50 Best appoints four managing directors

50 Best – owned and operated by global media group William Reed – has introduced a new leadership structure designed to support the brand’s continued growth and its evolving role within the global hospitality landscape.

To support this next chapter, 50 Best has appointed four Managing Directors across its core pillars – Events, Content, Brand and Commercial – creating a leadership model that matches the breadth and depth of the brand’s role and impact. This model brings together distinct areas of expertise while enabling shared decision‑making and collaboration across the whole business.

 Each Managing Director will report into William Reed CEO, Tracy De Groose, who will continue to take a hands‑on role in shaping the 50 Best strategy and strengthening its connection to the group’s global capabilities.

Shaped in response to feedback from the sector and a transforming industry landscape, 50 Best has evolved its leadership structure to support its growth and serve its audiences more effectively. The brand will continue to scale and adapt in partnership with the people and organisations it represents, while remaining grounded in the principles of responsibility, integrity and inclusivity.

The MD appointments are:

• Rikki Tidball, an internal appointment with deep experience in global live events and a decade at William Reed, becomes Managing Director, Events. Rikki will bring to life the celebrations of 50 Best’s global and regional lists, ensuring their relevance and independence remain at the heart of the brand.
• Julie McNiff is appointed Managing Director, Brand, drawing on 30 years of senior brand and marketing leadership to build high performing cultures. Julie will deliver clarity and purpose as 50 Best continues to grow in partnership with the communities it serves.
• Lisa Green joins as Managing Director, Content, bringing over 25 years at the forefront of creative, cultural and content innovation. Lisa will connect 50 Best’s foundational lists and events with an engaged and expanding global consumer audience.
• Lorraine Keogh becomes Managing Director, Commercial, bringing over 25 years of media commercial leadership. Lorraine will deepen long‑standing partnerships while forging new relationships to support sustainable growth.

De Groose said: “This new leadership structure will unlock collective industry intelligence from across the group, drawn from the business’ deep understanding of food communities worldwide. As a global business, we will add resources and provide more support to the 50 Best business, connecting the brand and its community more deeply to the global food ecosystem. We remain committed to building a brand with balance, integrity and inclusivity – guided by the voices and values of those who shape hospitality around the world.”

In the past six months, the business has launched North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, integrated The World’s 50 Best Vineyards into the portfolio and announced the forthcoming launch of Europe’s 50 Best Bars in 2026. 50 Best has also renewed its long-standing partnership with S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna and confirmed its first global partnership across all verticals with SevenRooms, a Doordash company.

The implementation of the new structure will see Craig Hawtin‑Butcher, Managing Director of 50 Best, depart from the business. Craig contributed to securing these partnerships and helped establish the foundations for this next phase of growth.

Profiles

Rikki Tidball – Managing Director, Events

Rikki Tidball has been appointed Managing Director, Events, bringing extensive experience across live events and international travel. She has worked with brands including Virgin Atlantic and Centaur Media, before spending more than a decade at William Reed, where she held senior roles across Restaurant Magazine, The Morning Advertiser and MCA. Since joining 50 Best, Rikki has played a central role in the growth and delivery of its international events portfolio, overseeing complex global programmes, major launches and live awards ceremonies worldwide. Known for her steady leadership style, Rikki brings clarity, continuity and emotional intelligence to high-stakes projects, and is recognised for leading from the front while creating the conditions for teams to perform at their best during periods of growth and change.

Julie McNiff – Managing Director, Brand

Julie McNiff steps into the role of Managing Director, Brand, bringing three decades of senior brand and marketing leadership across global agencies and major international brands including British Airways, Orange Mobile and Virgin Group. Whilst at McCann Worldgroup Julie played a pivotal role in advancing Mastercard’s global Priceless brand, leading major sponsorship activations across The BRITs, the UEFA Champions League and the Ryder Cup. She also spearheaded the launch of Mastercard’s first consumer loyalty initiative, the Priceless Cities cultural platform, scaling it across three global hubs and deepening cardholder engagement. Most recently, she led marketing and brand for the music and arts charity Britten Pears Arts, where she combined commercial discipline with purpose driven strategy to strengthen impact and reputation. Known for her dynamic, commercially minded and collaborative leadership, Julie builds high performing cultures and creates enduring brand affection.

Lisa Green – Managing Director, Content

Lisa Green joins as Managing Director, Content, bringing more than 25 years’ experience across content, brand and creative leadership, having worked at the intersection of media, culture and storytelling throughout her career. In 2001, she co-founded 4creative, Channel 4’s first-of-its-kind in-house creative agency, helping to shape the broadcaster’s distinctive identity, which continues to produce iconic campaigns more than 20 years on. Since 2020, Lisa has consulted for a range of brands, creative agencies, studios and production companies, including ITV Creative and most recently M+C Saatchi, where she led a global creative production project, further strengthening her expertise in delivering large-scale, high-impact content.

Lorraine Keogh – Managing Director, Commercial (commencing 23 February 2026)

Lorraine Keogh brings over 25 years of commercial experience in media, with a proven track record of driving growth, innovation and long term client value. Most recently, Lorraine was Chief Client Officer at The Standard, leading the strategic transformation of the Evening Standard towards a digital leading business and launching The London Standard. Lorraine previously worked for Daily Mail Group, The Independent, The I and Classic FM. Renowned for her client-centric approach, Lorraine has a strong history of developing deep brand relationships, driving long term commercial partnerships and launching purpose led initiatives. She is deeply passionate about mentorship, leadership and talent development.