Merivale has announced the appointment of Debbie Higgins as group general manager – events.

Debbie joins Merivale after four years as head of hospitality at the prestigious Chelsea Football Club in Stamford Bridge (UK), where she held commercial responsibility for match-day and non-match day events across the site. This involved working closely across the business to drive revenue and improve client retention, build online commercial revenue streams and oversee hospitality sales whilst working closely with both the sales and marketing teams to deliver strategised success.

Debbie has held senior management roles across the events hospitality industry including assistant head of department, food and beverage for Hilton Hotel London Metropole and corporate hospitality manager of suites for The O2 Arena since its launch in 2007. Here she was instrumental in the recruitment and management of suite and special event management teams, overseeing the complete customer experience whilst building revenue across all events and bar sales figures.

Debbie Higgins said, “I am thrilled to be involved in the magic that is Merivale. After being in London for nearly 11 years, it was time for me to return to the sunny shores of Australia and have the pleasure of joining Merivale. The group’s business culture and strong desire to be the world’s best was inspiring and something I could not wait to be a part of.”

Merivale director of sales and events, Kathy Savill said, “We are delighted to welcome Debbie to the Merivale team. Boasting an impressive events career spanning over ten years, Debbie brings a wealth of expertise and experience and is already a high valued asset within our business”.