Siobhan Edwards is marking 20 years with Lisini Pub Company at a time when the Lanarkshire family business is enjoying one of its strongest periods, with fresh industry recognition underlining the group’s reputation as an employer as well as an operator. Edwards, who first joined the firm as a kitchen porter at 13, now leads the company as chief executive, continuing the legacy started by her parents, Kathleen and Harry Hood, who founded the business in 1969.

Her rise to the top has been closely tied to the family ethos that still defines Lisini. Working alongside her brother Nicholas Hood and cousin Grant Hood, Edwards took over as chief executive in July 2025 and has steered the company through a difficult trading backdrop for hospitality. The business, which employs more than 300 people, has sought to preserve a culture built on service, quality, staff welfare and community ties, even as it adapts to the pressures facing the sector.

That approach has been reflected in external recognition. According to The Sunday Times, Lisini was included in its Best Places to Work 2026 list, one of just five Scottish organisations named in the Best Big Places to Work category. The accolade came alongside figures showing that 22% of the workforce has been with the company for more than a decade, while employee engagement reached 75% and confidence in management stood at 74%, far above the hospitality sector average of 38%. The company has also been awarded the Wellness Charter by Hospitality Health and picked up honours at the Best Bar None Awards, including recognition for Angels Hotel in Uddingston.

Edwards said the anniversary felt remarkably swift. "Twenty years has gone by incredibly quickly. I started out as a kitchen porter when I was just a teenager because my parents believed it was important for us to understand every aspect of the business from the ground up, even at an early age." She added that Lisini’s strength had always been its people, while Heather Crawford, the company’s head of HR, said the recognition reflected a workplace culture in which colleagues felt valued, supported and able to grow.

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