Solotel CEO Justine Baker reflects on her new role

Justine Baker, who became Solotel CEO in December, is very much aware of the challenges ahead.

Baker’s appointment came with the merger of the Solotel and MorSol businesses in 2016.

Baker had been the hospitality group’s chief operating officer for four years.

But with the merger, the company had suddenly become a lot bigger and the director Bruce Solomon and Matt Moran, along with Baker, decided the structure had to change to keep Solotel growing.

“It’s a much bigger business now, we’re running 32 venues with 2000 people,” Baker told The Shout.

“We’ve actually moved into a fairly sizeable family business, instead of where we were before the merger, where we very much looked at ourselves as being a hospitality family business.

“It was understanding that the reality is now we’re fairly large and we need to act with a bit of governance around that.”

It is a big change because Bruce Solomon, who founded the business 30 years ago with the opening of the Paddington Inn, had always worked as the CEO.

But Baker says he will continue to be involved in the group’s growth.

“He’s still very much involved, he just moves to more of a strategic role. That was very much one of the drivers, enabling the family to really move to the strategic role that they wanted to be in. Bruce is still very linked to our customers as well, and Matt is seen within our venues every week. So it’s a move to recognise the size of our group and where we want to go – and have someone look after that everyday,” Baker told The Shout.

She says she is proud to be a female leading a company as big as Solotel.

“I think it’s a fantastic thing, but I also think it’s pretty normal for me. We’re a big supporter of women in leadership. We do a lot of programs both internally and are a big supporter of the WOHO movement as well.”