Food service giant Sodexo has given its Employee of the Year award to Stuart Rose, Executive Chef at the Scottish Parliament.
Stuart has been with Sodexo since 1999 when he started out as Chef de Partie, before moving up the ranks to Head Chef and then to his current position in 2019. At Holyrood, he oversees a team of 14 providing food services at six outlets and for around 360 meetings a year.
Over the years, Stuart and his team have catered for many VIP events but none as special and memorable as the royal ceremonial visit from King Charles III and the Queen Consort following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.
With extra stringent security in place, Stuart and his team overcame site access challenges to deliver a ‘respectful and fitting’ event marking the historic occasion. Sodexo described Stuart as a ‘valued member’ of its Government team, highly respected by colleagues, customers and clients.
This week, Sodexo UK & Ireland hosted more than 550 colleagues at ACC Liverpool to celebrate its annual Spirit of Sodexo awards dinner. Awards were given in 18 categories, including ‘Excellence in FM or Food Services’; ‘Rising Star’; ‘Growth and Retention’; ‘Positive Impact’; and ‘Spirit of Inclusion’. There three top tier awards are ‘Employee of the Year’, ‘Manager of the Year’ and the CEO Award.
Manager of the Year went to Sian Thompson, account director PFIs in Sodexo’s Schools and Universities division, in recognition of her ‘aspirational, values-driven leadership style’ and people management skills.
In an unusual move, highlighting what an extraordinary year this has been for Sodexo, the prestigious CEO Award was presented to three teams – Sodexo Government, Cyprus operational team, for their unwavering professionalism supporting the military with the emergency evacuation from Sudan; Sodexo Government team, for the behind-the-scenes support for a number of historic events following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 and the Coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort in May 2023; and Sodexo Health & Care and Central Support, for exceptional behind the scenes work to ensure a seamless patient dining experience, despite supply chain disruption.
CEO Sodexo UK & Ireland, Sean Haley, said: “We have some truly inspiring individuals and teams working across our business. This year has been extraordinary, with colleagues involved in some undeniably historic events.
“It is so important that our colleagues – who work tirelessly every day, and so often behind the scenes – know that we see them, we value the amazing things they do, and we are humbled by their stories. These awards – the culmination of a year’s recognition – are the highlight of our calendar and I extend huge congratulations to all our winners and finalists.”
