Ian Milford

If you’re looking for hospitality experience, Ian has it. He started with years of training and hands-on experience as a chef in some of Vancouver’s finest restaurants. Ian then moved outside the kitchen to act as a Purchaser for major hotel expansions, and to work in Banquets, Catering and Food & Beverage Management positions for some of Vancouver’s leading hotel properties. In addition, he has been an Account Manager serving hotel and restaurant clients across Canada, as well as bakery and pastry clients in the US.

Starting as a busboy in a trendy Vancouver restaurant, Ian’s interest in the culinary arts led him through a four-year apprenticeship program to give him his Red Seal in 1987. He built on that training in several fine restaurants and hotels, including Umberto’s Ristorante, the Wedgewood Hotel, Pacific Palisades Hotel, and Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts. From there, his hands-on Hospitality operations career took him through roles in Purchasing, Banquets, Catering Sales, In Room Dining, and Food and Beverage Management.

In 1995 Ian joined W.H. Puddifoot Ltd. to act as an Account Manager supplying china, flatware and stemware to many of Canada’s leading restaurants and hotels. From there, he moved to JRS Amenities Ltd. He spent the next two years travelling throughout North America and Asia while promoting hotel amenity packages like AVEDA, Garden Botanika and Deserving Thyme.

After a turn as the top Account Manager with a BC-based firm that manufactures equipment for the baking and pastry industry, Ian rejoined the sales team at W. H. Puddifoot to build robust and long-term relationships with Canada’s leading hotel chains.

In 2005 Ian combined his broad, hands-on knowledge of the Hospitality industry with his natural people skills to join Rob Fisher and Jackie Ross in founding JRoss Hospitality Recruiters.

Ian lives on the Sunshine Coast of BC, on the unceded territory of the shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations.