CEO of House of Pocket group, President of NSW’s Independent Bar Association as well as Vice President of YCK Laneways, Karl Schlothauer decades of hospitality experience under his belt.
He set up Pocket Group Pty Ltd with a partner in 2009, which is responsible for Pocket Bar. Then came Stitch Bar in 2011, Button Bar in 2012, and Pocket Bar Terrigal in November 2013, followed by Lockwood in Paris, France in December 2013, and Crooked Tailor in Castle Hill in 2014. I oversaw 85+ staff across all venues and was responsible for management, P\&L, legal operations, marketing, and everything in between.
In 2015, House of Pocket was born and now manages multiple hospitality venues. Today, he oversees three venues—two in Sydney and one on the Central Coast.
Karl founded the Independent Bar Association, which advocated for small bars in NSW and, in that role, achieved numerous regulatory changes. He is a board member of the Night Time Industry Association, and serve as a member of the 24-Hour Economy Advisory Council (NSW GOV). He is also a member of the City of Sydney Council’s Business, Economic Development and COVID Recovery Advisory Panel, the Vice President and Precinct Coordinator for YCK Laneways, and the President and Precinct Coordinator of the newly formed precinct, The Esplanade, located in the heart of Terrigal on Darkinjung Country.