Winning the Rising Star Award in our 2026 Hospitality Awards reflects the strong early impact made by Fig Consultancy within the catering and hospitality sector.

Founded in 2025 by John Ishmael and Simon Evans, the consultancy draws on more than 60 years of combined industry experience to help organisations improve underperforming catering operations and contracts. Working across hospitality, retail, education, and healthcare environments, Fig Consultancy has quickly built a reputation for its practical, hands-on approach to operational improvement.

In Conversation with John Ishmael

Following Fig Consultancy’s award win, we spoke with John Ishmael about the business, its growth, the challenges of building a consultancy from the ground up, and what comes next.

Please provide a brief overview of your business or what you do within the company.

At Fig Consultancy, we help organisations fix catering operations that aren’t delivering what they should.

Most of the time, we’re brought in when something doesn’t feel right, either costs are creeping up, service levels are inconsistent, or a contract just isn’t performing as expected. Quite often, clients know there’s an issue, they just can’t quite put their finger on it.

That’s where we come in.

We specialise in contract catering but also work across retail and hospitality. Our approach is very hands-on. Clients don’t want someone in a suit who is going to tell them what is wrong then walk away. We work alongside clients and their teams to understand what’s really going on, challenge what needs to be challenged, and put practical plans in place to improve things.

In simple terms: we help clients get what they should have been getting all along.

What would you attribute as the main reason for your success?

Probably a combination of curiosity, honesty, and not being afraid to ask awkward questions.

In this industry, it’s surprisingly easy for things to drift. Contracts get signed, expectations get blurred, and over time people just adapt to whatever the current situation is, even if it’s not great.

We come in with a fresh pair of eyes and ask things like:

“Why is it done this way?”
“Is this actually delivering value?”
“Is this what you were promised?”

Those questions aren’t always comfortable—but they’re usually where the real answers are.

The other key factor is that we focus on doing, not just advising. Anyone can point out problems. The real value is in helping fix them in a way that works day-to-day.

What has been the biggest challenge you have overcome?

The biggest challenge this year is in getting to the right people. If things are going great, people don’t tend to reach out, BUT- how do you know that things are really great ?

Having a consistent flow of enquiries is hard for any new business, but things are improving gradually and we are keeping busy.

We’ve worked in situations where expectations and reality have drifted quite far apart, and different stakeholders all have slightly different views on what success looks like.

The challenge is bringing clarity to that, cutting through opinion with facts, building confidence, and showing that change doesn’t have to be disruptive to be effective.

Once that shift happens, things tend to move quickly.

What do you think made you stand out as a winner in the awards?

I think it comes down to being very clear about what we do, and then actually delivering on it.

We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. We focus on a specific problem: underperforming catering operations and contracts, and how to fix them.

As a start-up, we’ve also been able to demonstrate impact quickly. Whether that’s identifying cost-saving opportunities, improving service delivery, or helping clients regain control of situations that felt a bit stuck.

And if I’m honest, I think a big part of it is that we’re quite straightforward in how we approach things. No jargon, no overcomplication, just clear thinking and practical solutions.

That seems to resonate.

What is the next big step for you?

Growth is the obvious answer, but done properly.

We want to work with more organisations across sectors like education, healthcare, and corporate environments, where catering plays a huge role but doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.

We’re also looking at developing more tools and resources to help clients understand their catering operations better—ideally before problems start, rather than after.

And longer term, the aim is to build Fig Consultancy into the go-to name when someone says:

“Something’s not right with our catering… we need someone to take a proper look at it.”

Would you recommend Business Awards UK to other businesses? If so, why?

Yes.

Running a small or growing business can feel like you’re just getting on with things behind the scenes, so having recognition like this is a great way to step back and actually acknowledge the progress being made.

The process itself is straightforward, and the exposure that comes with it really helps build credibility—especially when you’re still establishing your name in the market.

Plus, it’s a good excuse to pause for a moment and celebrate a win which doesn’t happen often enough.

Looking Ahead

Fig Consultancy’s Rising Star Award win highlights a consultancy that has quickly established itself by focusing on clarity, operational understanding, and practical delivery within the hospitality and catering sector. As the business continues to grow, its focus remains on helping organisations better understand and improve their catering operations through hands-on support and straightforward advice. With strong early momentum and extensive industry experience behind it, Fig Consultancy is well positioned for continued development across the sectors it serves.