THE BIG INTERVIEW
‘YOU DON’T HIRE SMART PEOPLE TO TEACH THEM WHAT TO DO’
Empowering his staff to uphold his high standards has been a crucial component of Sanjay Foods’ success, believes Atul. While he is the sole director of the business, he
encourages his core team – which works alongside agency staff at large events – to feel the same pride in their work as he does. He recalls a conversation with Dr Dallas Burston,
owner of the polo club that houses the IXL Events Centre now owned by Atul. He says: “Dr Dallas once said to me that quality,
execution and standard was something he’d always advocated, which was very much in line with my ethos of what my business needs to be all about. It’s important to get the commitment of the core team and empowering our people to feel an ownership of the business.” Atul, whose team includes several people who
have been with the company for more than 15 years, tries to lead by example in showing the same commitment to running the business. He adds: “We have a very transparent open-
door policy and we run our management team as a democratic process. So there will be times when I’m overruled in decisions, which is a progression from when you start a business and think everything you do is right. “I remember a while ago reading about how
you don’t employ smart people to teach them what to do. But we also invest heavily in training to develop the understanding that we’re only as good as our last meal or event.”
was such a competitive market and we had to sustain our business. “It’s often said that if you keep knocking on the door
for long enough, something will open – and I think the commitment we’ve shown to ‘chefmanship’, organising fantastic events and the never-say-die attitude led us ultimately to the polo club.” The club, which has plans for luxury lodges, yurts
and a hotel, is owned by Dr Dallas Burston, a retired GP and pharma entrepreneur with an estimated wealth of £120m in 2018. Atul adds: “He travels all around the world, owns
‘I’m young enough to harbour my own
entrepreneurial instincts but I’m old enough to
remember the commitment the first generation of immigrants made’
properties in numerous countries and is used to the finest things money can buy. “And yet he’ll tell all and sundry that he has the best caterers in the world at his polo club in the Midlands.”
THE PAPERWORK CONFIRMING the purchase of IXL Events Centre landed on Atul’s desk in February 2020. Within a month, it shut down amid lockdown and a
year that begun with such promise ended as a damp squib, as it did for so many in the hospitality and events industries. “The rug was swept from under our feet,” recalls
Atul, who spent the first couple of months reflecting before turning his attention to finding ways of pivoting the business.
business networkMay 2021 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
