Compass One appoints Michael Lambourne as chief executive
The former Compass Group Australia executive takes charge of the public sector caterer's 25,000 UK and Ireland staff, reporting to Charlie Brown.
Compass One, the public sector arm of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has named Michael Lambourne as its new chief executive.
Lambourne moves from Compass Group Australia, where he served as executive director overseeing the ESS, Chartwells, Medirest and Morrison Living brands there. He will report to Charlie Brown, interim chief executive of Compass Group UK & Ireland, and joins the UK leadership team.
Compass One runs catering, cleaning and facilities management across defence, marine, aerospace, energy, government, infrastructure, healthcare and state education. The division employs around 25,000 people and groups the ESS, Medirest, Chartwells Schools and Cuisine Centre brands with a dedicated facilities management arm.
Compass One's new chief inherits contracts that run from naval bases to hospital wards.
Nine years inside Compass
Lambourne has spent nine years at Compass Group. Before his posting to Australia, he led the group's Defence, Restaurant Associates, Eurest and Rapport businesses in the UK. Earlier in his career he held finance and strategy roles in mining, manufacturing and distribution, outside hospitality altogether.
Brown said Lambourne "brings fresh thinking, innovation and a proven track record of delivering across the public sector." Lambourne called the appointment "hugely proud," adding that his teams "provide such essential services, 24/7."
Growth targets across public contracts
The appointment lands as Compass One's divisions chase new business: ESS's three-year South Wales Police contract, won earlier this year, is typical of the public-sector tenders Lambourne will now oversee.
Public contracts of this kind run for years and carry scrutiny over cost and food standards, from hospital trays to school lunches, which makes the division's day-to-day performance harder to separate from headline contract wins.
Compass Group, Compass One's parent, is one of the world's largest catering and support services companies, listed on the London Stock Exchange and present in more than 30 countries. Compass One itself operates only in the UK and Ireland, serving sites that range from naval bases to NHS trusts.
No start date has been announced for Lambourne. His appointment follows a period in which Brown has run Compass Group UK & Ireland on an interim basis, and comes as the wider group continues to reshuffle leadership across its regional divisions.
