Scaling operations
Growing physical, multi-site operations and helping technology businesses meet the practical needs of operators.
Karen Bosher · Independent board perspective
ChallengeCreateSolveImproveDevelopBuild
I work with founders and leadership teams across SMEs and operationally complex businesses, bringing a fresh perspective to strategy, operational planning and structural reviews. My experience spans physical assets, property portfolios and multi-site operations, helping businesses scale and grow. I also offer confidential coaching and mentoring support.
Explore the portfolio
Blue-chip PLC experience
C-suite & main board leadership
Multi-brand experience across retail, sport and hospitality, including M&S, Mothercare, Kingfisher, JJB Sports and Greene King.
£1bnTurnover within leadership spans of control
20,000 peopleWorkforce within leadership spans of control
NationwideNational leadership experience, with particular expertise in London
01 / What I bring
Perspective forged in the operation.
My work connects strategic ambition with the reality of delivery. I have led large, diverse businesses and know how decisions travel through teams, sites and customers.
Strategic planning
Advising on acquisitions, integration and the strategic choices that grow and strengthen portfolios.
Team dynamics
Constructive challenge on leadership, accountability, succession and alignment when the stakes are high.
Founder counsel
Advising and coaching startup and SME founders as they navigate growth, leadership decisions and the shift from entrepreneurial drive to scalable delivery.
02 / Current portfolio
Independent thinking. Varied mandates.
Board and advisory experience across operators, hospitality technology, talent and purpose-led organisations.
Non-executive director
Hospitality Jobs UK (HJUK)
Growth strategy and partnerships for a hospitality talent platform connecting employers with people across the sector.
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HJUK initiative · Non-executive director at HJUK
CLEAR
HJUK's initiative connecting hospitality skills to careers across Care, Catering, Leisure, Entertainment, Attractions and Retail.
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Non-executive director
IOA Group · Eposability
Board perspective on hospitality technology, commercial growth and routes to market viewed through an operator's lens.
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Non-executive director · IOA Group
Hops
Hospitality operations technology with a global opportunity: helping multi-site operators connect inventory, finance and day-to-day decisions across markets.
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Non-executive director
Livelyhood Pubs
Independent challenge across operating performance, people, proposition and long-term priorities for a London hospitality group.
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Non-executive director
Luminary Bakery
Board perspective for a purpose-led social enterprise, connecting mission, governance and commercial resilience.
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Strategic adviser
Grateful
Independent counsel for a hospitality tipping and tronc platform across growth, proposition and operator needs.
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Advisory board
Women On Tap
Supporting greater representation and opportunity for women in beer and hospitality.
Visit website03 / Executive foundation
Led from the inside.
10 yearsAt Greene King, including four on the main board
Managing Director, Greene King. Led a £1bn turnover business of more than 1,200 pubs, with a workforce of 20,000 people. The estate spanned different customers, propositions and trading models, with specific portfolio expertise in London.
Accountability covered large scale operations, strategic planning and complex senior teams, alongside acquisition, innovation and growing portfolios. I now bring that experience to boards and to SME founders seeking clear thinking as their businesses scale.
Gastro pubsTraditional pubsPubs with roomsBars & clubsLondon
Earlier leadership: Retail Director at JJB Sports; operational and commercial roles at Marks & Spencer, Mothercare and Woolworths.
04 / Hosting, speaking, coaching & mentoring
Hosting conversations that matter.
I bring lived executive experience to conversations about leadership, culture, inclusion and the future of hospitality. Through event hosting, panel moderation, keynotes, coaching and mentoring, I connect boardroom decisions with their impact on people and businesses.
Speaking & hosting experience
Brands I’ve spoken and hosted for
For event organisers
Event host & panel moderator
A well-hosted panel needs more than a list of questions. I bring commercial experience, curiosity and constructive challenge to draw out different perspectives, keep the discussion focused and give the audience something useful to take away.
Book me to host industry events, moderate panels or facilitate leadership conversations on hospitality, business, people, culture and inclusion.
Enquire about hostingKeynotes & panels
Honest perspectives on the realities of senior leadership, female progression and building cultures where people can succeed. Drawing on commercial leadership and my work as European Diversity Champion in 2022.
Coaching & executive mentoring
One-to-one support for founders and established or emerging senior leaders, with a particular interest in women taking on larger roles. We work on leadership decisions, confidence, executive presence, stakeholder influence, difficult conversations and career transitions.
Choose focused, short-term support for a specific challenge or a longer-term coaching and mentoring relationship as your role or business develops.
Enquire about coaching & mentoringSpeaking topics
Female leadership — on your own terms
Progression, representation and the systems women are asked to navigate.
Inclusion is a leadership issue
The everyday decisions that determine who is heard, who belongs and who progresses.
You don’t have to change who you are to lead
Authenticity, individuality and finding your own way to lead.
Culture is what leaders tolerate
The behaviours leaders reward, challenge and allow.
The reality of the C-suite
Power, responsibility, resilience and influence at the highest level.
Life beyond the big job
Identity, relevance and purpose after a significant executive career.
The future of hospitality leadership
How talent, culture and inclusion shape the next generation of leaders.
Planning an event, navigating a leadership challenge or developing your next stage? Get in touch about hosting, speaking, coaching or mentoring.
Discuss an engagementKaren’s perspective
Thought for the week
Week commencing
Turn conversations into progress
A good network can open doors. What we do after the conversation determines whether an opportunity moves forward.
Be clear about the problem you can help solve. Ask useful questions. Agree a next step and follow through. Give each opportunity enough attention to understand whether it is right for both sides.
For anyone building an advisory business, it helps to look at your diary and ask: which conversations are developing relationships, which are progressing towards paid work, and which need a clearer purpose?
This week, choose three conversations worth moving forward. Give each one a practical next step.
05 / Charity & thought leadership collaborations
Opening doors. Sharing experience.
Alongside board work, I host industry conversations, speak publicly and mentor emerging leaders. I collaborate with charities and industry groups to widen opportunity, strengthen leadership and bring practical perspectives into the room.
Brilliant WomenSupporting women’s leadership through speaking and mentoring
Better Hospitality Leadership GroupThought leadership and industry collaboration
Be Inclusive HospitalityThought leadership and sector dialogue
My perspective · Better Hospitality
What if opportunity really was equal in hospitality?
“Talent is everywhere. Opportunity still isn’t.”
My contribution explores equal opportunity as a leadership, talent and business issue — and the practical changes that can help more people progress.
Read my full contributionAwards & recognition
Recognised for making a difference.
Recognition for leadership, inclusion and allyship.
2022
European Diversity Awards
European Diversity Champion
2021 & 2022Guardian Powerlist
Powerlist Ally
2021
British Diversity Awards
British Diversity Awards finalist
Finalist recognition
2020DIVA Pride Awards
Pride Ally of the Year
The next conversation
Let's build what comes next.
I’m looking for collaboration partners to grow Karen Bosher Advisory into a broader service partnership. If your expertise adds to mine and you share an ambition to help hospitality businesses perform better, let’s talk. I also welcome conversations about non-executive roles, strategic projects, coaching and mentoring — from focused short-term work to longer-term partnerships.