Steve has been connected with hospitality and tourism his whole working career. From managing a restaurant in London in his late teens to studying Hospitality and Tourism at the University of Salford; Steve is very passionate about the sector. Steve has an unusual mix of experience in both tech and hotel management, starting his career managing a 500 bedded Backpackers Hostel in London, and then going on to create his own brand of Budget Hotels (London, Brighton and Moscow) that were famous for innovative marketing, tech and support of young people wanting to work in the industry. From there, Steve set up Umi Digital, a design and technology agency solely working in hospitality and travel, which today works with over 150 companies in the UK, Europe and Africa.
His current focus is as CEO of Anglo Educational Services and The Residence Apartments. AES is a full-service study abroad operator offering a suite of academic services alongside over 250 student apartments in Central London . The award-wining Residence Apartments are a collection of 75 luxury served apartments with locations in Marylebone, Shoreditch, Tower Hill, Hoxton and Kensington.
Steve is also Chairman of BETA (British Educational Travel Association), a board member of the Tourism Alliance, a Trustee of the Savoy Educational Trust and Chairman of ASAP (Association of serviced apartment providers). He also regularly delivers lectures at Hotel Schools in the UK and Europe and remains passionate about promoting the industry to young people. He is an avid traveller and chef and believes that travel can be a force of good, especially in the current global turbulent political times we live in.