Christian Talpo
Pirata Group | Co-founder & CEO
Manuel Palacio
Pirata Group | Co-founder and Chairman
Pirata Group co-founder Manuel Palacio has a deep rooted passion for quality service. He began his career in hospitality at age 13 in his native Madrid before travelling to both England and the United States to develop his skills at a number of noteworthy establishments. Throughout his service tenure, Manuel has worked at some of the most coveted international hot spots in London, New York, Ibiza and Hong Kong including Floridita and Armani Aqua.
Whilst working in Hong Kong, Manuel noticed a gap in the market in terms of service – Western dining, including Italian cuisine, had become almost an intimidating experience for Hong Kong diners due to impersonal and unapproachable service. Committed to providing a deeply personal yet approachable hospitality experience, Manuel decided to open his own concept with a focus on exceptional service and traditional values. Thus Pirata Group was born.
Roberto Garrone
Pirata Group | Chief Operating Officer
Born in Italy and with almost three decades of experience spanning premium hospitality brands around the world, Roberto is a seasoned international restaurateur and hotelier. He is charged with deepening the Group’s commitment to nurturing first-class talent, maximising returns from its current portfolio, and leading the charge for the next chapter of growth.
Prior to joining the Group, Roberto’s last assignment was as Hotel Manager for the Lusail Twin Towers’ opening in Doha during FIFA World Cup 2022, with 18 restaurants. His global career has taken him through Cape Town, Dubai, Beijing, Qatar, various preopening posts including Maldives, Bahamas, Australia, Mexico, China, South Africa, Mauritius and multiple cities in Europe. Hong Kong holds a special place for Roberto, having had previous stints at the Grand Hyatt, Aberdeen Marina Club, and opening the Ritz-Carlton.
His expertise in operations management, leadership, opening new ventures, and exceptional guest service aligns with Pirata Group’s commitment to delivering innovative and unconditional hospitality.
James Gannaban
Pirata Group | Director of Marketing & Communications
James drives Pirata Group’s high-performing Marketing team. Launching head-turning, responsive and high impact campaigns through some of the most challenging times for the F&B industry has cemented Pirata Group’s presence as an innovator and champion of unconditional hospitality.
James is a seasoned Digital Marketer, having launched award-winning apps in his previous roles with South China Morning Post and global lifestyle perks brand, The ENTERTAINER. In 2012 he nabbed a Gourmand World Cookbook Award for ‘Multisensory Mixology,’ co-authored with Antonio Lai.
Gil Jobic
Group Pici Concepts | Director of Operations
Originally from France, Gil started his career in the food & beverage industry in London at the age of 20 years old. He developed his craft through experiencing some of London’s top hot spots such as Momo by Mourad Mazouz (Sketch). Gil worked his way into management within the D&D group, looking after Floridita, a 250 seater vibrant live music venue in Soho. Throughout his time with D&D, Gil was also entrusted with the opening of Floridita Madrid (Spain).
Gil diversified his skills through integrating the events team at the 5stars Soho Hotel (Firmdale) and specialised in luxury events design & production for several years with prestigious boutique events specialist Bespoke London. Creative by nature, Gil also established Unico UK & Cyprus in 2018, specialising in modern marketing tools for the hospitality, tourism & property development sector.
Gil joined Pirata Group in HK in 2019 focusing primarily on the flagship outlet Pirata as well as the group’s second restaurant The Optimist, before becoming Head of Development and now Operations Director for Pici, The Pizza Project and more of the Group’s important brands.
Andrea Viglione
Pirata Group | Corporate Chef
Andrea’s love for cooking began in Turin at a very young age with a passionate love for the nature of fresh ingredients. Shunning traditional culinary school in favour of real-life experience, Andrea began his professional career cooking in and around Turin at the age of sixteen, focusing predominantly on cuisine from the Piedmont region.
Before long, he opened his own place – part restaurant, part bookshop. After a successful and exciting experience in Italy, he felt the pull of opportunities and unexplored lands. In 2014, he moved to Hong Kong to help Pirata Group launch a new pasta bar concept. Bringing his vast experience to Pici, The Pizza Project and Italian concepts, Andrea lights up the kitchen with his fresh approach and warm energy.
Donal Ennis
Asian Concepts | Director of Operations
Hailing from Ireland, Donal studied Hotel Management at the Commence Shannon College and began working at 4 and 5 star hotels in his home country before heading to London, UK to gain further experience. From there he realized his true passion for F&B and travel, a calling that eventually took him out to Hong Kong and Pirata Group. Part of the founding team at Honjo, Donal has risen quickly due to his friendly attitude and sterling work ethic to become GM of both restaurants in the building. Now he oversees the entirety of the Group’s Asian concept Driven by his love of people and sharing great stories over a meal, Donal brings his all everyday and looks forward to hosting you all for years to come.
Sebastiano Ricciardetto
Pici | Executive Chef
Executive Chef, Sebastiano has a culinary journey as rich and diverse as the flavours he masterfully brings to the table. Born and raised in the picturesque city of Siracusa, Italy, Sebastian’s passion for cooking was kindled in the vibrant markets and historic kitchens of his hometown. His dedication to the culinary arts led him to the prestigious Professional Catering Institute “Istituto Professionale Alberghiero” in Siracusa, where he honed his skills and deepened his understanding of genuine dining experiences.
Sebastiano’s illustrious career has taken him from the heart of Italy to the dynamic culinary scene of Hong Kong. His expertise has been recognized with roles at Michelin-starred restaurants, including the renowned “La Pergola” in Rome and the avant-garde “Atelier Etoile de Joel Robuchon” in Paris. Now Sebastiano leads the culinary team at Pici, Hong Kong’s beloved pasta bar renowned for its freshly handmade pasta and authentic Italian dishes. His expertise and passion for Italian cuisine continue to shine as he brings a taste of Italy to the heart of Hong Kong. With his leadership, Pici remains a favorite destination for those seeking a genuine handmade pasta experience.
Stephan Joubert
Tokyolima | Executive Chef
Leading the culinary team at Hong Kong’s first Nikkei restaurant and bar, Tokyolima, Stephan is a chef with more than 10 years experience in high end kitchens across both international, Asian and Peruvian cuisines. A creative in the kitchen, Stephan is constantly creating new and exciting dishes using local products, putting his unique twist and interpretation on contemporary dishes.
A South African who relishes new challenges and high pressure environments, Stephan brings out the best in his team in delivering extraordianry memorable experiences. For him, food is love.
Alan Hernandez
Pici | Executive Chef
Executive Chef Allan is a longtime Pici and Pirata Group champion, whose commitment and dedication has kept the standards high and the results great for our central Pici restaurant for many years. A passionate leader in the kitchen, Allan brings out the best in the culinary staff and ensures delicious pasta experiences are served to many across the Hong Kong dining community.
Kyle Lee
Honjokko | Executive Chef
Kyle Lee is an accomplished Executive Chef with over 13 years of experience, specializing in Asian cuisine. Known for his innovative ideas and effective management, he has worked in several luxurious hotels, consistently delivering tailored guest experiences. Currently serving as the Executive Chef at The Sixteenth within the Pirata Group since June 2021, Kyle led the opening team, overseeing concept-setting, menu development, and kitchen setup. He efficiently manages front and back of house staff, controlling labor and operating expenses while collaborating with the marketing team to enhance restaurant performance.
Previously, as the Head Japanese Chef at Mei Ume in Four Seasons Hotel London, from April 2019 to September 2020, Kyle ensured smooth daily operations, implemented HACCP and safety regulations, and created customized menus for hotel events and room service. He also played a pivotal role in menu development and guest experience enhancement by collaborating with the Chinese kitchen.
Kyle‘s expertise extends to his role as the Head Sushi Chef at Restaurant de Laurent in Hotel Café Royal London, where he contributed to concept-setting and managed daily kitchen operations from April 2018 to April 2019. In this role, he led a team of four, collaborated with the Western (French) kitchen, and worked closely with the hotel accounting department to ensure financial management.
Prior to that, Kyle held various leadership positions, including Head Japanese Chef at Devonshire Club (Private Members’ Club), Head Japanese Chef at W Hotel London, and Head Sushi Chef at Sushi No’en. Throughout his career, he consistently demonstrated his ability to develop menus, oversee kitchen operations, manage finances, and train staff.
Kyle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management from the University of Derby and a Higher National Diploma in Hospitality Management from the London Hotel School. His passion for culinary excellence, coupled with his extensive experience, make him a highly sought-after Executive Chef dedicated to creating exceptional dining experiences.
Paul Franklin
Pirata Group | Special Operations Director
With 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Paul Franklin excels in leading restaurant and bar teams. Through meaningful staff training, Paul focuses on equipping his team for success. Under his mentorship, each team member’s personal skills are identified, established and fully utilised, ensuring the success of the outlet.
Throughout his illustrious career, Paul has gained experience at celebrated establishments and restaurant groups in London – All Star Lanes, Peyote Restaurants, Rail House Café and Yosma London to name a few. He spearheaded restaurant launches and showed his expertise in operations through path implementation, site recruitment, goal measurement, and design and execution of operating procedures.
A motivational and engaging individual, Paul has led numerous teams of excellent staff who not only work tirelessly towards building the restaurant brand, but who do so with a smile on their faces.
Paul was brought to Hong Kong in 2019 to helm the capable restaurant teams at Honjo and TMK, two of Pirata Group’s Japanese inspired establishments in Sheung Wan. Constantly up to tackle any challenge that comes his way, Paul took both restaurants’ launches in stride with astute observations, creative solutions and a positive approach towards handling each and every situation. He then was in charge of the Group’s biggest launch to date: the multi-site dining venue known as The Sixteenth in Taikoo Place.
As Special Operations Director for Pirata Group, Paul works with his team to display fierce dedication towards providing unparalleled hospitality to guests at all new Pirata Group reservation concept venues.
Paul van Rotterdam
Pirata Group | Assistant Human Resources Director
Living most of his life in Amsterdam, Paul made the move to Hong Kong in January 2017. With a background in education, training and sales, combined with a passion for cooking and beer, the move to the F&B industry was a comfortable pick.
Being the opening manager of a restaurant in Hong Kong gave him a lot of experience and insights into how the industry works in Hong Kong.
Having had the pleasure to try some Pirata Group venues and thoroughly enjoying the overall experiences, it was clear that he wanted to join the team.
Abdellah Farroug
Chaiwala | General Manager
Abdellah Farroug is a highly effective and passionate General Manager with over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. With expertise in generating sales revenue, food and beverage management, staff development, and maintaining exceptional customer satisfaction, Abdellah has a proven track record of overseeing the successful launch of restaurants.
From his role as the Operation Manager at Le Comptoir Group, where he optimized operations and exceeded guest expectations, to his time as the General Manager of renowned establishments like Il Bel Paese and Lavilla Group, Abdellah has consistently elevated colleague and guest satisfaction while driving financial performance.
Abdellah holds a degree in Marketing, Hospitality, and Management from ECG School in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, along with a Catering Middle School education from Lycee d’Arche in Longwy, France.
With Abdellah at the helm, Chaiwala thrives as a haven of culinary delight, where every guest is treated to warm hospitality and a truly uplifting dining experience.
Leonardo Pinos
Pirata Group | Special Projects Manager
From Venice, Italy, Leonardo’s dream as a typical Italian kid was to become a professional football player. At one point Leonardo was very close to making it a permanent career, however after high school he decided to leave Italy for London. His aim was to learn English so he began working in a coffee shop. It was then that he realised how much he enjoyed the hospitality industry and that he should pursue a career in that direction. He then had the opportunity to join a high-end restaurant, Quaglino’s, and work with excellent professionals with years of experience.
After 4 years in London, Leonardo decided to move to Ibiza in Spain to join the famous Nikki Beach, one of the best known hospitality groups in the world. He spent 3 years with them training and improving his skills in managing restaurants in Ibiza, Dubai and Barcelona.
After his last summer in Ibiza, Leonardo decided to go back to London where he rejoined the team at Quaglino’s. Looking to broaden his F&B horizons, Leonardo made the decision to move to Asia for more opportunities after meeting Manuel Palacio in London, as he believed it would be a great platform for learning and to develop a deeper focus on “people”, one of Pirata Group’s core values. Leonardo is now a leader in the company as Special Projects Manager, optimizing systems and driving improving results across the Group’s portfolio of brands.
Mathias Turri
Pici | Operations Manager
An experienced restauranteur and purveyor of Italy’s culinary culture across Vietnam, The Philippines and now Hong Kong for over a decade, Mathias has brought his hospitality knowledge and skill to the Pici Central team and delights in giving the best of Italian service to the neighbourhood. Now serving as Multi-unit GM for Pirata Group restaurants in Central, Mathias’ expanded scope allows him to elevate the dining experiences of more guests daily through effective operations control and team leadership.
Bryan Van Den Berg
Pici | Operations Manager
With over 20 years hospitality experience, Bryan started his career back in his home country, South Africa. He continued within the hospitality industry managing high end venues in Dubai, Macau, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Some of the venues include, Zuma, roka, Buddha Bar, Maiden Shanghai and club cubic.
Bryan takes pride in his team and spends his time bring out the best in each individual.
Marichu Pingol
Pirata Group | Central Reservations Manager
Managing Pirata Group’s centralised call centre for 27 restaurants is no mean feat. But apart from ensuring our restaurant Pirates are looking well after the guests that are physically onsite, rather than inundated by the never ending ringing of the phone – Mary is also in charge of optimising online booking channels, and actively managing and trafficking table inventory.
Mary partners with every General Manager in ensuring revenue targets across various trading periods are met. This requires a lot of hustling, taking on more bookings than what each property can ostensibly handle to attribute for no shows and late cancellations. This also means maintaining a high level of confidence that our reception teams can handle guest traffic and overflow, using Unconditional Hospitality as guiding philosophy.
Mary started as a Reception Manager at TokyoLima in 2017, eventually moving on to our large Indian restaurant, Chaiwala. Then in 2019, she was tasked to be the opening Reception Manager of our modern Japanese concept, Honjo.
Mastering shop front management, footfall conversion, table turns and overbooking, Mary is now in charge of the induction and training of all receptionists joining Pirata Group.
Jonny Moreland
Pirata Group | Head of Design
As Head of Design for Pirata Group, Jonny leads the restaurant group’s in-house design team from concept through to detail design and completion. Working directly with the culinary, operations and marketing teams, he creates immersive and unique dining experiences through design. The team have completed over ten restaurants in just two years, including their recent Spanish concept Calle Ocho, their largest Pici in Taikoo and the award-winning Pane e Latte and La Favorita. He is now working to consolidate the brands and lead further growth.
Orla Deignan
Pirata Group | Group Marketing Manager
A quick-thinking, fast-rising star in marketing and social media, Orla has occupied many roles across Pirata Group’s diverse restaurant communications and guest services eco-system, all leading to excellent results while keeping a wide smile on her face. A Hong Kong kid with her finger on the pulse of the city, a keen eye, and masterful copywriting, Orla is responsible for delivering many of the marketing campaigns and seasonal promotions that attract guests to our restaurants. From ideation to execution, she brings together teams to make the impossible possible. Go Orla Go!
