Wes Lambert CPA, FGIA, CAE, AAiP, MAICD is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Restaurant & Caf Association (ARCA), the national peak body representing more than 56,000 restaurants and cafs across segments of AustraliaOs Accommodation and Foodservice industry. In this role, Wes is a leading national voice for one of the countryOs largest small-business industries and a cornerstone employer of young people, students, migrants and regional communities.
Wes brings more than 25 years of hospitality industry and executive leadership experience, grounded in finance, governance and public policy. A CPA and governance professional, he is widely recognised for advancing practical, data-driven reform across workforce, migration, taxation, training and productivityNalways anchored in the commercial realities faced by operators.
Before leading ARCA, Wes served as CEO of Restaurant & Catering Australia, named 2020 Association of the Year, and held senior roles across hospitality technology and corporate finance, including leadership positions with OpenTable, Velocity Group and Pacific Restaurant Group. He has also owned and managed hospitality venues internationally, giving him direct, lived experience of the pressures facing the sector.
At ARCA, Wes has helped elevate hospitalityOs voice at every level of government, engaging regularly with Cabinet offices, Treasury departments, regulators and national advisory committees. He is a frequent media commentator and the author of Saving Hospitality, One Venue at a Time and Surviving the Storm: Navigating the 2025 Cost-of-Living and Tariff Crisis.
Wes champions inclusive industry growth, supporting operators across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia. He believes in harnessing collaborative leadership to unlock productivity, strengthen workforce pathways, and drive sustainable careers in hospitality N making venues economically resilient and culturally vibrant parts of their communities.