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Ian Sarson

Group Managing Director UK & Ireland

Ian joined Compass Group in January 2004 as Managing Director of our Healthcare business and joined the UK Executive team in October 2006 when appointed Managing Director of Specialist Markets. In this role Ian was responsible for the delivery of multiple services in our Health, Care, Education, Defence, Government and Offshore markets. Ian has been instrumental in the ongoing evolution of our multi sector business and has been closely involved with the development of industry leading tools and systems, leveraging the collective strength of Compass Group. Ian was appointed Group Managing Director for UK & Ireland in April 2010. Ian has held a variety of senior positions in the Industry. Prior to joining Compass, Ian had a four year spell in Hong Kong and China as Managing Director of Sodexho. During this period, Ian was also responsible for the development of healthcare business in Asia Pacific, and worked in Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia. He has worked in the Public Sector in the Defence, Local Government and Healthcare arenas for the past 20 years. Ian is a member of the Business Services Association Council and the CBI Healthcare Panel, and is a Visiting Fellow to the Faculty of Organisation and Management at Sheffield Hallam University. Ian is a graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University, where he studied Hotel and Catering Management. Aged 46, Ian is married to Lesley and has 2 children, Eleanor aged 17 and Roberta aged 14. He is an avid reader and enjoys squash and spending time with his family.
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Jason Leek

Managing Director, Eurest Services & Restaurant Associates

Jason Leek joined Restaurant Associates as managing director in December 2006. Over the past three years, he has developed a clear business strategy centred on four key pillars - innovation, service, lifestyle and simplicity. These, with the passion and creativity of the team, have energised the Restaurant Associates business with great food and service. From October 2009, Jason took on the additional role of managing director for Eurest Services. Previous to this position, Jason joined the Compass Group PLC business in 2001 as corporate development director, before being promoted to head of corporate development in early 2004. In this role, he was responsible for the Group's mergers and acquisitions, including leading the successful sale of the SSP and Moto businesses to EQT and Macquarie. As a keen sportsman and family man, Jason is married to Claire and has two young 'Leeks' - Natasha and Harry, who are avid supporters of his triathlon, cricketing and kickboxing endeavours.
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Paul Galvin

Finance Director

Having trained with the Ministry of Defence, Paul joined Compass in 1990. In his 20 years with the company, Paul has gained wide experience with roles in finance, operations, IT and commercial. In his early career with Compass, Paul undertook a number of finance roles, both at centre in Birmingham and out in the operating businesses in Bristol and then Cardiff. This was followed by a period working in IT on a number of significant projects. Following the merger of Compass and Granada in 2000, Paul became Finance Director of Medirest and was part of the team that established Compass in the PFI market. This was followed by a period in the Commercial team as both Finance Director and Commercial Director for Specialist Markets. Most recently Paul has been Finance Director for Specialist Markets and Finance Director - UK Operations. This breadth of experience and understanding of Compass in the UK will help Paul support the company through this transition period. Paul is 43, married to Becky with 3 sons Dan, Sam and Alfie and lives in Worcestershire.
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Fiacra Nagle

Managing Director, Compass Group Ireland

Fiacra was appointed Managing Director Compass Group Ireland in March 2011. Before joining, Fiacra was Commercial Director of ODC Group the owner of the UK's two largest On-demand printing Brands "Prontaprint" and "Kall Kwik". Until 2008 Fiacra was CEO of O'Briens Sandwich Bars and had been instrumental in growing that business into Ireland's leading branded franchise business with 300 stores worldwide.Prior to that Fiacra had spent 15 years in International Banking and Project Finance latterly as Head Of Telecom Finance for KBC Bank. Fiacra has spoken at many Retail and Franchise Conferences and Events, was a Board Member of the Irish Franchise Association and an active Member of Retail Excellence Ireland.
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Matthew Thompson

Managing Director, Sport, Leisure & Hospitality

Matthew joined Compass Group in June 2007 from Centrica, where he was Commercial Director. His career at Centrica saw him in a variety of roles from head of strategy and acquisitions through to MD of the information services business unit. In recent years as Commercial Director, he had responsibility for procurement and the supply chain across the Group. He was also Finance Director for the company wide IS activities. Previous to Centrica, Matthew worked for Glaxo Wellcome in an international role, he has also run his own business, and initially was a strategy consultant for a number of years. He has a degree in modern history and an MBA from London Business School.
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Robin Mills

Managing Director, Chartwells

Robin joined us from Woolworths Group PLC in March 2008. Robin worked for Kingfisher PLC from 2000, moving to Woolworths when the two companies de-merged in 2002. Robin has also worked for Diageo plc and started his career at Scottish & Newcastle plc. Since joining Robin has developed a commercially accountable highly experienced HR team who have delivered some key initiatives that benefit all of our 52,000 employees. These include our award winning induction programme, new and innovative training solutions for our managers and much greater focus on externally recognised qualifications such as Apprenticeships and NVQ's. The delivery of all these initiatives are measured through one of the UK's largest employee survey programmes which continues to drive all our teams people agenda. Robin was appointed as Managing Director for Chartwells in April 2011. Robin is married with four young children Arran, Ruby, Johnny and Olivia.
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Mike Walden

Executive Director, Purchasing & Supply Chain

Mike's team oversee our entire supply chain, from the growers & manufacturers right through to the product being delivered to our outlets. This incorporates the buying teams ensuring competitiveness and delivering market leading ranges, whilst our logistics team manage the most complex supply chain in the UK; servicing 7,200 units with food and non-food products and services across all business spectrums including primary schools, major sporting events and Michelin star fine dining restaurants. Our award winning Purchasing & Supply Chain team ensure that all product sourced is safe, traceable, and where appropriate innovative and flexible, integrating local and bespoke requirements whilst also removing millions of food miles each year. Mike has been in his current role since 2006 and with the Compass Group since 2000. He was previously European Food Purchasing Director, managing teams across eight different countries. Prior to that he was UK, Food & Retail Purchasing Director. Before joining Compass, Mike worked within the Retail sector for ten years, holding food and non-food buying positions with Somerfield, Sainsbury's Group and Dewhurst.
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Andy Harris

Managing Director, Restaurants Associates

Andy joined Compass in November 1995 from Sutcliffe Catering where he had been working in Operations and Sales since 1990. His career within Compass has seen Andy enjoy a number of periods in Sales and Operational roles, moving from a Sales Director role in the Midlands to becoming Managing Director for Eurest Central, Wales and North in 2004/5. Senior operational roles in Eurest England and Wales followed where Andy managed large operational businesses and was responsible for significant national account portfolios. Andy joined the UK&I Board in 2008 as Sales & Retention Director responsible for driving net growth before returning to operations and taking up his current role as Managing Director, Restaurant Associates in March 2011. Andy is married with two children and is a competitive sportsman.
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Steve Cenci

Managing Director, Medirest Healthcare

Steven Cenci joined Medirest in January 2002 after a fifteen year career with Group 4 where he held a number of senior appointments latterly that of Operations Director and before that, Technical Director. The latter carried a brief for introducing innovations aimed at driving up levels of customer satisfaction and for the development of ongoing service improvement initiatives. He spent the first 6 years in a sales role ending as National Sales Manager for manned services. Steven has wide ranging B2B UK contract services experience with both the large blue chip commercial and government sectors and has also worked within PFI teams. He is currently Chairman of the British Services Association Healthcare Committee which acts on behalf of most private sector organisations that deliver facilities services into Healthcare. He also chairs the International Compass Healthcare food Forum designed to exchange global best practice from over 27 countries delivering Healthcare facilities services. Steven is married to Julie and has three sons. He has an MBA from Hull University and is a keen club Badminton player. Of Italian roots, he speaks Italian and travels often to Italy (where two of his three sisters live) enjoying both the food and weather as often as possible!
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Chris Garside

Managing Director, ESS Support Services Worldwide

Chris joined Compass Group in June 2009 as Business Director of ESS Support Services Worldwide, our Defence and Government Services business. Promoted to Managing Director joining the UK&I Executive Committee in April 2010, Chris assumed additional responsibility for the Offshore and Remote Markets. During his short tenure, Chris has been instrumental in the restructure, development and future strategy of this critical Compass Division. In introducing a new commitment to Choice, Value and Well-being via ESS?s Lifestyle brand, Chris has evolved our approach and focus on customer service, achieving demonstrably improved client and consumer relationships across the sector. Prior to joining Compass, Chris held a variety of senior appointments in the Retail Industry with Dixon Stores Group, and Kesa Group under the Comet brand, acquiring knowledge and experience throughout the United Kingdom, France and United States. Chris enjoys spending time with his family and lives in Cheshire with his wife Philippa and their three children. Chris loves watching and playing sport; particularly football, rugby, motor sport and tennis.

Our executive team

Ian Sarson

Jason Leek

Paul Galvin

Fiacra Nagle

Matthew Thompson

Robin Mills

Mike Walden

Andy Harris

Steve Cenci

Chris Garside

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