People are at the heart of everything we do. We build relationships, work hard to be the best and have fun along the way…
Matthew Wood | Managing Director
Matt Wood is our Managing Director. Matt leads Lexington Catering, Lexington Independents and Lexington Reception Services. He helps to define the company’s strategy, whilst overseeing commercial performance and growth opportunities through the provision brilliant food and unparalleled levels of service.
Matt joined Lexington from occupational health and wellbeing business Health Management where he was Managing Director. Previously, Matt has held senior operational roles at five-star hotels and restaurants inclusive of London’s Grosvenor House. More recently he spent eight years at Restaurant Associates where he held a number of high-profile operational and leadership roles, inclusive of the position of head of strategic partnerships. During this time, he won Foodservice Cateys Regional Manager of the Year in 2015.
Matt’s passion is in people development and he is looking forward to taking this agenda forward, moving Lexington onwards and upwards in its next stage of growth.
Jane Streat | Head of Client Services
Jane heads up our LRS division and works with our team to develop a unique service that truly represents our clients’ brand and culture.
Jane has over 20 years’ experience in the industry. She started as a receptionist herself and worked her way up to Front of House Manager for a team of 35 looking after various services, including Reception, Switchboard, Reservations and Video Conferencing.
Jane is tireless in her dedication to delivering on expectations and developing great client relationships.
She says, “Good customer service is not enough anymore it needs to be exceptional and reception staff have just minutes to impress guests.”
Roberto Castella | Operations Manager
Roberto joined Lexington in 2014, as Head of Reception. Within just a year of joining LRS he was awarded ‘LRS Person of the Year’ and he was promoted to Operations Manager, working with clients and their reception teams to deliver change and improvements in all areas of reception services.
Prior to joining LRS he worked as Reception Manager at The Chelsea Harbour Hotel, where he managed and supervised a team of 25 people team and was responsible for achieving exceptional levels of customer satisfaction. He understands what 5* service looks like and the real impact it has on the wider business and customers’ perceptions.
Rachel Lindner | Director
Rachel is one of the co-founders of Lexington and is responsible for Operations and CSR activities. She has worked in the hospitality industry for over 35 years, with a background in running commercial hotels and restaurants.
Rachel has directed small and large teams across a broad range of catering and front of house services for prestigious head quarter business and industry and commercial contracts.
She plays a pivotal role in the strategic development and innovation within Lexington, and spearheaded the development and launch of Lexington Reception Services (LRS) in 2014.
Michele Couri | Operations Manager
Michele started working as a receptionist in 2010, within a multi-tenanted building. She quickly worked her way up into leadership roles, from Senior Receptionist to Reception Manager, and in 2016 she moved into Head Office working as Accounts and Operations Manager.
Michele has partnered with some of London’s most exclusive clients to enhance their reception services and is now responsible for working with clients and their reception teams to deliver change and improvements in all areas of reception services.
Having started her career working as a receptionist and managing diverse teams, Michele understands what it takes to motivate teams to exceed client’s and customer’s expectations. Michele has a real passion for providing exceptional service and helping others to do the same.
She loves making a difference to people’s lives through her work, with clients but also her team. She says, “I love developing my teams and guiding individuals through their professional journey.”
Katharine Lewis | Director
Katharine is one of the co-founders of Lexington. She plays a key role in leading our approach to talent management creating a great place to work, where people can achieve their potential. Katharine leads our graduate programme and promotes our involvement with Springboard.
Katharine has over 20 years’ experience working with high profile clients, she also provides senior direction within operations working closely with our team and our clients to deliver delicious food and great service to our customers.
While at High Table Katharine also gained a ‘Caterer’ Acorn Award and now champions our rising stars at Lexington to follow in her footsteps.
Ben McEwen | Sales Director
Ben returned to Lexington towards the end of 2018, joining as Sales Director to lead the team on all business tenders and acquisitions.
He has a wide-range of hospitality experience across a variety of sectors, from corporate, retail and commercial to tech, start-ups, destination and large-scale events. This includes running the catering operation for the world’s press and broadcast at London 2012.
Having previously worked at Lexington as a General Manager, after completing the Graduate Programme, Ben is enjoying being part of the Lexington family again, helping the team to drive growth and continue to embed Lexington’s core values.
Ben also works hard to support emerging talent. Having graduated with a degree in International Hospitality Management in 2008 from Oxford Brooks he now mentors students. He is also a trustee of two charities in the Thames Valley, including No 5 a mental health charity set up to support children and young people.
Sean Ritson | Operations Director
As Operations Director, Sean works with the wider leadership team to manage operations across the Lexington and City business. He is focused on inspiring our people to deliver the very best food and service; driving innovation and ensuring that our quality and service culture is embedded within our culture.
Sean joined Lexington in March 2019 bringing a wealth of experience in hospitality across commercial and B&I sectors. He has successfully managed, operated and enhanced services for many prestigious City clients. He is a vital component of the Lexington team and offers a range of expertise that allows him to help clients achieve their objectives.
Rob Kirby | Chef Consultant
With over 30 years of cooking experience, having worked in some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the UK and abroad, Rob ensures that great food remains at the very heart of Lexington. He works with the Lexy team to deliver fresh, simple, seasonal and tasty well-sourced dishes.
Award-winning author and winner of the first Foodservice Catey’s for ‘Chef of the Year’, Rob regularly appears on BBC television and radio showing the nation how to cook. His books include ‘Cook with Kids’ and ‘The Family Kitchen’.
He believes food can bring lots of fun and enjoyment to people and works with schools to inspire young people to spend more time in the kitchen.
He is an ambassador for the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and in 2011, he partnered with the University of West London and Springboard UK, to design Lexington’s award-winning Lexington apprenticeship scheme, Lex School of Talent.
