Tue 13th Jun 2017 - BII reveals 2017 Licensee of the Year winner BII reveals 2017 Licensee of the Year winner: Mark Higgs, a Hook Norton Brewery tenant who runs The Castle in the village of Edgehill in Warwickshire, has won the 2017 British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Licensee of the Year award. The accolade recognises the country’s top-performing licensee with a passion for the trade and is regarded as the industry’s most coveted award. Higgs fought his way through the previous three rounds of the competition to wow the judges at the final judging after displaying excellent knowledge and experience in three different areas – business development, people and training, and financial awareness. Higgs picked up his award in front of a packed audience at the BII summer event at the HAC in the City of London today (Tuesday, 13 June). He said: “Winning Licensee of the Year will help give me a platform to champion this great sector. I feel so proud to be an ambassador for the BII in an industry I absolutely love.” Sky Business managing director David Rey said: “Huge congratulations to Mark Higgs in winning the Licensee of the Year award. Sky is delighted to sponsor this award and play a part in recognising the individuals that have achieved so much in the industry.” BII chief executive Mike Clist added: “I’d like to offer massive congratulations to Mark and his team at The Castle at Edgehill on behalf of myself and everyone here at the BII. This is a tough competition to win but Mark’s dedication and passion shone through to the judges and I am sure he will be an excellent ambassador for this great industry of ours. I’d also like to congratulate our other finalists for getting this far and being such brilliant candidates – it really was a tough decision.” As the winner, Higgs will receive a European study trip to Amsterdam, a year’s free subscription to Sky Sports, honorary lifetime membership of the BII, a year’s free PR support and a “party in the pub” to help locals celebrate his success.