Catabase Associates - founded by Sean O'Connor in 1997

The Catabase story begins in 1997; after a year comprised of a ski season in France and working in a beach bar in Spain, it was time for the future Catabase founder to come back home and focus on a career.

After working for one of the largest international recruiters in London and building their temporary chef division Sean realised that he enjoyed the role so much that he decided to go it alone. Aiming to set up an agency focused on providing Michelin level chefs to the growing culinary scene in London, Catabase Associates was born.

Over the intervening twenty-one years Catabase Associates has expanded from the original fine dining desk to include specialisms with branded groups, independent gastropubs, country house hotels, QSR and private households building a reputation as an independent specialist within the hospitality sector.

With an in-depth understanding of the market, Catabase Associates has supported the growth of a number of high-street groups by working with their in-house recruiting teams at times of exceptional growth as they scale their operations.

Whether it be advice on hiring to enable growth from two to twenty sites or headhunting for hospitality executives Catabase Associates are fully equipped to advise and support their clients to ensure growth through the hiring of successful talent.

Sean still likes to ski in France during the winter and spend sunny summers on the beaches of Spain. More importantly, he still has the same enthusiasm for connecting talent with growing business and oversees the daily operations at Catabase, albeit now with a little less hair.