Episode
#248 - Hospitality Meets Gemma Glasson - Structure, Sunshine & a Flaming Bull
- Published
- Mar 25, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4293
- Processing state
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- https://www.hospitalitymeets.co.uk/
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Summary
This week I sat down with the brilliant Gemma Glasson, Managing Director of Wahaca and one of those leaders whose journey reminds you that careers rarely move in straight lines… and thank God for that. From starting out in the world of KPMG and Ernst & Young , to stepping into hospitality with a desire to have more impact, more energy, and a bit more colour in her working life, Gemma’s story is packed with intelligence, curiosity, self awareness, and the kind of warmth that makes you understand very quickly why she’s ended up where she is. Along the way there are some absolute gems… including a debate on whether salt and vinegar crisps should be blue or pink , a trained accountant being completely undone by coins at a school bake sale , and a glorious story from Mexico involving mezcal, a brass band, and a firework bull ending up on Thomasina Miers’ head . Standard! But underneath the laughs is something deeper, a conversation about finding work that actually fits who you are, leading with both structure and energy, and why hospitality only really works when you remember it’s a people business first . In this episode, Gemma and I get into… • Starting out in accountancy and why big professional service firms can give you an incredible foundation • The moment she realised she was leaving part of herself, her “yellow energy”, on the table • Moving into Wahaca and being told, essentially, to come in and get stuff done • Why entrepreneurial energy and structured execution can be a brilliant combination • Growing through the business from commercial roles to food, COO and now Managing Director • What it means to help lead a much-loved British restaurant brand as it turns 18 • Why hospitality is equal parts exhausting and exhilarating • How Wahaca thinks about people, gue…