ERIC NORMAN FCSI
Pearls of wisdom
Bettina von Massenbach FCSI, founder of OYSTER hospitality, specializes in succession planning, nurturing talent and unearthing potential gems in her clients’ teams. “I’ve always found it important to focus on how we deal with each other,” she tells Michael Jones
O 22 ysters are
renowned for producing precious pearls in an act of resistance against particles of grit forming in their shell. A gem created from perseverance and resilience. Bettina von Massenbach FCSI named her consultancy OYSTER hospitality because oysters offer “a breeding ground for development and protection. Tat’s how you develop pearls, through that synergy,” she says. Also an expert in operator
succession planning, von Massenbach has been helping restaurants and hospitality brands to fulfil their potential, all the while unearthing and developing the talented pearls
from within their teams, for more than 20 years. First, as an operator at leading UK and German restaurants, and then as a consultant for the last 12 years. She was born in Munich,
Germany, but aged three her parents moved the family to the countryside near Stuttgart. Young Bettina was not happy about that. At all. “I still remember how furious I was. How dare they?!” she laughs. Tankfully, her childhood was something of an idyllic one, surrounded by “lots of animals” and familial happiness. “It was wonderful. We are a very warm- hearted family, so we had a really nice time together.” Her father was a lawyer
and farmer, while her mother was a homemaker, caring for the four children. Bettina was the eldest child. So, was a future in hospitality mapping out before her at this stage? Not yet. “Tat was the last thing I thought about. People seemed to work so hard in restaurants,” she says. What von Massenbach did want to do in her later career “was take responsibility,” she says. “I always wanted to change systems and accompany others during a change or growth process. Maybe that’s because I’m the oldest child of four, and that’s something I always had to do: take care of my brothers and sisters. Tat was my role.” Her father wanted her to
study law, but she thought the studying too intense. “I’m much more of a hands-on oriented person,” she says.
VALUE-DRIVEN
She describes herself as “a strictly value-driven” person. “I
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