started at Story and has been building the fantastic Story client base and Story team ever since day one.
Best Event
Delivering a fully 1920’s prohibition themed, jam packed with entertainment, event at Café de Paris. The client allowed us to go wild with the brief and completely immersive ourselves in the theme.
Annabel De Souza
Director
Event Speciality: Production and Content
Event Top Tip: A well-fed crew is a happy crew!
Best Event: The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for Awards, at Evolution London. The 2020 Awards was my first Smart Live Awards Show I produced, and working alongside our sister companies at Smart Venues and Smart Hospitality made it all the more fun!
Did You Know That: I once sung to and then met The Queen.
Lulu Summerfield
Account Director
Lulu is our Account Director within the Story Events Bespoke team. With a fantastic background within luxury catering she loves nothing more than a juicy and creative brief to get her teeth stuck in to (excuse the pun!).
Best Event
How do you pick one..! I’ve loved working on so many amazing events but one highlight includes a charity dinner at the Natural History Museum involving Sir David Attenborough, just seeing the amount of money raised for such an incredible charity puts everything in perspective and makes all the hard work worth it!
Holly Mann
Events Director
Holly is our Event Director within the Story Events Bespoke team and brings over 8 year’s event management experience, with a background in luxury catering and unique venues. she loves receiving a complex brief to get stuck in to and delivering beyond expectations.
Proudest Event Moment
This is very hard to choose. I’ve been lucky enough to work in some incredible venues and I love seeing how a space is transformed for an event. One of my favourites has to be transforming an industrial warehouse into a totally immersive enchanted forest theme, where almost everything was edible – even the trees!
Harry Butcher
Head of Production and Operations
Harry’s foundational knowledge originates from training and practice within the theatre and arts industry, it’s because of this he always focuses on nourishing the creative concept for any event. Harry values like minded collaborations, working together in providing clients with a high quality creative output.
Best Event
Nothing beats events with Royalty – Military precision and huge consideration of the smallest details.
Alexandra Gubbins
Senior Sales Manager
Alex is our Business Development Manager looking after all clients in our two boutique shows: The London Summer Event Show and The London Christmas Party Show. Coming from a 5-star luxury hotel background, Alex makes sure that all her clients feel they are her number one priority through her track record of building long lasting relationships.
Best Event
Organising a very high-profile wedding in Dubai. With an open budget we were able to create the brides every request including a floating wedding cake that came from the ceiling!
Jess Sinden
Senior Account Manager (Maternity Leave)
With a background of working in some of London’s most prestigious venues, including Banqueting House and Kensington Palace, there is nothing that Jess is more passionate about than planning events! With over 6 year’s experience in the events industry she prides herself on finding solutions to her clients most ambitious requests – turning the ‘impossible’ into a reality.
Best Event
My all time favourite event was planning a luxury jewellery showcase with Harrods. This was such a special event to be involved in as it was the first time the world famous store’s jewellery was being displayed in an external venue. The event featured over 100 trees, 4.5 miles of cabling and a rainstorm – it was definitely one to remember!
Victoria Hinch
Senior Event Manager
Vicky was previously an intern, now that she has completed her studies at Sheffield Hallam she has rejoined the events team. She has an eye for detail and is excited to continue to develop and learn, experiencing all that the events industry has to offer.
Best Event
A memorable event for me was the evening we held at St Paul’s Cathedral in Nelson’s Chamber. The breath taking historic surroundings added to the sparkle of the event.
Izzy Lambros
Head of Shows
Izzy joined Story Events as our Events Assistant on the London Christmas Party Show and the London Summer Event Show. Having worked for a venue finding agency in the past, she is keen to learn every other aspect of the event’s industry and is enthusiastic to make her mark.
Best Event
It would have to be hosting my top clients for a ‘Night In The Museum’. I was lucky enough to take a handful of clients to the Natural History Museum, after it had closed to the public, for an immersive tour of all the event spaces; followed by delicious food and drinks. It was truly magical!
Danielle Palombo
Senior Event and Operations Manager
Dani joined Story as an intern back in 2016 and shortly after finishing her degree, came back as a permanent member of the operations team! After a couple of years away from Story developing her skillset in other areas, she’s back to support the Show team with the London Christmas Party Show and London Summer Event Show
Best Event
The London Christmas Party Show 2016 will always be top of my list, purely for how magical it was to experience such an immersive Christmas experience in the height of summer!
Robyn Plummer
Senior Event Executive
Our Operations team has expanded and we would like to introduce you to the newest member of the team, Robyn, who has joined us as a Senior Event Executive.
Proudest Event Moment
I think my proudest event moment would be working on an awards scheme for the regional press industry. It was a very difficult project with a lot of moving parts and is in a very complex industry, I took the challenge head on and delivered a very successful awards scheme and luncheon.
Lee Rason
Operations Executive
Born and raised in Essex, although I’m often found in Soho at the weekend with an Espresso Martini in hand. I like to keep my creativity busy whether it’s baking for friends, making balloon arches for birthdays or organising friends hen parties. After working 11 years in Telecoms I felt it was time to take the plunge and explore the Events world within a company that helped me grow over the years. Fun Fact: Faye from Steps told me she loved my energy.
Best Event
During a Work Experience week with Story Events, I was lucky enough to work on a corporate Summer Party which took place on a boat down the Thames. I had so much fun working with the onsite team, helping theme the Silver Sturgeon venue and ensuring guests were happy throughout. We had a BBQ catering company on the outside deck and Capital FM Radio DJ’s performing on the boat who were both great to work with! It was the first event I ever really worked on, and a great one at that. It certainly confirmed for me that I wanted a career in Events.
Iona Mckitterick
Senior Account Executive
Iona is an Account Executive within the Story Bespoke team. She has a wonderful background within catering, hotels and events and loves nothing more than working with clients to bring their dream event to life!
Proudest Event Moment
There are so many to choose from as I have been fortunate enough to work in some fantastic venues with amazing clients. The best moment for me has got to be building, nurturing and maintaining a relationship with a wonderful client who contracted an extravagant 4-day conference and reception event to the venue in 5 days of receiving the brief. It was amazing to see the joy on the client’s face when this event came to life.