Candidate ReportPrepared for internal review
Candidate NameElena Popescu
Current CompanyEnnismore (The Hoxton)
Notice Period8 weeks
LocationLondon
EligibilityUK Citizen — Right to Work confirmed
Property TypeLifestyle brand
Submitted26/08/2026
ConsultantDarren Pierce
Finance Specialismlifestyle hotel finance / expansion
SenioritySenior

Relevant Skills

Lifestyle brand financial strategy
Multi-site European expansion finance
Senior stakeholder management
Hotel P&L ownership and reporting
USALI-compliant management accounts
Pre-opening financial planning
Cross-functional finance leadership
Budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis
Process improvement and controls implementation

Suitability

I've worked closely with Elena over the past year and she is, quite simply, one of the most capable senior finance professionals I've placed in the lifestyle hotel space. With twelve years of experience and her current seat as Assistant Finance Director at Ennismore's The Hoxton brand, she operates comfortably at a level where commercial acumen and operational understanding genuinely meet. What stands out to me is that she doesn't just understand the numbers, she understands the brand context those numbers sit within, which is rare and particularly valuable for a group with the kind of identity-led portfolio you're building.

The achievement I keep coming back to when I talk about Elena is her direct involvement in supporting the finance function through The Hoxton's UK and European rollout. She told me herself that the expansion phase was where she felt she grew most sharply as a leader, navigating pre-opening budgets, multi-currency reporting and the challenge of embedding consistent finance processes across properties with very different local operating environments. That breadth of experience across multiple territories is something you simply don't find in candidates who have spent their careers in a single-site or purely domestic setting.

Elena is based in London and is available on an eight-week notice period, which is entirely standard at her level and reflects the fact that her current employer values her. She is selective about her next move and what attracted her to this opportunity specifically is the scope for genuine influence at a senior level within a growing lifestyle group. I have no hesitation in recommending her for this role and I think a conversation will quickly confirm what I'm telling you here.