What does it mean to you to be named in the Walpole 2022 Power List?
It is a great honour and a celebration of our mission to create a luxury brand and to excel in hospitality at the same time as respecting and protecting the heritage and history of an exceptional place.
What has your business achieved in the past year that you are most proud of?
Like so many others our achievement has to be to have survived an unpresented year which started in lockdown and then become one of our busiest periods on record. We are incredibly lucky to have such a committed and loyal team who have endured a huge amount and worked beyond expectations. The greatest compliment we hear from visitors is what a friendly, engaging and positive place Cowdray is and I am grateful and exceptionally proud of the team for achieving this.
What is 2022 set to look like for your business?
This year is set to be an exceptionally busy and rewarding year as we launch a number of projects across the estate and add to the diversity of our activities. We are excited at continuing our commitment to regenerative agriculture which supports a number of ambitious biodiversity and nature recovery projects. We are highly conscious of the role that sustainable and responsible land management has to play in delivering solutions to meet the country’s climate and decarbonisation aspirations together with ensuring that all can benefit at many levels from the countryside.
What are you most looking forward to professionally for 2022?
We will be delighted to launch our Treehouse Retreat collection of five luxury treehouses which will overlook the world famous Lawns polo pitches. After three years of attempting to obtaining planning permission, we wondered if we would ever get to this point. We are also launching a number of serviced residences which are a selection of historic properties in locations around the estate which will be individually designed and provide the highest levels of accommodation and hospitality which Cowdray is becoming renowned for.
And personally?
One of the greatest frustrations of the past two years has been the need to adopt an insular approach which has curtailed the ability to get out and about to enjoy other hospitality and rural businesses I admire. Whilst both a personal and professional aspiration, I am looking forward to an uninterrupted year of study visits (spying!).
