Trade leaders salute to the Brigadier on his retirement

The great and the good were out in force last week to wish a happy retirement to one of the trade's most popular figures, the Brigadier, aka Keith Hudson.

Noting his remarkable career - 37 years in the Army, chairman of Venners, the stocktakers, for the past 12 years and, before that, the BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) chief executive in its formative years - speakers paid tribute to the Brigadier's "charm and influence."

However, his "irritating ability" to pose that awkward question they hoped not to be asked was also noted. "Frankly, he's been a flipping nuisance," teased Venners MD Trevor Heyburn.

BII chairman Richard Pearson called him "an officer and a gentleman" and a highly effective operator. "If it wasn't for Keith, there might not be a BII today. As well as straightening finances and establishing credibility at Whitehall, he started the annual lunch, the national training awards and many other parts of the modern BII."

Of course, the Brigadier has no intention of disappearing. Though 76, he will offer his services to the Licensed Trade Charity and no doubt others for many years to come yet.