Top 100: Chris Garside, Compass Group UK & Ireland
Overall ranking: 64 (new entry)
Foodservice ranking: 8 (new entry)
Snapshot
Chris Garside is the newly appointed managing director of Compass Group UK & Ireland. He took over the job in October 2017 from Dennis Hogan, who was to return to the US to become chief executive of Foodbuy. Compass operates across a diverse range of sectors that include business and industry, fine dining, education, healthcare, vending, and sports and leisure, at military, remote and offshore sites.
Annual turnover for the global business increased to £22.6b for the year ended 30 September 2017 (2016: £19.6b), with revenue of £13.3b in the North America region (+7.1% year-on-year) fueling much of the growth. New business wins in the UK, including contracts won under Garside's watch at Brunel University (£50m) and Oxford University (estimated at £10m), have helped ensure revenues in Europe are on an upward, albeit more modest trend, reaching £428m (+1.6% year-on-year) for the same period.
What we think
Compass Group has a tendency to install a fresh face into the UK & Ireland group managing director role every three to four years, alternating between money men (Dennis Hogan, 2014-2017; Ian El-Mokadem, 2006-2010) and career caterers (Ian Sarson, 2010-2013) with Garside the latest of the latter.
Garside joined the company in 2009 as business director of ESS, the group's defence and government services business. He was later promoted to managing director, adding the offshore and remote markets to his list of responsibilities and joining the Compass UK & Ireland executive team. In 2015, Garside also took Compass Group's education business Chartwells into his charge.
Of course, Garside's appointment at the end of September 2017 was not the only major shake-up at the top. It followed hot on the heels of Dominic Blakemore, to whom Garside will report, being named successor to group chief executive Richard Cousins.
Do these new appointments signal a sea change at the caterer? That remains to be seen. Both men have good track records to their name, marking them out as having safe pairs of hands to take the business forward. But for now, the industry - and the City - will be keeping a close eye on how the next chapter at Compass plays out.
Further information
Chris Garside to replace Dennis Hogan as Compass MD >>
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