At just 22 years old, Connor is already running his own pub. A milestone he still reflects on with pride and excitement.
Three years ago, he was working at a children’s climbing centre, introverted and unsure of where his career might lead. Now he’s stepped into a General Manager role with a clear-headed enthusiasm and a surprisingly mature sense of purpose.
“It’s crazy,” he admits. “If you’d told me three years ago that I’d be running a pub now, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
His journey in hospitality has been rapid. After starting out originally as a team member elsewhere, he joined the team at the Nightingale in Bicester, rose quickly to supervisor, and then to Assistant Manager within eight months. A short period covering relief management paved the way to his first GM role at The Holly Bush in Oxford, and now he’s underway in his new chapter, filled with ideas and ambition.
But beyond the excitement, there’s something more distinctive about Connor. He understands today’s customers because he is today’s customer.
“This generation isn’t really a drinking generation,” he says with a shrug. “But I know what people my age want to see in their pubs. If I can bring that into this place, get those people back into pubs, that’s the goal. At the end of the day, every GM wants bums on seats.”
He smiles. “The seats here are very warm. I just need to put my own new‑generation spin on it.”
The promotion hasn’t just shifted Connor’s career; it’s shifted his life. This role meant leaving home for the first time, establishing himself somewhere completely new, and stepping into full responsibility for a pub that welcomes people from all over the world.
“It was probably the hardest thing to do,” he reflects. “But this is my own pub now. My own space. Somewhere I can put my own creative spin on. That’s what I’m excited for.”
And the site itself has opened him up to an entirely different experience of hospitality.
At the Nightingale, most faces were familiar. A mix of students and locals returning week after week. Here, at The Holly Bush the footfall is a world apart. Commuters from the train station five minutes away, travellers off the bus stop outside, international visitors, new students, and locals passing through.
“I’ve seen it all in these first months,” he says. “The crazy, the lovely. Everything. It’s a completely different ball game.”
Perhaps the most extraordinary part of Connor’s story isn’t his speed of progression, as impressive as it is, it’s the transformation in who he is.
Growing up, he was quiet, introverted, and averse to big social settings, especially around drinkers. Hospitality has changed that completely.
“I’ve just become a lot more social,” he explains. “Creating an environment where people are having a good time, drunk or not, I love it.”
That social confidence, paired with the instincts of someone who understands the next generation of pub‑goers, gives Connor valuable insight and paves the way for success in his new role.
