Lucy Allon

• Start-up and growth of Straight To The Source, a leading food and drink consultancy business connecting chefs and hospitality experts with premium Australian producers and food-growing regions
• Facilitate workshops, orchestrate brand activations, curate regional tours, and provide customised business development services
• Manage project planning, stakeholder relationships, financial forecasting, and budget management
• Contribute to business strategy, proposal writing, reporting, and industry leadership through public speaking and mentoring.
• Evaluate market trends to identify emerging opportunities and inform strategic decision making.
• Network with other businesses and customers to increase sales opportunities and contacts.
• Manage financial operations, ensuring fiscal responsibility and maintaining profitability during periods of economic uncertainty.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with customers and strategic partners.
• Represent business at industry conferences and events.

• Have led the transformation of the Produce Awards into Australia's premier food industry campaign, collaborating with culinary icons to showcase Australia's top producers
• Expertly manage an annual event program, skillfully negotiating and consulting with stakeholders to meet set timelines and varying expectations, contributing to broader commercial goals and objectives
• Developed the program from ground up, laying out framework, and defining roles.
• Manage program evolution, guideline drafting, judging oversight, and communication management
• Coordinate communications with high profile food industry judges, as well as internal and external stakeholders to ensure program success.
• Develop comprehensive project plans with clear timelines, milestones, and budget requirements, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality results.
• Deliver exceptional customer satisfaction by proactively addressing client concerns and meeting or exceeding expectations throughout the engagement process.
• Monitor progress against established goals, adjusting schedules and resources as needed to keep projects on track.
• Collaborate closely with senior management to align project objectives with strategic company initiatives, ensuring that efforts contributed to overall business growth.
• Provided detailed project status updates to stakeholders and executive management.
• Enhance overall project success by conducting thorough post-project evaluations and incorporating lessons learned into future efforts.

• Pioneered an awards program for aspiring talent in the hospitality industry, expanding its scope to encompass 3 categories and providing networking, mentoring, and work opportunities
• Developed the program from ground up, laying out framework, and defining roles.
• Elevated the program's status as Australia's most prestigious awards for showcasing emerging talent.
• Served as a co-founder, judge, and then resumed as Program Director in 2018
• Managed the development of relationships and support of prominent industry organisations and leading brands, such as Tourism Australia, Electrolux, Lexus Australia and industry organisations
• Evaluated market trends to identify emerging opportunities and inform strategic decision making.
• Grew the customer base through targeted outreach and networking events.
• Collaborated closely with executive leadership to develop strategic plans for long-term growth.
• Coordinated budgeting, scheduling and resource allocation to facilitate smooth flow of operations.
• Developed and implemented program goals and objectives, establishing specific and measurable outcomes aligned with organization's overall mission.

Engaged for a variety of consultancy projects focusing on content curation, event management, and hosting roles for prestigious events and festivals

• Key projects include: Vivid Carriageworks Night Festival / Speaker; The World Gourmet Symposium, Perth / Session Curator and MC; Food and Words Festival / MC; Noosa Food & Wine Festival / Session Curator and MC; Qantas EpiQure / Producer Curation for E-Commerce Marketplace; MasterChef Magazine / Talent Liaison; Margaret River Gourmet Escape ‘Consuming Conversations' / Curator and Host; James Beard Foundation New York City / Event Curator and Host.
• Evaluated client needs and expectations, establishing clear goals for each consulting engagement.
• Created and developed detailed work plans to meet business priorities and deadlines.
• Managed multiple deadlines across several businesses to meet dynamic needs of multiple clients.
• Delivered outstanding service to clients to maintain and extend relationship for future business opportunities.

• Co-owned and managed three highly acclaimed Sydney restaurants, earning prestigious awards and maintaining consistent high standards in operations.
• Established foundational processes for business operations.
• Managed financial operations and investments to maximize profits and minimize costs.
• Maintained compliance with industry regulations and legal requirements through diligent oversight of business practices.
• Created and maintained customer-centric culture to drive customer satisfaction and expand customer base.
• Established team of motivated and highly skilled employees to help run business.
• Established a comprehensive employee training program to ensure consistent service standards across all departments.
• Mentored employees to improve work performance, promoting professional development and growth within the company.
• Evaluated suppliers to maintain cost controls and improve operations.
• Networked with other businesses and customers to increase sales opportunities and contacts.
• Handled problematic customers and clients to assist lower-level employees and maintain excellent customer service.