Like many other publicans, working in pubs started as a casual thing for Kayla Seeney, before becoming a long-term career move. What’s different is that her entire career so far has played out at Camden Valley Inn, owned by Lewis Leisure.
Thirteen years ago, Seeney took a on a few shifts as a waitress to help out the functions team with weddings while she was studying. Those shifts became a permanent thing, with Seeney joining the staff, first in front-of-house then quickly rising to duty manager, operations manager, and functions manager. In 2017, she took on the general manager role at the age of 27, and has led the way at Camden Valley Inn ever since.
Seeney says the experience of having worked many roles within Camden Valley Inn has shaped her as the venue’s publican.
“All these different experiences – particularly the tough ones – shape you as a hotelier. You take the biggest lessons from them. Being exposed to so many departments – even accommodation – you learn so much, and I think it also shapes you as a human being as well.”
Having risen through the ranks, and ushered Camden Valley Inn to multiple AHA award wins, not to mention several Publican of the Year nominations at the ALIAs for herself, it would be easy to envision a scenario where Seeney rises through the ranks at larger, more corporate pub entities. But what has kept her at CVI, as it’s colloquially known, is a deep sense of history and community.
On the outskirts of Sydney, the site started out as a milk bar that serviced the dairy needs of locals in 1939, before the owners acquired a tavern licence in 1989. Lewis Leisure has operated the pub since 2008.
“I love this place, it’s just so rich in history. The fact that I can be a small part of it, I’m very privileged.
“I love interacting with the customers and hearing some very fun stories about their ties to this place. They’ll say ‘My mum’s mum got married here’, or something like that. It’s a privilege that we can be a part of that,” explains the GM.
People and place
Having taken on the GM role at 27, Seeney said the combination of her youth and gender made her an atypical publican at the time.
“It is a male-dominated industry, especially at this level. But I think at the time [of her appointment to GM], it was really my age that people questioned. To have a young female opening such a big pub, you have challenges, but I see them as positive. They’re opportunities to show your worth and your skills, right?”
In her eight years as GM, Seeney has achieved a lot, including helping execute a massive $15m transformation of Camden Valley Inn, that saw all but two heritage-listed properties at the front of the site torn down and rebuilt.
“Starting the whole place from scratch, and, you know, being a big player in that, obviously, that’s a big achievement,” admits Seeney.
Having cemented CVI 2.0 as the place to be within the Camden and Macarthur communities, Seeney and her team set their sights further afield in the last few years, creating twice yearly whole-venue activations that have brought day-trippers and tourists to the pub. The activations encompass large-scale decorations, themed F&B specials and ticketed events. Christmas is one of the activations every year, with the other one changing up with themes like Wizard of Oz and Candyland.
These activations have accomplished their goal, bringing in people from all over the state. It’s been a win not just for the pub, but for the local community as well.
“It’s definitely created a lot of exposure. And it’s also good for the region and an area, right? It’s putting Camden and Macarthur and the map for visitors as well.”
While all great accomplishments, Seeney believes her best achievement is ushering through the staff of the venue – whether they stay on like her, or move on to different phases of their careers.
“The staff here are so good. I’ve made some friends for life here, but then I’ve also got staff that work here through uni and they move on, and if I’m able to have taught them something that they can take with them for the rest of their life, then that’s a win.”
At only 35 and so accomplished, Seeney could rest on her laurels, but she is already looking ahead to what’s next for Camden Valley Inn.
“How can we keep building on this? As a company Lewis Leisure is always looking at what’s next, what can we do? So I’m always having discussions of what can we change, and what can we do better, or what could we offer? Which is always a good and exciting space to be in.”
Sustainability focus
Sustainability is a major focus for both Camden Valley Inn, and their supplier partner Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP). At CVI, the team has introduced 15kW of solar panels, as well as 120,000 captured rainwater storage across the 2-hectare site. It also uses low-voltage systems to minimise the venue’s energy usage.
As part of its sustainability initiatives, CCEP has announced a five-year partnership with Landcare Australia to protect and preserve Australian biodiversity and sustainable ecosystems.
The agreement includes a revegetation program across CCEP sites nationwide, with around 55,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses to be planted across 55 hectares of land.
Scott Edwards, Sustainability Lead – Australia at CCEP, said: “We’re committed to taking meaningful action where we know we can make a significant difference – especially at our sites.
“By working together with Landcare Australia’s experts in revegetation projects, we can improve the biodiversity of the land on which we operate, help restore local ecosystems and make a positive impact on the environment for generations to come.”
The Pub Leaders Profile series is brought to you by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.