Inclusive Leaders: Fernanda Antonio, People & Culture Director, Caravan

I'm a high-energy People and Culture leader with over 15 years of experience in a people function and nearly 20 years in the hospitality industry. I moved from Brazil to the UK in 2004 to pursue a degree in Social Communications, which ignited my passion for People and HR. My areas of expertise include team engagement, recruitment, training/learning and talent development. Currently I hold the role of People and Culture Director at Caravan Restaurants and Coffee Roasters and prior to Caravan, I worked at Megan’s, Wahaca and Wagamama for several years. This shaped my 'People Magic' strategy through company expansion and team growth - driving culture and talent development and being instrumental for dozens of new site openings, focusing on culture and nurturing talent.

Tell us more about your role as People & Culture Director at Caravan. What projects are you currently working on? What are you most excited about?

In my current role at Caravan I implement the business's strategic vision, promoting an inclusive culture, and recruiting and developing top-quality, diverse talent. My people strategies, which I define as “People Magic”, are finely tuned to align with business goals, taking advantage of people analytics and a hands-on approach to ensure more adaptability and measured actions in the changing landscape of the hospitality industry and the world. Currently our 80:20 strategy is a core priority, where we aim to develop 80% or more of our internal teams into management roles, using our newly updated career pathways.