Wilkinson has played a major role in central London’s restaurant scene since joining the company in June 1997.
Announcing the move on LinkedIn, she said she would be taking time off to spend more time with her family.
Working across Shaftesbury Capital’s central London portfolio that includes Carnaby, Soho, Chinatown, Seven Dials, Covent Garden and Fitzrovia she has been pivotal in curating successful restaurant hubs including setting up, developing and evolving the F&B offer at Kingly Court, breathing new life into Chinatown with the reintroduction of regional Chinese cuisines, and helping return Charlotte Street to its restaurant-focused heyday.
In her post she mentioned a couple of her favourite milestones that have included building Kingly Court into one of London’s most popular independent dining destinations and taking calculated risks on ‘emerging, founder-led concepts’ including Dishoom, Kiln, Polpo, Flat Iron, Le Bab, Island Poke, Kolamba, The Palomar, Darjeeling Express, Kricket, Bancone, Temper, Cahoots, Mamason’s, Evelyn’s Table, and Breadstall.
She also described the post-pandemic rejuvenation of Fitzrovia, working with operators including MJMK and Woodhead Group and establishing al fresco dining in Gerrard Street, Chinatown for the first time as other key moments in her long and notable career.
“I [have] been fortunate to collaborate with an incredible array of colleagues, agents, consultants and operators over the years and hope to carry these connections with me into the next chapter, whatever shape that takes,” she says.
Commenting on the move, Simon Anderson, food hall and hospitality consultant said of Wilkinson: “Unlike many landlords, you truly understand the needs and pressures of opening and running a hospitality business.”
Last year Wilkinson was ranked as one of industry’s most influential people in Restaurant’s Power List.