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JOE CUSSENS - Managing Director
Joe started his career in hospitality aged 14, working as a kitchen porter at a local hotel. It taught him not to be afraid of hard work, greasy pans or temperamental chefs. After ditching the marigolds, he honed his front of house skills with several waiting and bar jobs before eventually getting a ‘proper job’ working in publishing. A subsequent career in marketing & advertising saw him work with brands such as Volkswagen, Bentley Motors, Guinness, Sainsbury’s and Proctor & Gamble.
In 2006 he decided it was time to return to his first love, hospitality, and opened the first of our pubs, The Marlborough Tavern with business partner and old school friend, Justin Sleath.
He loves good food and wine, Tottenham Hotspur, his wife and family. Though not necessarily in that order.
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JUSTIN SLEATH - Commercial Director
Justin’s easy charm and laid back persona belie a fiercely competitive edge, something that was evident from an early age as he proved himself a gifted & determined sportsman. He focussed on athletics and his commitment was rewarded when he won an athletics scholarship to a US university. Alas, he never did quite make it to the Olympics, but he did compete a number of times at international level.
Back in the UK, he worked for a number of years in the retail sector as a space planning manager for the likes of Tesco and Somerfield, before deciding to pursue a long held ambition to own his own restaurant. Having never pulled a pint or carried a plate previously he threw himself in at the deep end and became a waiter at one of Bath’s busiest restaurants.
Twelve months later he joined forces with Joe and the rest is history.
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DARREN HALES - Operations Manager
Part way through studying a sports degree, having spent his student loan on promoting nightclub events, Darren was forced to get his first bar job to earn money (and meet women). After his first shift, he was hooked (but still single) and on graduating went into managing pubs, bars and restaurants.
Over the next decade Darren managed and set up some of the best gastro pubs in the country, spent a year helping set up a bar in Ibiza, and got to work with some of the best people in the trade. Fourteen years from pouring his first pint, Darren joined the Bath Pub Company as Operations Manager and now lives near Bath with his wife Naomi, who he met while pulling pints.
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