CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

JEREMY COURMADIAS

Jeremy Courmadias lives and breathes restaurants. With a career spanning over 25 years in the industry, Jeremy has delivered excellence in hospitality at some of Australia and the UK’s most highly regarded restaurants. From Jacques Reymond in Melbourne to Le Caprice in London, Jeremy has led prestigious teams with seamless, polished service, and extraordinary guest experiences at the core.

In early 2009, Jeremy’s steadfast reputation as one of London’s service greats led him home to Australia to join the Rockpool Group. Under the leadership of Neil Perry and Trish Richards, Jeremy held the reigns for close to a decade as General Manager of several Rockpool restaurants, including Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple, and Eleven Bridge.

Jeremy joined Fink as Group General Manager in December 2017. In his role as GM, and now as Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy oversees all Fink brands, restaurants, and Head Office. Focused on building a culture of professionalism, empowerment, support, and excellence, as well as rolling out group-wide systems to streamline efficiencies and increase productivity, Jeremy endeavours to unite the Fink brands to collaborate, create and think collectively, all while maintaining each brand’s own identity.

At Fink, it is Jeremy’s mission to build the Fink profile as both a stamp of quality, and a world leader in hospitality. Fundamentally, it is the people, both guests and staff alike, coupled with building strong culture, that drive him every day.

GROUP WINE DIRECTOR

AMANDA YALLOP

A Len Evans Tutorial Scholar in 2013, arguably the world’s finest wine school, and an alumnus of AWAC 33, the Advanced Wine Assessment Course through The Australian Wine Research Institute. Amanda is a judge at many Australian local, state, and national wine competitions, Decanter UK Wine Awards, and a judge for the annual Ruinart Challenge for Australian participants. Named Gault & Millau Sommelier of the Year 2016, Dame Chevalier, L’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne and Dame Chevalier, La Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (Burgundy, France). Holding a WSET Diploma for Wine & Spirit Education Trust and a student in the prestigious Master of Wine program.

Amanda fell in love with wine when living in the UK during the 1990s, the sudden array of choice being too compelling to ignore. Born and bred in Australia, she had been well and truly bitten by the wine bug overseas but began her formal study in Sydney in 2000 when she returned home. Amanda has been a valued staff member for Fink since 2006, working her way from Line Sommelier at Quay to Wine Director across the group.

Visiting wine regions around the world is one of Amanda’s favourite pastimes with Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Germany ticked off and plenty more regions and countries on her wish list. She is always looking forward to the next wine to cross her path.

Amanda’s mantra is please drink better, please drink less, and please support local.

HEAD OF OPERATIONS

GRAHAM ACKLING

Graham Ackling is the Head of Operations at Fink, managing Human Relations and guiding the General Managers to success with the insight gained from his years of experience in fine dining.

Starting out with a background in finance, Graham searched for a new challenge and the launch of his hospitality career quickly saw him appointed to senior management at some of Sydney, London, and Auckland’s most prestigious restaurants. Returning to Sydney in 2003, Graham began working at Fink’s OTTO Ristorante as a Senior Waiter and Maitre’d, and in 2005 he was appointed to the position of Restaurant Manager.

In 2015, when Fink opened its first interstate restaurant in Queensland, OTTO Brisbane, Graham assumed the role of General Manager of both OTTO Sydney and OTTO Brisbane, ensuring their parallel success, and in 2022, Graham stepped into the role of Head of Operations at Fink Head Office, where he continues to lead the growing stable of Fink venues to greater heights.

HEAD OF RESERVATIONS, EVENTS, AND RELATIONSHIPS

SARAH BARKER

Sarah Barker is Head of Reservations, Events, and Relationships at Fink, where her role encompasses managing the Reservations and Events teams, alongside maintaining the relationships of longstanding guests of Fink and ensuring that they continually turn to our venues for exceptional dining experiences.

Sarah has a strong background in hospitality; born to publican parents, the family switched to owning cafés and restaurants where Sarah worked while studying marketing and hospitality management at university. For over a decade in Sydney, Sarah worked for corporate catering companies, earning her way to management roles, before moving to Fink as Head Office, and our Events teams, became centralised.

Sarah became Fink’s first Group Event Manager in 2016, and in late 2017 she took on HR responsibilities in the role of Guest and Staff Relations Manager. Now, as Head of Reservations, Events, and Relationships, Sarah loves connecting and working with Fink’s fantastic cohort of staff, including the chefs, back and front of house teams, and Head Office staff, as well as all the wonderful guests that visit our restaurants.

HEAD OF CREATIVE

ELIZABETH HEWSON

With her passion for good food, wine, and the personalities and stories behind our venues, Elizabeth Hewson is Fink’s dynamic Head of Creative. Lizzie, as she is affectionately known, maintains the creative direction of each Fink venue, and of Fink as a whole, through the implementation of innovative and strategic campaigns across our existing brand portfolio, new projects, and talent development. Her career has spanned brand and client management, PR, and extensive content creation, including the authoring and publication of two of her own cookbooks.

Lizzie began working with Fink in 2009 as part of the external PR team before completing her Masters in Food Culture and Communication in Italy. Upon her return home in early 2015, she moved in-house to Fink to work on the opening of Firedoor, followed closely by Bennelong.

Lizzie works closely with Fink’s stable of chefs and staff to build the brands of the venues and individuals on both a local and international stage. Her campaigns have included the 2019’s winter dining campaign The Big Night Out, the 2020 launch of Chef’s Table: BBQ with Firedoor’s Lennox Hastie, 2021’s content campaign celebrating Fink restaurants, Hello, Dining!, and, perhaps her favourite campaign, Quay’s Farewell to the Snow Egg in 2018, turning the already-famous dessert into an eternal Australian icon. In 2022, Lizzie and her team brought new a brand to life with Lennox Hastie’s Basque-inspired wine bar, Gildas. Lizzie is currently on maternity leave.