Global Food & Beverage Consultants
OUR HOSPITALITY ADVISORS
At Think Hospitality Consulting, we do hospitality—end to end—with a focus on food and beverage. We help clients and venture partners unlock the full potential of F&B through smart, commercially driven strategy. Our work spans restaurants, hotels, investors and real estate. From reimagining global brands to advising on asset development or rural diversification, we deliver strategies that balance experience and performance.
What sets us apart is our blend of deep sector knowledge and strategic acumen. With partners from traditional consulting and banking backgrounds alongside hands-on restaurant expertise, we bridge the gap between passion and performance—translating vision into clear, actionable insight for investment committees and leadership teams alike. We’re not traditional consultants. We own and operate businesses, sit on boards, and bring a global network of trusted partners to every project. Our recommendations are data-informed, commercially sound and built to create long-term value.
Above all, we empower leaders. We challenge thinking, shape bold strategies, and help you take confident steps forward—without creating long-term dependence.
Managing Partner
James Hacon
Location: Edinburgh, UK
James is a globally respected hospitality innovator, strategist and dealmaker, where he leverages 20 years of experience with more than 100 hospitality brands. A leading industry voice, he is hyper-connected and brings deep expertise in growth, brand, and innovation. His background spans executive roles, investment and advisory positions, making him a trusted partner to boards, investors and operators. Regularly featured in global media and industry events, James combines strategic insight with real-world experience to drive success for some of the world’s most recognised hospitality brands.
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Partner
Heleri Rande MBA
Location: London, UK
Heleri leads development and placemaking strategy at Think Hospitality, advising hotel groups, developers and investors on F&B positioning, concept creation, and operator or chef selection. With experience across seven countries and degrees from NYU and EHL, she brings a unique global perspective. Hyper-connected and highly respected, her project portfolio includes Accor, Hilton, Kempinski and Peel Holdings. She also curates leading industry events and publications, shaping the conversation around the future of hospitality and gastronomy worldwide.
Partner
Michael Ingemann MBA
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Michael is a senior advisor at Think Hospitality, bringing decades of experience leading, scaling and transforming food and hospitality businesses across Europe and beyond. A former McKinsey consultant with an MBA from Dartmouth, he works closely with investors and leadership teams to craft winning strategies and ensure effective execution. Deeply connected across the sector, he holds board roles with restaurants, food tech, and hospitality ventures globally, offering sharp insight, pragmatic leadership and a deep respect for each business’s unique challenges.
Partner
Jennifer Pettinger-Haines
Location: Dubai, UAE
Jennifer is a senior advisor at Think Hospitality and one of the most connected figures in the Middle East hospitality scene. With 15+ years in the region, she has built a global network of hotel and restaurant investors through her leadership at The Bench and as founder of the Global Restaurant Investment Forum. Known for her sharp insight and industry influence, she connects brands, investors, and opportunities across continents with unmatched energy and expertise.
Partner
Marshall Dallas
Location: Edinburgh, UK
With over three decades of global experience, Marshall brings unmatched end-to-end expertise across hospitality, hotels, F&B and events. From Gleneagles Hotel to independent hotels and a leading health club brand, his leadership has shaped award-winning concepts and high-performing teams. Now a trusted adviser, he combines operational know-how with strategic insight—guiding concept creation, financial structuring, and guest experience strategy. Renowned for turning around the EICC and building into a commercial powerhouse with purpose and sustainability at its heart, Marshall now coaches current and future leaders worldwide. At Think Hospitality, he helps deliver bold, commercially grounded solutions that drive lasting impact.
Associate Partner & Chief of Staff
Laura Vana MA
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Laura bridges culinary creativity with data-led strategy to shape impactful, future-ready hospitality experiences. As Head of Research & Insight and Senior Advisor on Food Strategy at Think Hospitality, she advises brands, hotel groups and developers on creating commercially viable, operationally efficient, and on-trend F&B concepts. She holds a Master’s in Food Innovation and Health, with experience in R&D at a leading restaurant group and commercial strategy at one of Europe’s top hospitality tech companies.
Associate Partner - Behavioural Psychology
Claire Scullion MA
Location: London, UK
Claire is a leading expert in menu science, behavioural science and creative direction with over a decade of experience helping brands enhance both profitability and guest experience. As an Associate Partner at Think Hospitality, she advises on commercially driven menu strategy and experience design, applying proven behavioural techniques to influence customer decision-making. She has worked with major brands including Accor, Four Seasons Hotels, Whitbread, Carlson Rezidor and The Restaurant Group, and also leads a successful marketing agency supporting wider brand and commercial initiatives.
Associate Partner - Technology & Innovation
Valeri Inting
Location: London, UK
Valeri is an exited food robotics founder and technology strategist leading/buillding Think Hospitality's Technology & Innovation practice. Her career spans early stage startups, venture capital, global market launches, and cross-border technology deals. She brings a rare intersection of operations and investment perspective to the firm’s hospitality advisory work.
She previously founded an automated quick-serve restaurant concept built on undervalued robotics IP. Prior, she built the enterprise function at a leading kitchen automation company, working with global brands including Chipotle, IHOP, Applebee's, Circle K, and Shake Shack. Earlier in her career, she built, launched and scaled products in micromobility, fintech and enterprise media across Southeast Asia, Australia, and the UK. She holds board roles across food and industrial robotics.
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Associate Partner - Latin America
Carolina Bicalho MA
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
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Carolina Bicalho has 15 years of cross-sector experience in hospitality, retail and fintech, driving business growth and launching successful products and strategies across the UK, Latin America and beyond. She works hands-on with founders, operators and investors in the F&B and hospitality sectors, developing strategies that are both ambitious and commercially grounded and then supporting the execution to make them happen. Her expertise spans strategy design, market entry, financial planning and business development.
Holding an MBA from London Business School and a degree in Industrial Engineering from UFMG, she built a career managing large-scale product portfolios at leading retailers including Cia Hering and C&A Brazil. She then co-founded WyzePay, a London-based payments platform purpose-built for hospitality and retail SMEs, raising funding and leading the business from concept through to product launch and initial scaling. She holds a WSET Level 2 Award in Wine and Spirits, is certified in cooking and international cuisines, and is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Associate Partner - Leadership Development & Middle East
David Singleton MA
Location: Dubai, UAE
David is a globally experienced advisor and leadership coach, supporting brands, boards and executives through growth and transformation. As an Associate Partner at Think Hospitality and founder of Dubai-based Oraculi, he has worked across 40 countries with leading F&B, foodtech, and consumer brands. A recognised expert in franchising and globalisation, David also serves as a non-executive director and boardroom advisor, bringing strategic clarity, challenge, and ambition to help leaders deliver exceptional, high-impact results.
Associate Partner - Operations & Beverage
Andrzej Sakowicz
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Andrzej Sakowicz is a project manager and consultant at Think Hospitality, specialising in beverage, operations and commercial strategy across the food and beverage sector. With international experience spanning Asia, North America and Europe, he has delivered results for brands including Fairmont, Holland America, and Di-Vine Cellars. A Certified Sommelier and ScrumMaster®, Andrzej combines operational expertise with digital marketing and e-commerce insight to help hospitality businesses optimise performance, drive revenue, and elevate guest experience.
Associate Partner - Operations & Beverage
Francis Kulaga
Location: San Francisco, USA
Francis Kulaga is an associate partner at Think Hospitality and a highly respected beverage and operations expert with over 25 years of global experience across the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. A Master Sommelier and Certified Cicerone, he specialises in launching venues and creating innovative, commercially successful beverage programmes. His work drives revenue, enhances guest satisfaction, and elevates brand identity, making him a trusted advisor to operators and developers across restaurants, hotels, and hospitality groups.