All throughout January and February we'll be highlighting some of this year's speakers leading up to Catersource + The Special Event, happening February 12-15 in Austin, TX.
Syd Sexton, CEO, Catering By Design
Syd Sexton brings an extensive background in catering management. She spent 13 years with the Hyatt Corporation as Director of Catering where she participated on the corporate team to launch Hyatt's off premise division, Regency Caterers. She then opened her own Denver catering company, Alex Brooks Fine Catering, which she operated successfully for 15 years. She sold to business partners and returned to the hotel industry to join The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company as the Colorado Area Director of Catering. Syd's wealth of business acumen, along with her people management expertise, made her the perfect fit to guide the team at Catering by Design, Colorado where she has been the CEO since 2016. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Houston School Hilton School of Hospitality Management. In 2020, Sexton founded and serves as immediate past president of the Colorado Event Alliance, a 501c3 whose mission is to assist special event industry frontline workers and small business owners through financial support and advocacy.
Borja Rosales, General Manager of Operations, Catering By Design
Borja Rosales is the General Manager of Operations for Catering By Design. He has over ten years of proven track record in managing hospitality operations, maximizing profits, service quality, and ensuring guests experiences are exceptional in leading companies such as Hyatt, Kempinski, and Marriott. He's a highly presentable perfectionist with an eye for detail who leads by example, instilling a sense of excellence and constant attention to customer service in his teams by leading, coaching, and mentoring. Borja is a strategic business leader with demonstrable ability to devise and implement property wide strategies for growing revenues, maximizing profits and controlling costs while exceeding expectations. He's experienced in hospitality operational management across multiple sites, overseeing management teams, negotiating contracts, managing suppliers and developing 300+ strong F&B teams.
Join Sexton and Rosales at the following session during Catersource + The Special Event:
Experience Meets Innovation - The Ultimate Leadership Team
3:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 13
It all begins with the development and consolidation of a leadership team: What is it? Do I need it to be successful? How do I get there?
Then it takes the balance and value in combining the tried and true of the experience and the energetic perspective of the innovators on your leadership team.
Join an experienced CEO and innovative GM duo, who will teach a step-by-step session on how it all works.
You will learn:
- Understanding the necessity of a consolidated and functional leadership team to meet and/or exceed business goals.
- Roles and accountabilities within a Leadership team to drive and maximize performance.
- Importance of meetings and decision making
- Experience and innovation: how to ensure the future of your organization.
- Determining the company's vision; i.e., where are we going and how do we get there?
