By Leigh O’Connor.
Growing up in country Victoria, Andrea Richards has enjoyed part-time jobs in hospitality from an early age and throughout high school.
In fact, her first job was picking stone fruit in the Goulburn Valley, up a tree on a ladder with a coarse hessian bag around her shoulders – it was hot, tough and physical work which gave her an appreciation of the effort our farmers make to feed us.
While practising as a lawyer in Melbourne, she took a gap year and ended up back in the same world, where she discovered hospitality was all about connection and creating experiences – quite a contrast to the courtroom.
"I chose to stay on after my gap year because of the people I worked with and my absolute obsession for fantastic dining experiences,” she explains.
"Years later, I haven’t looked back and my focus has turned to the future of hospitality, its sustainability and how to balance those needs against ever-increasing operating costs."
As Chief Operating Officer for Salter Brothers Hospitality, Andrea oversees a national portfolio made up of 20 boutique hotels and 29 restaurants located throughout Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.
With culinary experiences a key part of Salter Brothers’ offering, Andrea spends a lot of time with their Chefs and restaurant leaders.
"In the early days of my career, the long hours and unpredictability of rosters made it unsustainable. A lot of women (and men) that I know left the industry when they wanted to start families.
"These days, employer expectations are changing and there is an encouraging view on flexibility. There seems to be a better understanding that when people have work-life balance they bring their best energy to work, are happier, more productive and stay longer in their roles which is a win-win for all.”
Due to the under-representation of women in senior leadership roles, one of the many impacts is the scarcity of mentorship opportunities for younger females as they navigate the early stages of their careers.
"At SBH, we are proud to embrace gender-diversity and within our senior leadership team, women are very well represented in numbers.”
Andrea believes the most common mistake women make in trying to manage life and workload is trying to be everything to everyone and setting incredibly high standards to do so.
"In my first leadership roles, I tried to take on more than my fair share of responsibilities. First, it was to prove my worth, second because I thought I was nurturing my team by saving them from the workload.
"What I learnt over time is that you can't do it all to a good standard. Most importantly, when you try to ‘rescue’ those around you, you dis-empower and rob them of growth opportunities.”
Andrea’s top tip for getting through each day is to not take yourself too seriously and enjoy each moment for what it is.
"What constitutes a work day changes daily and no two days are ever the same – which I love. I travel frequently between the properties and my direct reports, who are spread throughout regional Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.
"What I do when my workday ends depends on whether I'm staying at a property. If I am, I’ll always dine with the team and experience the restaurant’s current menu.”
Basing all her personal travel around food, Andrea says it makes perfect sense that the group’s dining rooms are the heart of the experience they help create, among incredible locations and the company of fantastic people.
Just don’t ask her what her favourite meal or venue is!
"You can't ask me that! It’s like asking a mother to choose a favourite child! I love them all for different reasons, they each have something unique and special.”
