A nationally recognised figure in the UK’s restaurant scene, Martin Williams is the CEO of Evolv Collection (formerly D&D London), founder and former CEO of Rare Restaurants. Operating a selection of the country’s most innovative hospitality brands, Rare Restaurants comprises renowned modern Argentinian steak restaurant Gaucho, the ground-breaking M Restaurants and The Crane Tap.

Aged 18, Williams moved to London and instantly fell in love with the capital’s theatrical dining destinations, frequenting Grande Dame London institutions such as Quaglino’s, 
Mezzo and The Ritz. Despite having initially trained as an actor, in 1996, Williams immersed himself wholly in the world of hospitality and began his career in restaurants.

In 2005, Williams joined Gaucho restaurants, working his way up through the ranks from general manager to operations director to managing director before taking some time out to travel - South Africa, Japan, Australia, the USA and everywhere in between. Inspired by those places and cuisines, he returned to London and embarked on his first solo restaurant, M, opening on The City’s Threadneedle Street in 2014. Since launching, M has won a string of awards including Best Use of Technology and Best Young Chef.Four years later, Williams re-joined Gaucho as CEO, bringing M into the portfolio, and Rare Restaurants was formed. Since then, he has overseen Gaucho, growing it from six to 20 sites. Throughout his tenure, the brand has scooped a glut of accolades, most recently being awarded a two-star rating from The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) across its 20-strong estate.

The success of the group was recognised last year at the City AM Awards with Rare Restaurants scooping the prestigious title of Business of the Year. This year, the success
continues as Rare Restaurants was placed in The Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Work’ Top 100 list.

To this day, Martin is a huge advocate of sustainable sourcing and ethical farming, rolling-out carbon neutral steaks across the Rare Restaurant portfolio in 2022. He also supports various charities including Only A Pavement Away which connect forwardthinking hospitality employers and charities working with people facing homelessness, prison leavers and veterans helps them find gainful employment