At around fourteen years old, long before Claridge’s, luxury hotels or operational leadership, Mark Golding was earning pocket money plucking pheasants and partridges for a small restaurant while still at school.
“That was my first real taste of hospitality.”
Soon after came work on the wash-up in a Beefeater pub. From there, he worked his way through the kitchen hierarchy: snack bar, grill, starter chef. A passion for food and people made itself known.
There’s a particular kind of person hospitality draws in. People who thrive on movement, pressure and on the rhythm of service. For Mark Golding, that instinct started early.
It was practical, fast-moving work, and he loved it.
Drawn to the Buzz of Hospitality
For Mark, hospitality was never simply about cooking. It was about atmosphere, energy and experience.
“I love to eat. I like cooking and the buzz of restaurants.”
As a child, he remembers going out with his parents and wanting to try everything on the menu. Curious and adventurous, he found himself naturally drawn to the world of restaurants long before he fully understood it as a career.
School, by his own admission, never fully captured his attention.
“I love to eat. I like cooking and the buzz of restaurants.”
“I was too busy DJing, listening to music, clubbing, socialising, judo: all the bits you shouldn’t be doing when you should be studying!.” But hospitality made sense to him in a way the classroom never quite did. It was immediate, human and practical. And perhaps most importantly he loved that no day is the same.
Mark went on to study professional cookery at Westminster before joining Lloyd’s of London as a commis chef. Later, he returned to complete his Level 3 qualifications while continuing to work.
Alongside his kitchen roles, weekends were spent in large-scale event catering: supporting everything from Ascot and Twickenham to West Ham and The Oval.
Those years gave him an unusually broad education in hospitality, from restaurants to corporate dining, events and understanding the demands of high-volume service. But it also gave him something else: an understanding of the unseen systems that hold hospitality together.
Moving Beyond the Kitchen
A turning point came at Mezzo, where Mark stepped away from cooking and into purchasing and operational management.
What began as a purchasing assistant role quickly expanded into something much larger. He took responsibility for purchasing, cost control, stores and back-of-house operations: overseeing the logistical engine behind one of London’s busiest restaurant environments.
It was here that Mark’s career began to evolve from chef to operator.
Still close to the kitchen, but increasingly focused on standards, structure and people. And it’s an environment in which he thrived in the day to day problem solving and human interaction.
Later, a conversation with Chris Galvin would shape the next chapter of his career. The pair met for coffee opposite what was then still a building site, but would come to be The Wolseley.
Mark joined the opening team, before later supporting further restaurant launches on Regent Street and beyond as Group Back of House Manager.
The role placed him at the centre of some of London’s most respected hospitality operations: overseeing everything from health and safety to purchasing, stock control and operational delivery.
Fourteen Years at Claridge’s
Mark eventually joined the iconic Claridge’s, where he would remain for fourteen years. His role was far reaching, he oversaw food and beverage health and safety, purchasing, glassware, silverware, cutlery, stock control and a team of more than fifty people.
“My job was a lot bigger than Back of House Manager.”
It was hospitality at the highest level: exacting standards, relentless attention to detail and constant operational pressure.
But it was also where Mark first experienced Act-Clean, but from the client side.
When Mark joined Claridge’s, Act-Clean had just taken over the hotel’s night cleaning operations.
“I don’t just send emails! I get involved. And I’ve really enjoyed meeting other Back of House managers, meeting incredible chefs, and also the Housekeepers we work with…. I’m proud of how we work and how we partner with our clients.”
For years, he worked alongside the business from the customer perspective: something that now shapes the way he works with clients himself.
“Because I’ve been on both sides, I can look at things differently.”
That understanding deepened further during Covid, when cleaning operations were brought in-house across the hotel group.
Suddenly, the responsibility sat entirely with internal teams and made him recognise the power of outsourcing such an essential but hard to staff part of the business.
“When the night cleaners don’t turn up, it’s your fault. You’ve got to get it right.”
It gave Mark first-hand insight into the complexity, pressure and importance of operational cleaning in luxury hospitality, particularly when standards cannot slip.
Joining Act-Clean
After years of knowing Gillian, Mark officially joined Act-Clean three years ago. For someone used to being rooted inside a single hotel, the shift brought something new: variety.
“I enjoy the freedom of not being tied down into one building.”
Now, his days move between sites, clients, teams and operational challenges across London hospitality.
Despite moving further into operational leadership, Mark has never lost his connection to hospitality itself. He still notices menus pinned to kitchen walls. Still looks at allergen boards and plated dishes backstage. And still enjoys restaurants from the guest side whenever he can.
“I’m still really interested in everything that goes on in the kitchen.”
He enjoys meeting people, building relationships and supporting teams on the ground, and he prefers to stay close to the reality of the work itself.
“I don’t just send emails! I get involved. And I’ve really enjoyed meeting other Back of House managers, meeting incredible chefs, and also the Housekeepers we work with. It’s been great to build on my knowledge of front of house flooring, furnishings – we work with incredible properties and I’m really proud of how we take care of them. And I’m proud of how we work and how we partner with our clients.”
And that connection matters. Because for Mark, hospitality has never simply been about buildings or brands. It is about people, standards and the countless unseen details that shape a guest experience.
From pot wash to five-star hotels, his career has been built around understanding exactly what those details are and why they matter.
Mark Golding: truly leading your #teamwithintheteam
