Chloe Jackson
Oceandiva arriving in London
Smart Group managing director Chloe Jackson discusses her career journey, being a female leader, and how sustainability is the future of the hospitality industry
This autumn, a revolutionary new event venue will make its maiden voyage down London’s waterways. Longer than a jumbo jet and sizable enough to host entire conferences, the carbon neutral vessel, called OceanDiva London, has been dubbed a ‘Sustainable Megaboat’, and aims to lead the way to a net zero future for the events industry.
The culmination of six years-worth of planning, and a £25m budget, the first C02 neutral events and hospitality venue on the River Thames is the brainchild of OceanDiva, a Dutch events company and the leading hospitality, catering, venue and event management company, The Smart Group. “We’re focused on reducing consumption across three key areas: energy, travel and food waste,” says The Smart Group’s managing director Chloe Jackson. “It’s amazing that it’s actually happening!”
Sustainability is a passion for Jackson, and for her, the biggest trend in the hospitality industry, as it blossoms from the restrictions of the pandemic. As she says, “It’s incredibly important, and it’s absolutely flowing through hospitality at the moment.” And OceanDiva London is certainly something of a career highlight for her so far. Yet this ambassador for carbon neutrality nearly ended up in a different sphere altogether.
“I went to the university of Bristol and did a history degree with the plan of doing a law conversion and eventually becoming a lawyer,” she tells us. And in fact, if it wasn’t for being involved with a student-run project while there, Chloe Jackson’s career trajectory might have been very different.
A RISING STAR
“While I was at Bristol, I became involved with a project called Fuze, which is England’s largest fashion, dance and music show for charity.” Organising a show for 2,000 people over three nights left Chloe fired with enthusiasm. “I suddenly thought, ‘This is really fun, it’s deliverable’ and I found myself caring a lot more about planning events than going into law,” she says.
After a gap year in Zambia, Chloe took up a role with Ampersand Events, under the umbrella of catering and hospitality company CH&CO. “I was incredibly fortunate that at 21 I was given the opportunity to join a new brand who were making waves in the catering world and rapidly getting listed at iconic venues such as The Natural History Museum and Kensington Palace.”
And by 2014, she was nominated for – and subsequently won – the Rising Star award at the prestigious Event Awards. It was here she first crossed paths with Smart Group CEO, Greg Lawson. “I was incredibly nervous doing my presentation to the panel of some of the best names in the industry,” she recalls. “Afterwards, Greg looked at me and said: ‘You are going to work for me’.”
Flattered – but not particularly interested in moving – Chloe was approached by the sales director of Moving Venue, a competitor of Ampersand who, unbeknown to her, were about to be bought out by the Smart Group. “In short, I was offered a job with Moving Venue, and then Greg bought the company, so he got his wish!” she laughs.
Coming on board as senior event manager Chloe swiftly moved up the ranks until, last year, she was promoted to managing director – a meteoric rise. Throughout, Greg has championed her. “As a person, as a leader, Greg is so energetic and constantly pushes you to do better. To him, age is just a number, your gender entirely irrelevant – he just wants the best people to be in the best positions.”
SUPPORTIVE FAMILY
Chloe hates the term ‘imposter syndrome’ but admits it’s something she has struggled with. “When you meet people, they sometimes do a double take and think I’ve introduced myself as the PA to the MD. “It’s frustrating that it should even be in people’s minds, but you hear things such as: ‘Ooh what’s she done to get where she is?’
“Greg does very well in squashing that sort of thing – not just for me, but for anyone else in the team. He runs a meritocracy within the group and his point is that you get to where you are because of what you’ve delivered. “I remember him saying: ‘Boris Becker won Wimbledon at the age of 21 because he was the best tennis player in the world not because of his age’. I’m very lucky to work with someone like that.”
Chloe describes the Smart Group as “a family… when you’re supported by your manager and team you always want to go above and beyond because you know they have your back,” and they supported her during her miscarriage. Later, she had a daughter (now 20 months old) born with a rare genetic condition.
“During the same meeting in which I announced my first pregnancy, Greg informed me he wanted to promote me. I really thought having a baby might stunt my career growth, which is a terrible thing to think for any woman,” she says. “Similarly, I’d heard stories of women who found it incredibly difficult to come back from maternity leave, and Greg was great when after the first few months of mine, I decided I wanted to take longer. You can have a work-life balance if you have a company which supports you.”
STATE-OF-ART
Essentially, she says, gender and pay equality and sustainability are actually interrelated. “In the past we’ve had clients who’ve said ‘Can you tell us a little bit about your sustainability policies?’, but now we’re getting lengthy documents asking how we can be carbon neutral, if we can track carbon emissions for an event. High-end corporates and luxury brands are saying they want fully vegan menus. This shows a complete transformation.”
Chloe hopes that OceanDiva London will further lead the way in sustainable hospitality, with its electric charging points along the river (which previously lacked this infrastructure), and the capability to determine where carbon emission reductions can be made across the lifespan of each event held onboard. Shipping, after all, is a big polluter: according to a 2019 Financial Times report, the ships used by Carnival Cruises are more polluting than all of Europe’s cars.
Boasting state-of-the-art marine technology, the three-deck boat also features noise-reducing electric engines, and superior soundproofing, and can accommodate 1,000 guests. “It’s powered by 100% renewable energy,” she affirms, and is further supported by a backup biofuel generator for longer excursions. Everything has been accounted for: “Being responsible for both the operations and catering of the boat has enabled us to spec the kitchen to be as energy efficient as possible,” she says. “The ovens, for instance [are] 30% more efficient than standard models.” It’s all part of the Smart Group’s goal of achieving net zero by 2030, along with their inhouse caterer, Moving Venue.
“We’re counting down the days [towards the launch], which is really exciting!” says Chloe. Like OceanDiva itself, as a woman, a mum, and a businesswoman, she’s clearly a force to be reckoned with.