Candidate ReportPrepared for internal review
Candidate NameTom Ellison
Current CompanyWhitbread (Premier Inn)
Notice Period4 weeks
LocationBristol
EligibilityUK Citizen — Right to Work confirmed
Property TypeBrand budget
Submitted26/08/2026
ConsultantDarren Pierce
Finance Specialismoperational finance / FP&A
SeniorityMid

Relevant Skills

Operational finance & cost control
FP&A and budgeting
Multi-site business partnering
Capex appraisal and tracking
P&L analysis and reporting
Stakeholder engagement at site and regional level
Budget hotel finance environment
Forecasting and variance analysis

Suitability

I've worked with Tom for just over a year now and I can say with confidence that he is one of the strongest mid-level finance candidates I have on my books in the South West. His seven years in hospitality finance, the last stretch of which has been as a Finance Business Partner at Whitbread across the Premier Inn estate, have given him a really solid grounding in the operational realities of hotel finance. He is not someone who sits behind a spreadsheet in isolation. He genuinely understands how a property runs day to day, and that comes through clearly when you speak to him.

What stands out to me is the scale of what he has actually delivered at Whitbread. He told me himself that at one point he was partnering over twenty sites simultaneously on cost control and capex, which in a business that size is no small undertaking. That kind of exposure means he is already comfortable navigating the competing priorities of multiple general managers and regional stakeholders, keeping everyone aligned on financial performance without losing the thread of the bigger picture. For a hotel group looking for someone who can hit the ground running across more than one property, that experience is genuinely hard to find at this level.

Tom is based in Bristol and is available on a four-week notice period, so there is no lengthy wait involved. He was straightforward with me about what he is looking for next, which is a move into a group or multi-site environment where he can deepen his FP&A work and take on more ownership of the commercial story. I think he would settle into a finance business partnering or senior FP&A role within your group very naturally. I would be happy to arrange an introduction at your convenience.