Born in Kandy, Sri Lanka, Des and his family moved to London, where he grew up and gained his education, after which he entered the world of finance, before he met Sir Terence Conran in 1991. Their partnership transformed Conran Holdings into a global restaurant, retail, hotel and design group with annual revenues of circa £150m.
In 2006, Des led a private equity-backed buyout of Conran Restaurants, which he evolved into D&D London, the luxury restaurant group that has opened some of the UK’s most successful and iconic restaurants, including German Gymnasium, 14 Hills, and 20 Stories. D&D London expanded into other UK cities and overseas, opening Queensyard in New York. D&D also opened the luxury boutique South Place Hotel in the City.
After leading D&D London for 16 years, Des, in 2023, announced his new venture, D3 Collective. D3 is a collection of individual restaurants collaborating with different investors, chefs and restaurateurs.
Des has won multiple awards over the years, including the UK Group Restaurateur of the Year award in 2020. He has also been listed as one of the Evening Standard’s Top 1000 most influential Londoners for several years. In 2018, Des was shortlisted for EY’s London Entrepreneur of the Year. Des was also, for many years, a non-executive director of London First and Fulham Shore Plc.
Hailing from Korea, Kim began his journey in hospitality at Woosong Information College, where he studied Tourist Business Management, followed by the London Hotel School. After completing his studies, Kim gained a position at the esteemed Savoy Grill with Marcus Wareing before joining D&D London as restaurant and operations manager in 2007.
Over his career spanning more than two decades, Kim has honed his leadership skills, successfully managing teams of up to 180 employees and overseeing the opening and operations of numerous restaurants.
Born in Gwangju, head chef Dana Choi’s passion for her home country’s cuisine was apparent from a young age. Her journey began studying Korean royal cuisine before moving to London where she worked at the two Michelin-starred restaurant The Square, under Phil Howard, as well as Jinjuu Soho with Korean chef Judy Joo.
Leading the front-of-house team at Engel & Jang is Jose, General Manager of both Jang and sister bar Engel. Jose has seen it all, from mastering the art of mixology, to moving into a managerial role across a range of high-profile restaurants throughout London during his 14 years’ experience at D&D London.
Massimiliano (Max) Deiana has been leading pre-opening plans for Olympia’s Pillar Hall since March 2025, while also serving as Manager, Engel and Jang. With nearly a decade of experience at D&D London, including General Manager roles at Le Pont de la Tour and 14 Hills, he brings strong leadership and extensive operational expertise to the Pillar Hall team. Max also has extensive hotel experience including spells at the Dorchester and more recently as Director of Food and Beverage at The Doyle Collection.
Lorena Tommasi is currently the Head Pastry Chef at Engel and Jang. Her recent experience includes launching The Park for Jeremy King, a number of roles at Caprice, including at Annabel’s, The George Club, and also leading the pastry team at Claude Bosi’s Josephine.
Samantha Williams trained at the Hotel & Catering School in Granger Bay before relocating to the UK in 1999. In 2012, she joined Smart Hospitality as part of the team delivering catering for the London Olympic Games, overseeing hot food operations for official hospitality chalets representing major global sponsors. She later joined Angela Hartnett OBE at the Michelin-starred Murano, where she worked as Sous Chef and played a key role in the development and launch of Café Murano St James, opening as Head Chef to critical acclaim. Café Murano went on to receive multiple national accolades, and Samantha progressed to Executive and Group Executive Chef roles, overseeing several sites including Murano. In December 2023, she joined JK Restaurants as Executive Chef for The Park.