The Founding of Green & Fortune
A leader in hospitality and an award-winning property developer are introduced by business acquaintances. What follows is a partnership that would invigorate London’s cultural scene for good.
It feels almost fateful that John Nugent, Former CEO of Searcys, and Peter Millican OBE, Chairman of Parabola, would create Green & Fortune. Both had dedicated their lives to hospitality and property development, respectively. Both had experience working with high-profile cultural centres and with philanthropic arts programmes. And both knew that together, they could create even more exceptional places for Londoners and visitors alike to enjoy.
This led to a life-defining moment for them both in 2008, when, just ten days before the global recession, founders John and Peter opened the doors to Kings Place — a building that would become home to concerts, corporate businesses, restaurants, cafés, private dining, bars, events, and more. It was the first building of its kind in an area that was persona non grata for corporate and public footfall.
Some would say creating a cultural hub in what was then considered a seedy ex-industrial estate would be a crazy move. But for John and Peter, it looked far more like an opportunity to rewrite the story of a capital city’s main artery than anything else.
This bravery and vision helped spark the redevelopment of King’s Cross and began the now-thriving legacy of Green & Fortune as a key name in quality hospitality.
In the 17+ years that Green & Fortune has been operating, John, Peter, and a team of passionate and experienced hospitality experts have grown the business to operate across five iconic London locations. From the historic and grand Central Hall Westminster to the sleek Sea Containers and Rose Court, the newly opened One Southwark Bridge and the original venture and ‘home of G&F’ Kings Place, creating places with purpose has remained foundational to every venue..
“Business isn’t just about the bottom right-hand column of a spreadsheet.”
John and Peter’s values are woven throughout the business. Kings Place was created in partnership with the arts charity the Kings Place Music Foundation. Peter’s family farm in Northumberland supplies the meat to the venue’s dining spaces, all of which is hung and butchered at Kings Place. G&F cafés stock items from suppliers who share a similar ethos of sustainability. The business regularly raises funds for local and industry charities, with over £250,000 donated in the last four years. Even food waste is transformed into stocks for food banks and soup kitchens. For founders John and Peter, positive impact and working with purpose are part and parcel of doing business.
“They like the building, the tech, the service, the variety of food on offer, and the people. The team is good at looking after people.”
Today, Green & Fortune leads the way in delivering exceptional moments of hospitality in some of the city’s most coveted locations. True to its agile origins, the business is built on partnerships of all kinds This includes working with companies to develop new commercial opportunities, from concept through to day-to-day operation within their own spaces. It also means creating venues from scratch, hosting one-of-a-kind events at Green & Fortune locations, and delivering exceptional Business & Industry catering and just about anything in between.
Whatever the need, whatever the ask, every partnership is approached with the founding spirit of solving a business challenge through a hospitality mindset, achieving big-picture goals through the small details that matter.
John Nugent is a pivotal figure in the British hospitality scene. From his beginnings at a Dublin-based catering college to holding the CEO position at Searcys in his early 30s, his passion for hospitality is palpable. Alongside Green & Fortune, he co-founded Daffodil Mulligan and Gibney’s Bar in Old Street, as well as investing in other dining institutions throughout the United Kingdom.
Peter Millican, OBE, is a lauded name in property development and placemaking. Alongside founding Green & Fortune, he runs Parabola, a property company specialising in creating sustainable spaces that serve and engage the community. He also leads philanthropic organisations such as the Parabola Foundation, a fund for public-benefit projects, and the Kings Place Music Foundation, of which he is chair.