Lorraine Copes is a hospitality, food and drink expert, and a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, executive coach and speaker

With over two decades in hospitality, she has held executive leadership roles in procurement for renowned global hospitality brands, including Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, the Wolseley Hospitality Group and Shake Shack.

Originally from Birmingham but based in London, Lorraine is widely recognised as an advocate for equity, business success, and career progression for the unseen and underrepresented. She is a self-described epicurean, a champagne lover, a continuous improver, and a champion of culture.

What I offer

Speaker

An engaging and purpose-driven speaker, Lorraine brings authenticity and insight shaped by her experience in hospitality, executive leadership, entrepreneurship, and inclusion.

Writer

Her writing career began at age 7 with her first book publication. Since then, she has contributed to various publications, specialising in entrepreneurship, hospitality, food and drink, and equity.

Executive Coach

Lorraine helps ambitious female founders and senior leaders achieve significant impact, income, and outcomes. Her coaching enhances goal clarity, builds confidence, and fosters courage.

Fractional Support

With 13 years of board-level expertise, Lorraine guides organisations in driving commercial growth and embedding corporate social responsibility.

Awards

Be Inclusive Hospitality

Lorraine founded Be Inclusive Hospitality in 2020 to address the hospitality industry’s lack of ethnically diverse leadership. With 17.83% of the workforce identifying as ethnic minorities, they are concentrated in low-paid roles.

The organisation aims to facilitate the upward social mobility of 10,000 employees and 2,000 business owners by 2026 through three strategic pillars: Professional Development, Partnerships, and Events.

As a not-for-profit, it has secured over £350,000 in funding, enabling the delivery of professional development initiatives, including mentorship and qualifications for more than 1,000 hospitality professionals. Four ground-breaking reports have been published, and its community includes 800 individuals and businesses across the UK.

More information is available on the website.