Thomas Heier, people director, EVP people and international, Wagamama

Heier joined Wagamama in Autumn 2017. Before that he spent 15 years in various HR and ops roles and has worked across a number of multi-site hospitality and leisure businesses, including Travelodge and Carnival

During his time at Wagamama Heier has dedicated his energy and passion to creating a sense of purpose and belonging for staff, developing a strong people experience and culture, and driving employee satisfaction and growth across the business. Testament to Heier’s impact on the business is the consistent reduction in team turnover observed across the operations teams over the past 18 months, contributing to industry-beating like-for-like sales performance.

As an exec sponsor for the US operations he has also led the charge in turning around business performance, putting together and managing a strong leadership team to support the company’s future growth plans.

Passionate about culture, diversity and inclusion, Heier enjoys sharing his life and professional experiences and as a senior influencer in the industry often speaks at and hosts topical events.