A Warm Welcome

In the summer, Jonathan Brown took the reins as the Club’s new Director of Operations; what are his priorities and what does he like most about the Club?

Words by Annabel Harrison Photography by Jamie Lau

WHEN WE SPEAK, Jonathan Brown is just six weeks into his new role – but there are already two qualities about the Club that have really struck him. “Passion and partnership,” he says decisively. “Even during the recruitment process I could feel the passion that everybody has for the Club and their enthusiasm for working together. I have now met lots of members and staff and that passion for the Club is clear amongst them all, along with the strong sense of partnership; it’s fantastic to see the way the members and staff interact together. It is obvious that nurturing that partnership is essential to enable us to provide the Club that members want.”

Jonathan is in charge of all the operations within both clubhouses, ensuring that the teams excel when it comes to service. “We aim to deliver excellence in everything we do, to encourage members to come back time and time again. I think the clubhouses do provide a home from home, and a refuge of sorts from the outside world, whether members are coming into Pall Mall from the busy streets of London for a drink in the Cocktail Bar or going to Woodcote Park for a swim, a round of golf or a visit to the Walled Garden. We’re incredibly fortunate that the early members of the Club had the vision to create two clubhouses which are distinctly different but both fantastic – and the investment in recent years has brought them both up to a very high standard with an amazing range of facilities.”

Jonathan came to the Club from the five-star Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa where he had spent five years; prior to that role he had senior management roles in other established luxury hotels such as The Grove and The Athenaeum. “When I heard about the opportunity at the Club,” he says, “it immediately appealed to me. I have a luxury hospitality background and I’d been looking for a new challenge. The industry as a whole has been through an extraordinary two years and, having come through that, there was something niggling at me to try something slightly different.”

Both the Club’s history and its business model appealed to Jonathan, as well as the fact that the Club’s hospitality and service elements are similar to the luxury establishments he has managed before, with the added benefit of a club setting. “The combination made it very attractive. And I’m a people person: I have really enjoyed getting to know our interesting, diverse membership.”

As he familiarises himself with the Club and its members, Jonathan’s priorities are to learn as much as he can about the organsiation and about what members want, and to ensure that the staff are able to deliver to the standards they and the members aspire to. He is looking forward to bringing his passion for the industry to the Club: “I’m very lucky in my career to have worked in some quite spectacular establishments, which will help me when working with the team to deliver excellence”.

Expect to see Jonathan around both clubhouses soon if you haven’t done so already; he schedules time in his diary at least once a day to go on a walkabout. “Please do come over if you see me; I’d like to introduce myself to as many people as possible. That allows me to deepen my understanding of the Club, and also to be of service to members in whatever way I can.”

Is he glad he applied for the role? “Yes. 100 per cent. The Club is a very special organisation and I’m honoured to be part of it.”