Compass wins four awards at 2026 Contract Catering Awards
The 2026 Contract Catering Awards took place yesterday (3rd March) at London’s Park Plaza, with Compass taking home four prestigious awards.
Celebrating excellence across the contract catering industry, the sold‑out event honoured standout individuals and organisations, with winners announced during a vibrant evening recognising talent, innovation, and dedication across multiple award categories.
The Compass Group UK & Ireland winners were:
Operations Director of the Year - Eurest UK – Emma Best
Emma joined Compass in 1990 and got promoted to the role of Operations Director five years ago. She was acknowledged for overseeing a variety of prestigious accounts and delivering outstanding results across the board. She is responsible for around 450 employees, supporting hundreds of thousands of customers – all whilst bringing incredible energy to the role.
Healthcare Catering Award - Medirest – Rhonda Gibson
Retail Manager, Rhonda was recognised for creating a retail service at Southend University Hospital that NHS teams truly rely on - fast, welcoming and built around real feedback from staff. She develops her people, supports her client with absolute professionalism and is known for stepping in wherever she’s needed.
Unit Hero of the Year - Dine Contract Catering Ltd – Katie Forsyth
Katie joined Dine Contract Catering in 2022 as a young chef straight from college, as she undertook a foundation degree in professional cookery and continued her connection to food, rooted in her farming background. Even in her first role as Senior Chef de Partie, her passion for scratch cooking, outdoor food culture and sustainable sourcing was impossible to miss. Now in the role of Catering Manager, she is part of the prestigious Forward with Marcus Wareing programme and is member of Compass’ Women in Food network.
Senior Executive of the Year - Vacherin - Phil Roker
Phil was recognised for being the heartbeat of Vacherin for almost twenty years. He joined the business in 2006 as Sales Director and became Managing Director in 2016, steering the company through two major acquisitions - first by CH&CO in 2020 and then by Compass in 2024 - without ever losing sight of what makes Vacherin unique. From the outset, Phil was clear that Vacherin’s brand, ethos and values were to remain. He has kept those principles alive - championing creativity, sustainability, charitable engagement and, above all, the wellbeing of his team.
This win follows the announcement that Phil will be moving to the role of Vacherin’s Chairman later in 2026.
Phil Roker said: "What an incredible day! It started with the announcement that I’m moving into the role of chairman, handing the Vacherin reins to Tom Rule, and finished with my tenure as managing director being recognised with the Senior Executive of the Year Award – a fantastic accolade! Thank you to my amazing team for the surprise nomination, I’m honoured to have received this award and I’m excited to continue to be part of this fantastic business and industry.”
For the full list of winners visit - Compass to the four at 2026 Contract Catering Awards
