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Interview: Meet the HIT helmsman
The Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland is well-known within the industry for raising funds, promoting excellence and offering scholarships and bursaries to people to enable them to enter the industry with training of the highest standard. In 2005, as a result of the Trust's continuing success, it was decided that a full-time leader would need to be employed to give the charity the opportunity to grow to its natural potential and continue its quest to encourage excellence in the industry. David Cochrane, himself a recipient of a HIT Scotland Award in 2004, joined the organisation as Chief Executive fresh from a directorship at Springboard, and is keen to progress the charity's work throughout the country.
Krista Booker meets the man in charge of this worthwhile, successful and increasingly popular charity…
David Cochrane is something of an enigma. Beneath the demure, earnest and ever-cheery personality lies a very bright and tuned-in mind, and he manages to maintain both with consummate ease, even in the sometimes stressful arena of hospitality.
Talking together, I get the feeling that this inherent approachability and eagerness to listen comes naturally to him and is not a product of years of practice in being patient. Whatever it is, HIT Scotland needs a man like him to steer it in the direction it should be going. In the past 11 or so years the charity has grown from a "lunchtime party" into a fully fledged influential charity that is there purely for the good of the industry. In the past, the only significant problem, if you can call it that, was that there were too many people with dozens of ideas and fundraising initiatives but with no-one to lead them, to nurture and coordinate these ideas, and ultimately put them into practice. Not that the charity stagnated as a result – far, far from it in fact – but it was crying out for someone to be at the reigns who could steer it in the right direction.
What started as a single charity 'do' in 1994 has morphed into a popular and well-organised network of events, parties, outings and auctions to raise funds. Indeed, there has never been a shortage of support or money for the charity from generous donors within the industry; it merely needed someone to help manage the organisation as a whole in order to take it to the next level; and this is where David comes in.
To date, 5,500 students benefited from funds totaling over half a million pounds in the form of direct financial aid, mentoring and 'learning journeys' in various institutions and businesses around the world.Last year, 8 HIT Scotland scholars gained experience at Dubai´s Jumeriah Beach, The Scottish Whisky school and at The Disney Institute in the United States.
HIT Scotland aims to help at all levels of a student's career, offering support and advice and recognising invaluable hands-on experience: 'We are currently building on work focused on bursaries and projects,' says David. 'We're aiming to raise and distribute funds to assist people at all levels, with scholarships, craft programmes, bursaries and individual grant applications.
Funding for the charity is raised primarily through annual industry events, including Edinburgh and Glasgow luncheons, a major fundraising auction dinner in the spring, a Christmas dinner and a golf day.
Last year saw the launch of the Emerging Talent conference which aims to give the young talent of the hospitality world a voice in front of the industry and its leaders. In this way, the hope is that their ideas and desires can influence the shape of the industry in the future. Taking place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 10 February, the ET day will be attended by a mix of 400-odd industry leaders and hospitality students from around the UK. The conference will commence with key note speakers who will stimulate debate about significant industry issues amongst a panel of industry representatives and the audience. The event will also feature a range of best practice seminars, including one on entrepreneurship, and a chef seminar.
The more time you spend talking with David, the more it becomes evident that he has the vision and zeal to guide HIT Scotland in the right direction, and to take advantage of the wealth of quality, skill and professionalism that exists in colleges, hotels and kitchens throughout Scotland.
'It is a wonderful time to be part of it; working with colleagues and friends brings out the best in you, and what we stand for is going directly back into the industry.'
Interested in becoming more involved? Visit the brand-new HIT Scotland website, www.hitscotland.org
If you would like to know more about the Emerging Talent conference on 10 February at the EICC, visit www.hitemergingtalent.co.uk
This article has been edited from the original version. To read it in full, see Catering in Scotland magazine, February/March 2006. Click on the Media Pack icon on this website and select 'subscribe'.
