Carla McKenzie

Managing Director

Carla is the founder and driving force behind MYA, with over 30 years’ experience leading transformational projects across education, healthcare, culture, retail, and hospitality. She’s known for her sharp strategic vision, cross-sector fluency, and ability to deliver bold, future-ready solutions that redefine how food is experienced, delivered and valued.

Under her leadership, MYA has built a reputation for innovation by not just following trends, but forecasting the direction of the industry to get there first. She never settles for “normal”—always pushing boundaries, questioning assumptions, and asking what more can be done. Carla brings a fresh approach to each brief, grounded in curiosity, critical thinking, and a collaborative spirit.

She is a highly relational leader, known for building trust and shared purpose across diverse stakeholder groups—often by working alongside clients and operators to develop real-time insights. She uses this practical knowledge to test ideas against experience and create original, adaptive strategies that deliver lasting value.

Recently, she has worked with leading international architects on major food strategy and design developments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under Vision2030. She is also the Director of the multi-site food and beverage regeneration programme for the Museum of Wales, and has consulted for one of the world’s top five tech firms on global workplace dining and hospitality strategy.

Beyond her professional work, Carla is known for her adventurous spirit and charitable commitment. In 2018, she undertook a pioneering ride from London to Paris on a green-road route by electric motorcycle, raising money for Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance and the Joan Seeley Memorial Trust. She is currently in the process of qualifying as a hot air balloon pilot.

  • We recently worked with the team at MYA on a bid for a tender for multiple catering sites. Their proactive, innovative and dynamic approach to the task was a breath of fresh air, and we were able to work systematically through a complex set of designs with an abundance of creativity and design options to consider. Throughout the whole process, the team at MYA were fully engaged and, above all, great fun to work with. I will definitely be working with the team again on future projects and would highly recommend them as design consultants.

    Steven Braithwaite, Managing Director, Somerset Larder

  • We recently had the pleasure of collaborating with MYA on the City of London School for Girls project at the Barbican, London. One of the standout aspects of MYA’s involvement was their swift, detailed, and highly effective coordination of design elements. MYA’s proactive approach, attention to detail, and dedication to achieving design harmony made them an invaluable partner in this project. Their ability to strategically align diverse design aspects contributed significantly to the success of the collaboration, reinforcing the importance of well-integrated teamwork in delivering high-quality solutions.

    Simon Spiteri, Director/Architect, Cowan Architects

  • The team, led by Carla McKenzie, were meticulous in every detail. They modelled the cleaning requirements to deliver the optimum solution for the facilities across EMEA, and really took time to understand the culture of our business. I have no hesitation in recommending MYA and its team – they are dedicated and innovative, and always go the extra mile.

    Natalia Ros Vargas, Office Team Leader, Booking.com

  • Carla and her team have broad experience in the industry. Apart from being very supportive in inventing (new) concepts, they also make use of their many years of experience when implementing these concepts. Their ultimate goal is to let people enjoy honest and good food.

    Marcel Bisselink, Owner, Daily Fresh Food, Galeen, Netherlands

  • Carla and her team worked tirelessly with us to ensure our very international and cross-cultural needs were met with great creativity and skill. They listened to us, responded to our needs and delivered above expectations.

    Angela Hencher, Director of Business Administration, Dulwich College, Shanghai Pudong

  • They are brave enough to challenge others in pursuit of the ultimate solution, whether it be behind the scenes with kitchen flow and catering management, or front-of-house service and design.

    Richard Russell, Catering Equipment Distributor Director, Western Blueprint

  • If all companies who serve the independent school sector had your breadth of vision and openness of mind, I have little doubt that the sector would be a richer and more exciting place to be.

    Phillip Godfrey, Bursar, Halliford School

  • During the negotiation process, Carla’s knowledge and expertise enabled our company to achieve a very strong commercial outcome, and some significant savings were yielded from the exercise.

    Penny Arnold, Commercial & Operations Director, Fusion Lifestyle