Best Community Pub Operator - Greene King

The pub company was founded in 1799 and currently employs around 40,000 people across 2,900 sites spanning England, Wales and Scotland – of which in the region of 1,150 are tenanted, leased and franchised pubs.  

In addition to reaching the final of this year’s Best Community Pub Operator, Greene King was also shortlisted in the Best Food Offer and Best Pub Employer categories.  

Greene King also took the Tenanted and Leased Pub Company of the Year gong with CEO Nick Mackenzie scooping Business Leader of the Year for being instrumental in impressively steering his business through choppy waters.

Celebrating excellence

Ed Bedington, editor of The Morning Advertiser​, which organises the awards, said: “This year’s event has certainly been different, going from a gathering of 1,500 in Battersea to an online ceremony in the virtual world, but the ethos remains the same – celebrating excellence and there’s plenty to celebrate.

“Many companies, having faced the challenges and disasters of 2020 could be forgiven for pulling down the shutters and sitting the crisis out. Our finalists tonight, and many others in the sector, did the exact opposite of that, rose to the challenge and did some amazing things.

“We wanted to continue with the awards this year to recognise those businesses that made sacrifices and strove to not just keep going, but to improve and thrive in the teeth of a brutal storm.

“Here’s to next year when companies can get back to doing what they do best, providing outstanding hospitality experiences for their guests.”

• Check out the full list of winners from the 2021 Publican Awards ​here​​