Meet some of our Veterans

Camilla is a RAF Veteran and Army Spouse and left the service 6 years ago. Camilla spent 11 ½ years in the RAF covering roles from Media Communication, Adjutant, Head of HR, Estate Manager, Mobilisation Project Manager and Infrastructure Programmes.

Compass career so far: I joined Compass Group’s Defence sector straight out of the RAF as an ESS Operations Manager for the National Training Estate Prime (NTEP) contract looking after Soft Facilities management across the UK. I was then promoted to the Director of Operations for NTEP and expanded my portfolio to look after the US Air Force contracts (cleaning) and the Royal School of Engineering (RSME) PFI contracts which totalled 40 sites across the UK.

I then moved across to manage the ESS Hestia South West Wiltshire and Gloucestershire region as an Operations Director (Catering, Retail, SFM, Hospitality) before moving internally, cross-sector, to join the Education sector as part Chartwells Independent. I am currently the Contract Director for United Learning looking after 18 independent schools.

Mark is an Army Veteran and an RAF Veteran Spouse, between them he and his wife served in their respective services for a total of 64 years; Mark left the Army in January 2015, Joining Compass the same month.

Service highlights: I was an aircraft engineer in the REME for 25 years before moving into Defence Infrastructure for my final 8 years of service. I deployed on 6 operational deployments which included: the first Gulf War, Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. I was fortunate enough to serve with both Commando and Airborne forces, with the standout tour being the Commanding Officer of 7 Air Assault Battalion REME; which I commanded during the second Gulf War. I left the Army as a Major General.

Compass career so far: I initially joined ESS as an internal consultant before identifying the need for a Technical Director to oversee compliance within the delivery of Hard FM services. I then established the Engineering Support Team to deliver Pre-Planned Maintenance tasks across the PPP-IML estate.  In late 2018, Health & Safety for the UK & Ireland business was added to my portfolio.

Phil is a Royal Air Force Veteran and has been out of uniform for 8 years.

Service highlights: 30 years in the Royal Air Force Logistics (Catering) Branch. Working in all facets of military Catering from In-Flight, Mobile Catering, Three Mess Structures and VIP. Later part of my Service Career was in Facilities Management both UK Based and Overseas Deployments.

Compass career so far: I joined Compass Group’s Defence sector, ESS Defence, as a Unit Manager at Swynnerton and Nesscliffe Training Camps operating under the National Training Estate Prime (NTEP) contract. I was then deployed as the Contract Business Support Manager on the US Air Force contract, looking after cleaning contracts on 5 bases covering Schools, PXs’, Commissaries and Medical Facilities. I then took the opportunity to expand my portfolio and took a position with 14forty – B&I Facilities Management Division of Compass Group as Service Support Manager for 6 GE sites in the Stafford Area.

Allan, an Army Veteran, began his career in 1981 as an apprentice in the Army Catering Corp. After three years of training at Aldershot, his first posting was to the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Later, he was deployed to Northern Ireland.

After serving in the army, Allan's passion for food led him to Compass, where he has been for 28 years, making a mark in the Sports and Arena business (Levy). He started as a Sous Chef at Cheltenham Racecourse. He progressed to Executive Chef, where he continued to excel, running Cheltenham and overseeing multiple venues and events across the UK in a regional role.

In 2007, Allan was appointed as the Culinary Director for Levy UK, where he brought together the culinary teams across various sectors. His talent and expertise have been put to work on many iconic events over the years.