Anna Fenten

Anna Fenten

London, England, United Kingdom
7K followers 500+ connections

About

As the Marketing Director at Searcys, I lead the brand, marketing, and communications for…

Activity

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Experience

  • Searcys Graphic
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    United Kingdom

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    London

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    London, United Kingdom

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  • -

    London

  • -

    London, United Kingdom

Education

Licenses & Certifications

Publications

  • CX Marketing

    EBM

    Searcys explains how, 172 years after the brand was founded, it continues to progress and develop to maintain its brand truth of quality, service, and craft.

    Searcys was established in 1847 by John Searcy, a confectioner and pastry chef working for the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. Today, the company is one of Britain’s longest-running hospitality businesses.

    In the article, we explore the trends and bespoke research which have helped shape Searcys brand proposition. When…

    Searcys explains how, 172 years after the brand was founded, it continues to progress and develop to maintain its brand truth of quality, service, and craft.

    Searcys was established in 1847 by John Searcy, a confectioner and pastry chef working for the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. Today, the company is one of Britain’s longest-running hospitality businesses.

    In the article, we explore the trends and bespoke research which have helped shape Searcys brand proposition. When looking at macro-trends, it became very obvious that driving the consumer today, particularly in the dining out market, was the tension between local and global authenticity. London is the capital of global cuisine at the moment, but we as consumers also care so much about the provenance of our produce.

    See publication
  • The rise of experiential hospitality

    The Caterer

    Read about our take on experiential hospitality in the museum and visitor attractions market.

    See publication
  • PROFILE: Anna Fenten, UK director of marketing, Sodexo Prestige

    B2B Marketing Magazine

    When it comes to marketing business entertainment, the affable Anna Fenten, UK director of marketing at Sodexo Prestige runs a tight ship. Victoria Paley reports

    And the award goes to...
    Fenten knows a thing or two about successful marketing. Under her leadership, Sodexo Prestige has won a number of recent industry awards for its events programmes. These include best PR campaign for Newcastle's Museums, an award for its conference centre at Edinburgh's Botanical Gardens, Eventia best…

    When it comes to marketing business entertainment, the affable Anna Fenten, UK director of marketing at Sodexo Prestige runs a tight ship. Victoria Paley reports

    And the award goes to...
    Fenten knows a thing or two about successful marketing. Under her leadership, Sodexo Prestige has won a number of recent industry awards for its events programmes. These include best PR campaign for Newcastle's Museums, an award for its conference centre at Edinburgh's Botanical Gardens, Eventia best venue for Great North Museum, and of course the much-coveted B2B Marketing Award 2010 for Best Use of Email. This latter award centered around marketing activity at The Open Championship at St Andrews in 2010. While it doesn't strike me as the most girly of events, in fact when asked about her favourite Sodexo campaign, Fenten reveals it's The Open Championship. So what is it about this campaign that not only appeals to Fenten but also helped her team bag an award?

    Marketing an event like The Open Championship is “not about industry segments,” Fenten reveals, “It's about finding a predominately executive male decision maker who is a keen golfer. It doesn't matter if they're in construction marketing, legal marketing or double glazing marketing. The moment you talk golf – the passion comes through. That's the crux of the campaign.”

    See publication
  • Leisure Management

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Projects

  • Searcys sustainability pledges/SRA 3* accreditation

    - Present

    Searcys introduced its first sustainability pledges in 2018 to ensure that we were placing our environmental impact at the core of our business. These saw us commit to buying the best ingredients available, working closely with British farmers to ensure that up to 90% of all seasonal fruit and vegetables used in the menus is grown in the UK. Our champagne list followed the same principles and shifted its focus to celebrate English sparkling wine.

    My role in the project was to develop the…

    Searcys introduced its first sustainability pledges in 2018 to ensure that we were placing our environmental impact at the core of our business. These saw us commit to buying the best ingredients available, working closely with British farmers to ensure that up to 90% of all seasonal fruit and vegetables used in the menus is grown in the UK. Our champagne list followed the same principles and shifted its focus to celebrate English sparkling wine.

    My role in the project was to develop the pledges together with the operations team, create the communications plan and liaise with trade associations to achieve external recognition of the scheme.

    Multiple consumer events take place each year, in celebration of local suppliers and provenance. For example, each autumn we host a number series of Harvest dinners. In 2018, Searcys’ team at Blenheim Palace hosted a foodie evening that celebrated the very best suppliers from the local area. In 2019, ingredients took centre stage in a menu that had been thoughtfully prepared by Executive Chef and celebrity chef Matt Tebbutt. Matt put together a bespoke field-to-fork menu.

    As well as developing the pledges and shaping up the CR communications strategy, I have initiated the partnership with Beyond Food. It is a social enterprise that helps those who are most at risk of homelessness to gain meaningful employment in hospitality. Through its training academy and restaurant, Brigade, the charity has trained hundreds of apprentices giving thousands of homeless people new skills. Since 2018, Searcys has raised over £23,000 for the charity through “A Very Searcys Christmas” campaign.

    This work has gained us the top accolade from The Sustainable Restaurant Association (The SRA). Their three-tiered rating system recognises an organisation’s efforts through assessing its commitment in three different categories: the provenance of produce, supporting the community and reducing waste and recycling.

    See project
  • The Championships, Wimbledon 2017 Retail grab and go innovation

    A new range of grab and go sandwiches and salads has been launched in time for The Championships 2017.

    Visitors to The Championships, Wimbledon were treated to a new on-the-go range as the culinary team has partnered with Allegra McEvedy, MBE, co-founder of LEON, working to deliver an appealing array of healthy snacking pots and contemporary, homemade salads.

    Check the campaign online.

    See project
  • Leith's Dining at Glyndebourne - an integrated hospitality campaign 2017

    - Present

    Setting the scene:

    Each Festival, the 350-strong Leith’s at Glyndebourne team serves over 35,000 covers across three restaurants, as well as preparing 15,000 afternoon teas and 7,000 picnics over three months.
    Leith’s, a heritage brand of Levy Restaurants UK, has been catering at Glyndebourne for 34th consecutive Festival in 2017.

    Check our dramatic dining at one of world's top opera festivals.

    See project
  • ExCeL London Hospitality brand and retail offer launch

    10 new retail outlets revamp customer experience at ExCeL London.

    See project
  • Pennethorne's at Somerset House - the launch of a destinational bar

    The launch of a destination cafe bar at Somerset House, London. Located in the West Wing of the building and named after its architect, Sir James Pennethorne, the bar is one the new additions to the vibrant food and drink scene on The Strand. The marketing campaign included social media competition and advertising, an extensive PR, POS and DM push as well as a series of events, including cocktail masterclasses and a very popular Book Club at Pennethorne's. Our signature cocktail was featured as…

    The launch of a destination cafe bar at Somerset House, London. Located in the West Wing of the building and named after its architect, Sir James Pennethorne, the bar is one the new additions to the vibrant food and drink scene on The Strand. The marketing campaign included social media competition and advertising, an extensive PR, POS and DM push as well as a series of events, including cocktail masterclasses and a very popular Book Club at Pennethorne's. Our signature cocktail was featured as the cocktail of the week in the Evening Standard. Check out www.pennethornes.co.uk

    See project
  • Prestige Winter Magazine 2013-14

    A client quarterly publication featuring interesting people and in-depth case studies across Sodexo Prestige business in the UK.

    See project
  • PrestigeVenuesAndEvents.sodexo.com

    Sodexo Prestige has launched its new website for event bookers. The website's unique features include an enquiry helpline and live chat feature, ‘build your own event’ calculator, social sharing function and marketing automation to ensure that our customers receive personalised, relevant content.

    Other creators
    See project
  • Sodexo Prestige customer feedback platform

    A new online customer feedback platform which allows us to analyze NPS scores in real time, promotes social advocacy for Sodexo venues and events on Facebook, Twitter and Tripadvisor.

    See project
  • Prestige & Corporate Services Magazine Spring Issue 2013

    Read in our spring issue: interviews with Everton FC's chief operating officer and Fairtrade Foundation's chief executive. Find out about Sodexo services at the US Grand Prix and have a chance to win a dinner for two on Bateaux London.

    See project
  • Sponsorship activation for Ballymaloe Festival in Ireland

    Sponsorship activation for the inaugural food and literature festival in Ireland. Activities include local media, events at the festival, client entertainment and retail promotions.

    See project
  • Sodexo Prestige Thought Leadership Conference

    Crystal, London’s newest landmark building and the world’s first centre dedicated to improving knowledge of urban sustainability, was the location for Sodexo Prestige’s “Adapting to a Changing Enviornment” event for hospitality and facility management specialists.

    Catering directors, FM directors, asset managers and consultants attended the Crystal in Royal Victoria Docks to hear from experts on industry trends and how they could prepare their businesses for a more profitable future.

    See project
  • Sodexo Workplace Trends Survey

    . Your opinion counts!
    We are conducting a research project looking at workplace trends in the UK and how these are influencing the office of the future. In return for your time in completing this short survey, we will be publishing our findings in a final report that will be made publically available.
    We have created an online survey to really understand what it is that motivates employees and influences their working lives. To complete the survey, open o all, please click on the…

    . Your opinion counts!
    We are conducting a research project looking at workplace trends in the UK and how these are influencing the office of the future. In return for your time in completing this short survey, we will be publishing our findings in a final report that will be made publically available.
    We have created an online survey to really understand what it is that motivates employees and influences their working lives. To complete the survey, open o all, please click on the following link: http://www.keysurvey.co.uk/f/488399/17d3/

    See project
  • Searcys voice-of-customer platform

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    Requirement: an agile customer feedback platform
    Before we launched Travel Appeal it was both time-consuming and cumbersome to check multiple review channels and social networks. But we very much wanted to know what customers were saying online about our restaurants, venues, service and overall brand. To achieve this, we needed to aggregate customer feedback – whether through written reviews, posts, photos or videos – and analyze it instantly. In addition, we wanted to be able to measure…

    Requirement: an agile customer feedback platform
    Before we launched Travel Appeal it was both time-consuming and cumbersome to check multiple review channels and social networks. But we very much wanted to know what customers were saying online about our restaurants, venues, service and overall brand. To achieve this, we needed to aggregate customer feedback – whether through written reviews, posts, photos or videos – and analyze it instantly. In addition, we wanted to be able to measure each outlet's performance and allow managers to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses.
    Solution: enterprise-level platform
    I led the process to select a customer feedback/social media analysis platform after working with stakeholders from across the business on the tender brief. I chose Travel Appeal, developed by an Italian tech start-up, as our social media listening solution and customer feedback platform. The alternatives were off-the-shelf solutions which I felt did not match our needs.
    Before the launch I worked with Travel Appeal developers to customize the platform. The result was a dashboard that featured both brand sentiment measurement and a practical operational excellence tool. This dashboard is both visually appealing and user-friendly, and it can easily and instantly display sentiment scores across a variety of topics. Additionally, I developed an online customer feedback platform for event organizers and attendees, which was a new feature for the supplier.

    See project
  • Food trends and business outlook for 2013. Video interview with industry experts.

    How is 2013 shaping up for you and your business? Wouldn’t it be great to have the heads up on future industry and consumer trends for the year ahead? Watch our video to view what Sodexo experts and leading industry figures think will really matter this year.

    See project

Honors & Awards

  • Foodservice Event Caterer of the Year

    The Caterer

    The company was recognised for its flair and innovation in event catering and design. Our marketing campaign throughout 2019 increased awareness of our event spaces. 2019 marketing cycle saw seasonal activations including the ‘Art of Being’ in January 2019 - a collection of wellness events. We held weekly yoga classes in partnership with Yogasphere and nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert developed a three-course menu for event attendees and spoke about creating nutritious dishes. In spring, Master…

    The company was recognised for its flair and innovation in event catering and design. Our marketing campaign throughout 2019 increased awareness of our event spaces. 2019 marketing cycle saw seasonal activations including the ‘Art of Being’ in January 2019 - a collection of wellness events. We held weekly yoga classes in partnership with Yogasphere and nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert developed a three-course menu for event attendees and spoke about creating nutritious dishes. In spring, Master Chocolatier, William Curley, created a chocolate-inspired menu for private dinners and events. Other themed private dining packages included an English sparkling wine pairing, a Perrier Jouet Champagne “Table of Wonder”, and a Hedonist’s menu showcasing truffles and vintage Champagne.

  • Foodservice Cateys awards judge

    The Caterer

  • The Foodservice Catey 2016 - Event Caterer of the Year, Front of House Team of the Year

    The Caterer

    http://www.levyrestaurants.co.uk/whats-new/levy-news/levy-restaurants-uk-celebrates-success-at-foodservice-cateys-and-london-venue-awards/

  • Foodservice Catey Leisure and Retail Caterer of the Year

    The Caterer

  • London Venue Awards judge

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  • Best Internal Communications Campaign

    B2B Marketing Magazine

  • Industry awards

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    - Scottish Event Awards – Best B2B Event for The Open Championship
    - MIMA (Meetings Industry Marketing Awards) – Best Venue PR campaign (silver) for Great North Museum launch
    - B2B Marketing - Best B2B email campaign for The Open Championship
    - Eventia – Best Venue (Great North Museum) and Best Hospitality (The Open Championship

  • B2B Marketing Awards judge

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Languages

  • English

    Native or bilingual proficiency

  • Russian

    Native or bilingual proficiency

  • German

    Elementary proficiency

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