Compass Bolsters UK & Ireland Executive Team

Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s leading food and support services company, has bolstered its Executive team with a number of key appointments.

Joining the UK & Executive team as Chief Marketing Officer is Ian Cranna. Ian joins the business from Starbucks and has over 25 years’ experience working for major retail and food and beverage brands.  As Compass sharpens its focus on how it can utilise its scale and breadth to enhance the health and wellbeing of the millions of customers it serves every day, Ian’s knowledge and understanding of the changing consumer landscape, combined with his personal passion for making a difference through sustainable food and nutrition will be invaluable.

Charlie Brown has been appointed Managing Director of Chartwells, the company’s education business, following the departure of Richard Taylor at the end of January. As a father of young children, Charlie is passionate about serving nutritious food and ensuring school children are educated about the benefits of food and how it can fuel inquisitive minds. Most recently Compass UK’s Transformation Director, Charlie has held senior operational roles across a number of Compass sectors including Chartwells and was Managing Director for its Government Services and 14Forty businesses. Prior to joining Compass, Charlie was at Whitbread for 10 years and his extensive experience means he is perfectly placed to build on the success of Chartwells.

Also joining the UK & Ireland Executive team as Finance Director is Sarah Sergeant. Sarah takes over from Kate Dunham, interim Finance Director and has been in the Compass family for over 12 years, most recently as Financial Controller for Compass Group Plc. Prior to this Sarah worked as the company’s Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific. Sarah has a strong finance background having spent the first nine years of her career at Price Waterhouse Cooper.

Commenting on the appointments Robin Mills, Managing Director of Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “Compass’ key strength is its brilliant people and I’m delighted to welcome Ian to the Compass family and congratulate Charlie and Sarah on their appointments. We have an exciting year ahead of us and these new appointments will be integral as we drive Compass forward on its growth journey and shape our future business strategy.”

ENDS