Meet the Team Making a difference together

Neil Kedward Chief Executive | Founder

I am a proud Welshman having been brought up in the little village of Cwmrhydyceirw near Swansea.  I was very blessed with a fabulous childhood in a tight knit community of lovely people, many of whom remain close friends today.  It was these big personalities who instilled a sincere appreciation of what a great welcome looked like – a warm smile, a big hug and a cup of tea.

I have always been a dreamer and an adventurer at heart, with my father encouraging me to go and see the world.  I suppose this is reflected in my rich, varied and changing career.  I always wanted to build things and so structural engineering was my first adventure.  My time in construction was productive, and I am proud to be able to travel over and under many of my bridge structures across Wales – I even have a professional Chartered Engineering qualification to show for it.  After my years in steel and concrete, I wanted to find out more about the world and an MBA beckoned me to Glasgow, following which I enthusiastically moved to the big smoke.  My first business orientated role was in strategy and finance with a big 5 consultancy practice as they were then, before moving into strategic change orientated roles, consulting at board level in large international PLCs and getting the opportunity to see the world.  Having worked directly for some extraordinary professionals and industry leaders, the die was cast and I was ready for my own venture.

Perhaps the most important part of this journey is being blessed enough to meet my now wife Zoe.  Together, we bravely turned our backs on our corporate careers in London to seek out a good life home in Wales.  The inspiration for this departure was a family visit to Pembrokeshire, an unplanned detour, and the incredible good fortune to stumble across a derelict unloved old country house, called Grove.  Today, like us, the Grove has evolved, and has been reinvented as a beautiful luxury hotel with 25 bedrooms and a fabulous restaurant that we are immensely proud of.  Together, Zoe and I have built on this success, creating wonderful hotel, restaurant and café venues across Wales, and more recently, an international tailor-made travel company.    

I now wake up every morning to the fresh Pembrokeshire air excited about realising the potential of our brilliant staff to create exceptional experiences.  These experiences somehow mirror my childhood memories that are built on a big smile and a warm enthusiastic Welsh welcome.  It feels great!

In my spare time you’ll find me walking the Pembrokeshire coastal path with Zoe and our labradoodle princess Bronwen and mischievous little cockapoo Griff, enjoying a beer and a pack of crisps in my local overlooking Caldey Island, watching my beloved Swans at the Liberty, or still frustratingly attempting to master a smooth swing on my nearby links.

Zoe Kedward Director of Projects | Co-founder

Having always wanted to run my own business, but not quite sure doing what, I have fallen into the wonderful world of hospitality and travel. I travelled around the world post university and then joined American Express on their graduate programme. Amex was an amazing company to work for and over the 18 years I was with them I learnt so much working in different parts of the business, with some inspirational managers and wonderful teams, gaining invaluable business knowledge and commercial experience across card and travel. It was hard to leave.

But after meeting Neil and renovating our house together, we decided to take on the derelict Grove as a major renovation project turning it into a 6 bed B&B with self-catering cottages. Now, Grove is a 5 star hotel with 25 luxurious bedrooms and two restaurants. We have also created two amazing restaurants in iconic locations, Coast in Saundersfoot and Michelin starred Beach House in Oxwich. More recently we have taken over the breathtaking Penmaenuchaf in Dolgellau, Snowdonia. These are run by amazing people committed to delivering our vision and the best customer experience.

Maybe a seed was sown, as a teenager waitressing in the local hotel. I think hospitality is in all of us who enjoy opening our homes to family and friends, the desire to make our guests feel at home, relaxed, properly fed, nicely watered and leave with the want to return soon.

Having a father in the RAF, my early years were spent moving around Scotland and England, but now my home and heart is in Pembrokeshire, Wales. I love walking the countryside, and have done so from a very young age, with older siblings and rambling parents. Pembrokeshire’s rugged coastline, wooded valleys and hillsides is such a wonderful place for Neil and I to live, along with Bronwen our labradoodle, who can’t wait to get to the beach every morning.

Alix White Director of Communications and Marketing

I’m Pembrokeshire born and bred, and my family history is rooted in West Wales. I was brought up in a Welsh-speaking environment, with an established family background in business and retail, and, as with many families from South Wales, also have a strong farming and mining heritage.

Growing up near the coast was pretty idyllic, and my parents always had us out and about exploring. We’d dash down to Broad Haven after school in the summer to enjoy fish and chips on the beach, and there was many an early weekend morning spent waiting for the boat to take us out to explore Skomer or Caldey Island. While being able to trace my local ancestors back to the 1300s is pretty cool, my interest in travel and culture was born at an early age, and I always knew I wanted to explore the world beyond Pembrokeshire. Leaving Wales for the great unknown — Brunel University — was my first solo adventure.

I gained a BA in American Studies and English, before completing my Masters in Creative and Journalistic Writing. I balanced my studies with extensive time in the US, exploring the east and west coasts, before taking a full time job on graduating with Gartner, a world leading research and advisory company.

I was at Gartner for 18 years, joining as an editor working on IT research papers, before moving to the conferences division and progressing to the role of Director of Communications. Working for a large global company was an incredible learning experience and I was fortunate to have opportunities to develop and lead new global teams throughout my time there. I was able to combine my love of creative content with developing engaging customer experiences for the largest technology and business conferences in the world. The beauty of having a communications and digital experiential focus was that it was ever-evolving and no two days were the same. I explored new technologies and trends, ran strategic planning, analysed metrics and developed creative messaging techniques, all while keeping the customer experience at the heart of everything we did.

There was never a dull moment in the conferences industry, particularly when working across different regions of the globe or being live onsite. There’s no truer feeling of exhaustion than after a week of 15+ hour days setting up and delivering an amazing event for 10,000 people — nor one of greater elation (relief!) than signing off the last official event communication with the team, shutting down the laptop, and heading off to celebrate together.

I travelled extensively and came to know the ins and out of Heathrow airport better than most. Little did I know all those years spent as a semi-professional international traveller, hotel stay-er, and restaurant go-er would become so useful for my next career move!

The pull back to Wales has always been strong, and the opportunity to return to Pembrokeshire to join Seren in this new and progressive role was an easy decision for me. I’m delighted to be part of such a passionate, supportive and adventurous team, and am excited to lead and develop the growing communications and marketing team.

Simon Ward Director of Finance

I’m Swansea born and bred, have always lived and worked in South West Wales, and am totally embedded within my local community. This corner of Wales and its amazing coastline, the Gower in particular, has always played an important part in my family life.

Having completed my A levels, I secured an accountancy apprenticeship with James & Uzzell, a successful local practice. I worked there for over 15 years, gaining both a ACCA qualification and a Fellowship in 2015. I feel very fortunate that my experience there was not typical of an accountant in practice, particularly over the last 5-6 years where I was heavily involved with some of their largest and most successful clients. This hands-on experience afforded me a genuine insight into how a finance team works from an operational and strategic perspective and was what I enjoyed most about private practice, so it was only a matter of time before I moved into business. The Head of Finance role with Seren came along at just the right time in 2021 and I jumped at the chance to join the management team. I was already familiar with some of the Seren businesses, having dined at Beach House many times – its location on Oxwich Beach is where my wife Kelly and I got married – and coincidently, we even celebrated our first wedding anniversary with a stay and dinner at the Grove of Narberth!

I was initially apprehensive to leave my friends and colleagues of 15 years at the Swansea office to work in Pembrokeshire, with new surroundings and new people. However, I was very impressed by the passion and compassion that resonated from Seren even before I had officially joined the team; there is a real culture here of ‘doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do,’ and clearly exceptional hospitality is at the heart of it all.

When I’m not immersed in numbers, you’ll usually find me at the beach with Kelly and our two children, Osian and Connie. Naturally, we’ll either be wearing sun hats and sun cream, or wellies and waterproofs, depending on the Welsh weather. I also play pool to a professional standard, winning the Welsh Championships five times and having travelled from Shetland to Shanghai to compete against the world’s best players. For a short time, I was even ranked world number 1.

Like many others who’ve done a lot of travelling over the years, I’ve stayed and dined in hotels across the world, and it seems fitting that I should now work in the hospitality sector. I’m looking forward to helping Seren progress for many years to come.

Alexios Stasinopoulos Director of Wine

Alexios joined the Grove of Narberth team in 2021, by way of Surrey, Lancashire and his native Greece. His almost encyclopaedic knowledge of all things wine has been built working in senior sommelier roles, including time spent at Michelin restaurants, Northcote with the legendary chef Lisa Allen, and Sorrel restaurant with Steve Drake.

He loves seeing how the Welsh and English wine offering has developed over the past few years and is proud to include a number of UK-based wines on his list. As a brandy connoisseur, he’s delighted that Fernery lists the amazing 20-year-old Baron de Sigognac Bas-Armagnac.

In his previous life Alexios used to be a football referee in the Fourth Greek National Division.

Mourad Ben Tekfa Director of Restaurants

Hailing from sunny Cannes in the Côte D’Azur, I got my first taste for hospitality at the tender age of 12, earning pocket money by helping my dad in a family-owned coastal restaurant during the school summer holidays. I then became a part-time chef working every weekend and in school holidays for more than 10 years.

While studying for a Masters in Applied Foreign Languages at Nice University, I worked in front of house roles for the Luxury Hotels of Monaco during events like the Formula 1 Grand Prix. My first full-time role was as a commis waiter, working for the prestigious Société des Bains de Mer hotel group in Monaco. I then moved to the UK, spending several years at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, before expanding my experience at other iconic British venues such as l’Ortolan and Hambleton Hall. I returned to Le Manoir as Restaurant Manager, going on to spend the next 18 years helping Raymond Blanc perfect his astonishing vision for the hotel and restaurant, latterly in the role of Restaurant Director. During my time at Le Manoir, I became a Master of Culinary Arts in 2013.

I then joined the Seren team as Director of Restaurants in 2020, trading the Oxfordshire countryside for the beautiful coast of Pembrokeshire, to take on this exciting new role across our family of restaurants. I am a proud family man and when not at work, I enjoy gardening, keeping fit, cooking for the family, and exploring this beautiful part of the world.

Oliver Crittenden Group People Manager

I was fortunate enough to grow up a short walk across a field from the prestigious Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel, Gidleigh Park, nestled on the edge of beautiful Dartmoor, so it was inevitable that I would spend my summer holidays working in the kitchen. I loved the overwhelming sense of team work and the pure passion and skill on show by all my colleagues. Whilst at university I ventured to Zambia to run a small lodge, further instilling my passion for hosting and meeting people from all walks of life.  I returned to Gidleigh Park after university to pursue a hospitality career and joined the reception team.

The opportunity to take part in the Ten out of Ten Hospitality Management programme was too good to miss. It took me to some of the best hotels across southern England that included: The Vineyard at Stockcross, Mallory Court, Chewton Glen, Lucknam Park and Pennyhill Park. I covered all areas of the hotel from housekeeping to reception, HR to kitchen, sales and marketing to restaurant service, gaining valuable experience and working with some truly inspirational hospitality professionals.

After completing the programme I joined the historic Cliveden House Hotel and Spa as Duty Manager and later Guest Services Manager. At Cliveden no two days were ever the same. One moment you could be welcoming a Saudi Prince, the next doing a butler’s talk to a room of 60 business people. Next you could be sourcing a beer made in a small US town a guest has requested as it was the first drink that he and his wife drank together over 20 years ago.

After three successful years at Cliveden House my partner and I longed for the true sense of countryside and to be part of a company that is on a journey where we can help shape the product, so we were delighted to find the Grove of Narberth and the Seren Collection in 2017. When not working, you will usually find me walking the coastal path with my partner after borrowing Bronwen the “trainee hotel dog” or finding somewhere to indulge my passion in experiencing great food and amazing hotels.

Louise Lewis Group Sales Executive

I am originally from a small village in Derbyshire, within the rolling hills of the Peak District, and have always been drawn to exploring the outdoors.

I caught the travel bug in my 20s and to mark the turn of the millennium, I spent 12 months on a solo trip circumnavigating the globe. Following a successful career in Estate Agency in the Midlands, my next adventure took me to South West France where I stepped into the world of hospitality for the first time. A horse riding holiday became a working holiday, and three years later I was running a busy Gite and stables, and taking care of guests from dawn to dusk. It was here I met my now husband, Ben, whose family are all based in Pembrokeshire, and who encouraged us to return and settle here too.

Within a week of moving to Pembrokeshire I was smitten. With the stunning beaches, open spaces and warm welcome, I knew I had found my place in the world. Within a fortnight of moving to Pembrokeshire, I met Neil and Zoe when I interviewed for a role at Grove of Narberth, and my journey with the Seren collection began. I was involved with the growth and development of the hotel from an early stage, and I couldn’t have been prouder to take over the day to day operations from Neil and Zoe, becoming the first General Manager there in 2016.

Since then, I’ve been given the opportunity to support Neil in launching sister businesses, most  recently by acting as interim hotel manager at Penmaenuchaf, leading the efforts to integrate Penmaenuchaf into the Seren Family.

Whenever possible, I still find the time to explore, taking short breaks in Wales with my husband and my trusty hound Rory, or longer holidays touring Europe in our Motorhome.

Aaron Williamson Digital Marketing Manager

Growing up as the son of an Army engineer granted me a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness various cultures first-hand. Such extraordinary experiences left a lasting impression and cultivated in me an immense appreciation for diversity. After 16 years spent globetrotting alongside my parents, they finally settled in Pembrokeshire, where I now call home.

In pursuit of making music my career, I gained a National Diploma in Music Technology at Pembrokeshire College before taking off on tour around the UK & Ireland as a drummer with some well-respected musicians. It was a very unique journey that shaped who I am today.

As a passionate, ambitious 25-year-old with intricate knowledge of music, I was given the opportunity to take over a local music shop in my hometown. After five years as its owner and operator I made the step into digital media platforms.  This change was heavily influenced by the change in the high street shopping experience, and the understanding of how technology was becoming more engrained into daily lives.

After four years of dedicated learning and research, I transitioned from employee to self-employed in digital marketing.  I then joined Seren in 2021 as Social Media manager looking after the business’s social platforms.  Now as the Digital Marketing Manager, I pursue my passions in photography, combined with digital marketing in the exciting world of hospitality.

Tim Pollard Finance Manager

I spent the early years of my career in the great city that is Manchester.  Having always worked in finance, I spent the first seven years working for Procter & Gamble as Cost Analyst in Manchester, followed by three years in Geneva.  I then moved to the role of Banking Analyst in Newcastle Upon Tyne, gaining a wealth of knowledge in my field and experience in different locations.   I then took the position as Financial Controller at Trinity Solutions, which manages worldwide imports and exports of high end computer hardware.

I met my wife on a holiday with mutual friends, and we dreamed of owning a smallholding in the countryside.  After a lot of searching, we found our home in Pembrokeshire in 2009.  Over the next decade, I worked locally as Finance Manager for Slebech Park and Pembrokeshire Agriculture Society.  I then joined Seren in 2019 and am the Management Accountant.

When I’m not in the office, I enjoy working on our smallholding with my wife and daughter, looking after our various animals, growing plenty of our own produce and undertaking day to day repair and improvement projects. I am a keen Welsh learner and have reached a reasonable level of fluency in day-to-day conversational Welsh. I enjoy keeping fit through running, cycling, and walking and have also restarted piano playing after a break of some 30 years (much to the disapproval of my family).

Polly Wainwright Payroll Manager

Originally from Cardiff, I’ve been fortunate to experience living around the UK, in Manchester, Bolton and Swindon, before I moved back to Wales and settled in Pembroke in 1995.

Throughout my career, I have enjoyed working with growing businesses and being a part of a team.  When Bluestone National Park Resort opened in Pembrokeshire, I joined the team as Payroll Manager and set up the payroll department, staying with the company for 10 years.  It was manic setting up the infrastructure, but it was very exciting to be a part of such a huge project. During this time, I undertook the role of Business Manager, with a focus on HR, and in my spare time, I qualified as an Adlerian counsellor.  This is something I still use, and during lockdown I volunteered to do telephone befriending, calling people who lived on their own.

I joined Seren in 2022 as Payroll Manager and am delighted to still be working in the world of hospitality, in this corner of Wales.  I have a real passion for travel, hotels and food, so it is the perfect fit for me.

When I’m not working, my favourite thing to do is spend as much time as I can with my lovely grandson, and we are spoilt for choice with things to do in Pembrokeshire.

Claire Pollard-Rice Purchase Ledger and Accounts Assistant

I have recently joined the team at Seren to further my career in finance.  With over 30 years’ experience, I have worked in various industries and for company giants, including Zurich and Suez Recycling.  I’m excited to have joined the world of hospitality here in Wales.

My husband and I recently relocated to Pembrokeshire from beside the sea in Newquay, Cornwall. We wanted to continue living in a beautiful countryside location and Pembrokeshire fitted the bill perfectly with its abundance of wildlife and picturesque coastline.

When not in the office, my main passion is music with a love 80s music, and I attend as many festivals and concerts as I can. I have 3 pets at home, who are all named after racing drivers: Lewis the spaniel, and Senna and Button the cats.

Karen Williamson Accounts Payable

I was born in Huddersfield and am the eldest of five children with a massive extended family. We lost our dad when I was 13 which ended up shaping the rest of my life.  My mum remarried just before I turned 16 to a soldier serving in Germany. From a teenager who’d never been further than Blackpool once a year, I spent my latter teenage years on a Regimental Missile base in Dortmund, West Germany, during the Cold War.

I met my hubby Nigel at 17 in Germany and we’ve been partners in crime ever since.  At 19 my stepdad was posted to Woolwich, South London, the home of the Royal Artillery, where I trained as a Dental Nurse.  Nigel and I married when I was 21 and had our only son Aaron three years later. We have all been on the move since then and were posted on average every two years due to Nigel’s skill set. We’ve lived all over the world, with several stints in Germany, along with Cyprus, Hong Kong and Borneo.

This led to a very varied working life for me. I worked as a dental nurse to begin, but you name it, I’ve probably done it: cleaning, retail, hospitality, admin in schools and hospitals and finally, banking. When I could not work, I studied, starting with computerized bookkeeping, and encouraged by the results, I did an AAT equivalency course and qualified as a bookkeeper.

Nigel’s last posting in the Army was to Brawdy here in Pembrokeshire, and this is where we ended up settling for good. I started working for Seren 6 years ago and have done the purchase ledger for all the companies within the group at one time or another.

When not working, I’m usually on grandmother duties for my two beautiful granddaughters. While I moan about this to my son Aaron, I secretly love it very much (don’t tell him that!).