Chris Morrison

• Led a diverse, quality driven and experience driven beverage program across 160 outlets in over 80 hotels across Australia and New Zealand,
• Work with CEO, COO and Group GM of Hotels to deliver key commercial objectives on COGs, Revenue, Profit retention and Staff Development.
• In first for the company uses cutting edge technology in developing a fully digital training program that increased proficiency in both product knowledge and customer service skills of food and beverage teams.
• Collaborate on with Marketing, Communications and Brand teams across hotel and entertainment activations, event and partnerships.
• Elevate brand recognition and targeted social media and digital marketing campaigns highlighting the group food and beverage offer
• Negotiate favourable contracts with vendors, securing competitive pricing on premium products across all Beverage categories
• Improve average Beverage spend per guest through curation, service training, and hands-on hospitality.

• Led a diverse, quality driven and experience driven beverage program across 36 outlets in over 10 hotels across Australia and New Zealand,
• Work with Group GM of Hotels to deliver key commercial objectives on COGs, Revenue, Profit retention and Staff Development.
• Implemented cutting edge technology in developing a fully digital training program that increased proficiency in both product knowledge and customer service skills of food and beverage teams.
• Created new Cocktail and Spirits lists and procurement practices maximise benefits of tenders and agreements and unlocking double digit margin growth
• Collaborate on with Marketing, Communications and Brand teams across hotel and entertainment activations, event and partnerships.
• Elevate brand recognition and targeted social media and digital marketing campaigns highlighting the group food and beverage offer
• Negotiate contracts with vendors, securing competitive pricing on premium products across all Beverage categories
• Improve average Beverage spend per guest through curation, service training, and hands-on hospitality.

• Build a company wide wine program including procurement practices, tender, lists, stock and inventory plus staff training
• Implement new systems for negotiations and procurement as well as dynamic pricing model to maximise margin and profiting Led top 15%+ growth in Margin.
• Develop group brand standards in sequence of service, sales skills and guest experience. led to 32% increase in spend per head in the wine category across signature restaurants and bars.
• Led the development of new creative and commercial templates for all wine and drink menus, events and promotional offers.
• Built a annual events calendar for hotels showcasing the partners, producers and people behind the beverage program.
• Implement group wide training programs in wine, food , drinks
• Increase credentials and awareness of wine program through critical success. QT Hotels was awarded zero glasses in 2019. In 2023 it was awarded 21 glasses.

• Collaborating with Head of Epicure Lisa Hudson and the team at Qantas Epicure.
• Wine buying for Qantas Frequent Flyer program.
• Hosted Frequents Flyer roadshow of 24 events per year. Events catered for Platinum and Chairman level and some of Qantas Airlines most valued Frequent Flyer customers
• Built training and education program for wine buying team and event teams.
• Provided content for Qantas wine guides, inflight magazine and Epicure website

Working on a contract basis with top restaurant, event and media organizations. My services included

• Mentoring and training of senior leadership teams
• Opening of new venues across key launch period
• Content provisions for on line and print
• Building and delivering wine lists and wine programs
• Business and Brand development for new and existing venues.

Clients Included

• Solotel Group
• Merrivale Group
• Wine Australia
• Worlds 50 Best Restaurants
• Delicious Magazine
• Robb Report

AUTHOR

• Launch of my first book ‘THIS IS NOT A WINE GUIDE’ with Murdoch books with forward written by Terry Durack.

• Creative control of wine program across flagship 3 hat restaurant (Guillaume at Benelong 2002 - 2006 and Guillaume 2013 - 2015) and the 2 Bistro Guillaume outlets at Crown Melbourne and Perth
• Commercial management of wine program including Procurement, Contract Negotiations, Budget, Gross Profit and Revenue forecast
• Hiring and training of 5 member sommelier team
• Management of staff across service periods.
• Rostering and wage forecasting.
• Led brand standards in wine recommendations, food pairing, service and overall guest experience of 3 hatted flagship restaurant.

• International and domestic spokesperson for one of the worlds most recogniseable and influential wine brands, Jacobs Creek..
• Led brand and communication strategies in over 15 established and emerging markets including UK, USA, Eastern Europe, China, South East Asia, Singapore and Hong Kong
• Create and custom a calendar of money cant buy experiences.
• Responsible for building a network of over 100 VIP clientele and curation of money can buy experiences for high net work client's
• Event Host, Media and Broadcasting responsibilities across calendar of over 90 uniques event annually.