With a strong retail background, Gerrard set up his own wine and champagne distribution business supplying restaurants and nightclubs across the UK.

After meeting Ban, Gerrard helped Ban to open Sukhothai Chapel Allerton in 2002 and in 2004 joined the business full time.

Gerrard is the Group MD & Chairman, and oversees all areas of the business including operations, finance and marketing, and works closely with the Head Office team on a daily basis.

The true beating heart and creative inspiration for the groups much-loved food.

Ban’s incredible story starts in Sukhothai, Thailand, at the age of 10 helping her mother prepare food for the family, before at 16 leaving the family home for Bangkok.

It was whilst there she managed to save enough money to buy her own food truck and wowed the locals with her cooking skills, before a UK-based restaurant owner visited her busy stall and offered her a job to work as a chef in England.

Through sheer determination and hard work she once again saved enough money to open her own restaurant, Sukhothai Chapel Allerton, and the rest as they say, is history.

Chris has grown up in the hospitality industry and worked for numerous operators including Mitchells & Butlers for 10 years and Giraffe for 2 years.

Before joining Sukhothai Chris studied an MA in Southeast Asian Studies & Thai language and is able to read, write and speak Thai.

Chris manages all areas of operations including hygiene, site maintenance, new site acquisition & fit outs, and works very closely with area chefs and branch managers.

Matt is a qualified CIMA accountant with over 15 years in industry.

As Finance Director, he oversees the finance function including payroll and purchase ledger and is the main liaison with the bank on a day-to-day basis.

Prior to Sukhothai Matt worked for 12 years at AFI Uplift progressing from trainee up to the FC role which he held for 5 years.

Having worked for Sukhothai for over 10 years, Tui is passionate about the company and trains front of house teams to maintain high standards of customer service.

Tui recruits new staff and ensures all staff are trained within the legislations required in hospitality H&S, allergens, hygiene and drinking laws.

With a professional marketing background and BA in Events & Marketing, Greg oversees all aspects of marketing for the Group.

Key aspects of his role include developing creative new marketing strategies and managing budgets to ensure maximum return on investment.

Greg is also responsible for all other areas of the marketing mix including all company social media pages, websites, design and print.

Prior to joining Greg launched a number of successful online financial services businesses and has lived and worked in Australia and Southeast Asia.

Manjit has over 20 years experience in purchasing, material requirements planning (MRP), forecasting, logistics, range planning, food manufacturing and multi-site operations through a number of commercial roles dealing with leading brand manufacturers.

Manjit is responsible for the full supply chain and works closely with a variety of suppliers ensuring the restaurants are stocked.

A key element of his role is to be fully aware of market fluctuations including currencies and commodities. This enables the Group to receive the most beneficial financial commercials, whilst also maintaining and fulfilling the supply chain to our restaurants.

Jib completed her BA in International Business in Thailand, where she also worked for two global retail companies; The Body Shop, Thailand as the Shop Manager, and Club 21 as Senior Sales Executive.

Jib joined Sukhothai as a part-time waitress in 2007 whilst studying a General English Course and followed this with an MA in Human Resource Management at the University of Leeds.

Jib’s current position is Recruitment Manager, she is responsible for all aspects of recruitment for Sukhothai and ZAAP, and also assists with employee training, development & HR.