Phoebe Vela-Hitchcox
The Cotswolds’ hotelier talks why nature helps spark business creativity, being mentored by Andrew Neil and why it’s all about “bringing people together”.
Phoebe Vela-Hitchcox is the managing director of The Lakes by Yoo in the Cotswolds. If looking after the 850-acre estate of private properties and holiday homes wasn’t enough, she also keeps busy with her board and trustee positions at the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) charity and the Chickenshed theatre company.
Managing The Lakes by Yoo is the latest chapter of Vela-Hitchcox’s 30-year-long career which has also included working for PR firm Bell Pottinger, Press Holdings (publishers of the Daily Telegraph and The Spectator), as well as in conference/events management for the Financial Times and Informa.
I love bringing people together. I studied a law degree, but soon realised it wasn’t for me because I’m more of a networker and social person. Since then, whether in my commercial, professional, personal or philanthropic lives, connecting people has been at the heart of everything I’ve done.
Forging connections between people is one of the reasons I love working at The Lakes by Yoo. Alongside our private properties and rental residences, I’ve also developed a corporate events business with a 70-room hotel and three events buildings. We host corporate team-building retreats which have become popular in recent years.
Putting senior execs in nature can have a galvanising effect on them. When we have brands such as Lotus or BMW doing events at the Lakes by Yoo, we often see people shun drinking wine at night because they’re so keen to wake up for activities such as early-morning yoga… [Being in nature] not only helps them relax, but also focuses their mission, helping them fix problems or build products.
Building a community of like-minded people was part of the vision my husband [property tycoon, John Hitchcox] had when arriving on the Lake by Yoo site 25 years ago. Back then it was a brownfield site with gravel pits, but he had a dream of creating a community where families can relax, recharge and exercise. I’m pleased to say he’s achieved this.
If your business is struggling, try to diversify with the assets you’ve got. When I worked at Press Holdings, print was declining and it was difficult to make much money from advertising. I encouraged them to use the speakers and content we had to start organising interactive debates, which became [live debates company] Intelligence Squared.
I owe my entire career to [journalist/broadcaster] Andrew Neil. He’s my best friend and mentor. He even gave me away at my wedding. I began working with Andrew as his right-hand person at [financial newspaper] Sunday Business in 2003. He’s always two steps ahead: he’s got an encyclopaedic brain, is a workaholic and hardly sleeps… I have such an affection for him. Talking about him makes me well up…
One of the first lessons I learned from Andrew was about writing. If you’re composing an email or sending a text, always write the message as if it could be published. Make sure it’s factually correct before you write it, because you could be quoted on it later. Your word is always your bond.
I used to pinch myself, thinking ‘Why am I with all these extraordinary intellectual people?’ However, I soon learned that I don’t have imposter syndrome: fortunately, I find it easy to be down-to-earth and natural, which I think helps relax others too.
I’m delighted smartphones weren’t part of my childhood. Otherwise, I’d be a very different person today: I don’t know how I would learn how to communicate, or be as relaxed as I am now. For young people/children, smartphones can create cyberbullying, body dysmorphia and anxiety. Many of the mental health issues children are currently having is because they aren’t doing what kids should be doing: going out in nature, being creative and learning. It’s really sad.
Today, kids as young as eight-years-old are being prescribed a mild version of Prozac, which can be addictive. As part of my work as founding trustee at National Academy of Social Prescribing [NASP; a charity which helps tackle loneliness and isolation through ‘social prescribing’ such as connecting people to join befriending groups such as classes, or services that help manage debt/claiming benefits], we work with government departments to help re-educate GPs to encourage social connection as a means of happiness rather than just pharmaceutical-based solutions.
Being a trustee and sitting on charity boards is hugely rewarding. At Chickenshed for example, we represent a theatre that gives the opportunity to children from disadvantaged background or disabilities who have a passion for the performing arts. It’s just lovely seeing kids being on stage and realising their dreams.
What makes a successful leader? Having worked with previous prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, I’ve realised it’s important to lead by example. Successful leaders tend to have a belief or message and stick to this vision, which makes others believe in them too.
Never stop asking questions. It’s always the best way to learn.
Find out more about The Lakes by Yoo