Wayne Morgan

Wayne grew up in the hospitality and leisure industry and at the tender age of 19, he was manager of a Little Chef.

Quickly climbing the career ladder and managing multiple sites by the age of 20, Wayne realised a lack of structured learning within the industry was holding people back.

He decided the answer lay in learning and development management and set himself a clear goal; to develop career pathways for people working in hospitality.

“The apprenticeship route opens doors for people at every stage of their journey and that’s what I’m passionate about,” says Wayne. “It’s about making sure everyone has the opportunity to learn in a practical environment – and that’s what HIT does brilliantly.”

Wayne joined HIT on the board of directors in Jan 2020 as HR strategy lead just weeks before the pandemic.

He led the way in maintaining 100 percent of HIT’s workforce during the crisis, while supporting staff wellbeing at the same time.

“I am hugely proud to be part of the HIT family,” says Wayne. “There are so many moments where you hear a story or read something from a parent or learner and you realise we don’t just provide qualifications, we really do change people’s lives for the better. Yet we are very unassuming and accepting that that’s just what we do. We change lives.”

When not working, Wayne likes to spend time with his family and travel. On his wish list is Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Malaysia.

His scariest moment was when his son, then 14, started pilot lessons.

“He asked me one day if I’d go up with him,” says Wayne. “I agreed, then when it came to landing, he turned to me and said: ‘By the way I’m rubbish at landing, dad!’ I was terrified – even though there was an instructor in the back.”