Elsa Hefes was born in France. Her father was a Jewish refugee who fled by boat to France from Egypt in 1956 with his family, when 80,000 Jews were expelled from the country during the nationalisation of the Suez Canal.

Growing up in a very multicultural household with Egyptian, Greek, Italian, French, Christian and Jewish family all mixed together, Elsa always felt a need to work in a world where as many nationalities and faiths would mix, hospitality being the perfect setting.

Having worked from the fanciest dining rooms of New York City to the hottest kitchens in Australia and run hospitality businesses of her own in the UK, she found that the people who have most enriched her life have been those who have come from far and wide.

The refugee cause is one that is very close to her heart, and her aim is to get as many refugees into employment as possible, especially from within the hospitality industry.

I am incredibly honoured to be the first Ambassador to the Refugee Council. I have been lucky enough to work with charities in refugee camps in Lesvos, Greece, as well as seeing first hand the work refugee charities did with Ukrainian refugees in the UK since 2021, but no charity has a reach that is quite as impactful as the Refugee Council.

I believe that by partnering with them on their employment scheme, we can ensure that so many more people can get themselves into work and have a thriving, successful life in the UK.

My various roles working in hospitality have all been about welcoming people into our establishments, and my mission is to extend this welcome to all refugees fleeing their homes, whatever their reason may be.