About

Coming from a background as general manager at several iconic Auckland bars, Steve set his sights a little higher when he set up shop with Joylab. Steve kicked off in true form, helping Sale St (now Sweat Shop) win best redeveloped bar and best music entertainment venue. Today, he’s proud to be a shareholder of The Elephant Wrestler, Franc's and Regatta.

When he’s not pulling strings at his establishments, Steve can be seen at the baseball field either coaching or playing. If not, he’s probably hanging with the family and cracking jokes to his two awesome kids. If he could, he’d sink a Mount Gay rum with a squeeze of fresh lime with JFK; eager to see what could have been in a world with his continued visionary leadership.

After growing up in Wanaka, where she spent her weekends skiing and tramping, Adele made the move to Auckland in 2016 to study International Hospitality Management & Event Management. The next move for Adele was working her way up in the Hospitality scene. From Waitress, to Duty Manager, to Food & Beverage Manager at The Elephant Wrestler, she is now proudly the Business Leader at Francs at only 25.

When she’s not busy creating the best vibes for customers at Franc’s, you can find her listening to good music in the sun with friends, while sipping on a chilli coconut marg. There are many people she would love to sit around a table with, but if she could, Adele would have a drink with her younger self, just to let her know the future is bright.

Lance has a vast suite of hospitality knowledge tucked away in his noggin, which grew over the space of 30 years in the industry (his knowledge, not his head). From handyman services through to fine dining and directing, he’s a true lance-of-all-trades; but his favourite part is watching the people around him grow and succeed. He believes in his work and his people, opting to become a shareholder of Joylab to have a greater input in the business.

Lance is feeling top-notch when he’s with his friends and whanau, especially if he can wrap his chops around a couple of beers. If that picture could get any better, he’d introduce Bob Marley due to his legendary inspiration.

After starting a small weekend job in a bar, Andy's love for the hospitality industry flourished, and he went on to open and own Coyote Street Bar in Tauranga for four years. A return to Auckland saw Andy working with hospitality industry stalwarts for another 8 years before bringing his rich experience to Joylab at Regatta.

Raised on a dairy farm, you wouldn't expect Andy to have grown up as a free diver, scuba diver and fisherman, but his whole family shared a love for New Zealand’s coastline and every spare weekend was spent in or on the water, which is why Regatta’s seafood themes fit Andy perfectly. Although a keen mixologist, Andy loves a good champagne - the endless pursuit of perfection is too good a ride to pass; unless the opportunity to have a beer with Richard Branson came up.

Mark’s hospitality journey started after studying business, where he worked his way up from dishie to catering for corporates at the 2002-2003 America’s Cup. Mark then took off to Edinburgh and London to open and run his own bars, which were so good that they got snapped up by Fullers. After moving back to New Zealand with his now wife, he found his way into Joylab circles, eventually leading to owning a stake in Sweat Shop - which he proudly claims is the best night out in Auckland on a Friday.

Mark can’t get enough of people smiling, both at work and at home. His own smile can be seen stretching far and wide over a good stout (brewed in-house at Sweat Shop), which can only be beaten should it be had in front of a Foo Fighters concert.

Dave boasts over 20 years of experience in hospitality, joining the Joylab team after spending 10 of those with our joint venture partner, DB Breweries. Since then, he’s become a shareholder and helped open several establishments including Garrison, Mama Loco, and Birdie’s. Not a bad effort, so far.

Dave, like many other leaders at Joylab, loves to see his staff grow and better themselves, especially when that growth comes as a positive surprise. Outside of Joylab, Dave is a keen angler and family man. He’s also partial to a classic Appletons and soda with a slice of fresh lime, which he’d share with Bill Clinton to share stories about improving life for others - even if he isn’t perfect (like Dave is).

Scott opened his first restaurant in Queenstown at the age of 24, then moved on to run bars and restaurants across the world in Australia, Spain and the UK. After successfully clocking the planet, Scott returned to New Zealand where he became a shareholder and helped launch The Postman’s Leg, now a local favourite on the North Shore of Auckland.

Scott loves to see a good transformation, but unlike slapping a wig on in Extreme Makeover he prefers to see people’s confidence soar as they work their way through the rewards of hospitality. Scott also loves his family, and takes quickly to anyone with a quirky sense of humour, which also explains why he’s a Dudley Moore fan. Scott is an avid Tiger beer drinker, and reckons it tastes just as good out of a bottle or can as it does fresh out of the tap.

Jamie comes from over 20 years in hospitality, ten of which were spent running bars in England before moving to New Zealand and starting up with Joylab. Soon after, he was appointed as general manager and is now part owner and operator of Moretons.

Jamie is always on the hunt for developing new, transferable skills that can be used in and out of the workplace with his staff. We’re not sure if fishing is that transferable, but it’s something he likes to do in his spare time. He’s also keen on a cold beer, which he prefers to share with his partner rather than his seven brothers and sisters - it’s just easier (and his partner is a barrel of laughs).

Her last name might also be a first name, but that’s just because Lisa is first in everything. She has managed events at Austins, everything at Kingslander, HR at Millennium Hotels and Resorts, while also holding a Diploma in Early Childhood. Aside from racking up all that experience, Lisa also dabbled in writing policies and even selling Lions tour packages to overseas clients.

At work, Lisa loves a full, pumping venue to manage and a bunch of chuffed grins on the faces of everyone. When the door closes, Lisa might be found with friends and family, travelling, or watching live sports. In fact, she loves a good Sol beer as it reminds her of old road trips with the girls. We wonder if she is ever reminded of the fact that she performed in the Nutcracker as a youngin?

Raman's bachelors degree in India affirmed his love for the hospitality industry with his first job in New Zealand being at Goode Brothers in 2016 as a front of house part-timer. He then worked his way up the management ladder, also earning a post-graduate degree in International Hospitality and Tourism Management from AUT, before taking on the role of Business Leader at Goode Brothers NorthWest.

Raman's favourite part of being a Business Leader is leading a happy team focused on making customers happy, outside of work you can find Raman at the pool table with friends. His favourite drop is a whiskey and coke (for a little kick with a little sweetness), best served over a chat with his dad or his old mentor - great listeners to complement Raman's great chat.

John made strides in hospitality after working his way up the Skytower (literally), from bartender to manager. With his diploma in Hospitality Management in hand, he then took to the seas, where he managed food, beverages and bars on various cruise lines. John’s skills reaped rewards, with a creative streak that saw new wine pairings increase wine sales over 25% (among other achievements).

John is now heading up one of Joylab’s newest establishments, The Gipsy Moth - where his creative prowess will bring a splash of fresh air to the Auckland Airport. John’s affinity for people works wonders, among staff, friends and family alike. He’s partial to an old-fashioned, which he would share among close friends because “you can laugh with them, admit your sins and be fully yourself without any act”. Wise words.

After building a successful career in the corporate world of sales and marketing, a move home from Aussie and an opportunity to reflect helped Clark realise there wasn’t much passion left for putting on a suit and tie. He decided to change lanes and moved into hospitality. Starting at Basalt in the bar, moving around to different venues, learning his trade, and now back where it all began, as Business Leader at Basalt.

Clark loves creating wonderful experiences for customers and supporting his team in reaching their potential. But when he signs out for the day, if he’s not busy supporting the Brisbane Broncos or searching for his next favourite IPA to enjoy… he’s spending time with his wife, enjoying good music, good food, and exploring what’s on offer at different establishments in NZ.

Cutting his teeth in the hospo industry on the viaduct during Rugby World Cup 2011, Rennie has been managing venues for over 10 years before taking the helm at Lula's. Fancying a new challenge when COVID hit, he started studying part-time and is currently completing a Bachelor of Accounting in addition to keeping everything in ship-shape at work. Rennie loves sharing his knowledge and experience with the team and seeing them mature and develop into strong managers themselves, while outside of work he's a big sports fan.

Once Rennie's off the clock, he's a big fan of a well-earned pale ale after a full day's work or a vodka pineapple once the sun sets. If he could share a drink with anyone in the world, it would be his father who lives overseas, who has stories for days, or LeBron James (who he considers the greatest athlete of all time).

Jason could give Jack a run for his money as a man of all trades - spanning across the last 40 years, Jason has been dipping his toe into all pools of the hospitality world at some of New Zealand's most iconic restaurants and across some of the largest world events held in New Zealand, a highlight being the Rugby World Cup 2011. Can we unofficially say that Jason had a hand in winning us the World Cup? Maybe not, but we will anyway - thanks Jason.

Jason sees operating a venue like a rough gem, no matter what angle you look at - it's bound to sparkle and Five Knots has plenty of that! While he always goes the extra mile to make your day, what makes Jason's day is spending time with his lovely partner and son, even watching grass grow would be time well spent with these guys. He's a big New Zealand Pinot Noir fan and wouldn't mind sharing one with Elon Musk - we'll see what we can do Jason.