With 38 years in the industry, how has the landscape changed for women in leadership positions?
The industry is still quite male-dominated, but it's improved dramatically and I've definitely seen a huge increase in female leaders. Twenty years ago, you simply wouldn't get the same opportunities or see the same equitable and inclusive workplace cultures. I think it’s a fabulous time to be a female leader and we need to continue to champion and celebrate it.
Q:How would you describe your leadership approach?
We have a very flat structure here, so no endless chains of command, just people who care and get stuck in. I'm hands-on and I regularly visit sites, meet clients and talk to our chefs to understand what's working and what isn't. I'm always looking at new ways of doing things, but whatever we do has to deliver on promises and profit. It's about understanding the risk of doing or not doing something, weighing risk versus opportunity, innovation versus commerciality.
Q:What are the growth priorities for the business?
We are currently growing our workplace catering and cleaning services. In education, we would like to work with more colleges and universities, as they are more innovative and commercially minded.
What's really interesting about workplace catering right now is the return-to-office patterns we're seeing. Across our 65 sites, we're noticing that hybrid working has settled into predictable rhythms. That means we can plan our offer more intelligently, bring in special items on peak days, and run leaner operations on quieter days. Understanding these patterns helps us serve clients better while managing costs.
Q:Which innovations are currently
shaping your service delivery? Technology in workplace catering is transforming the
www.tomorrowsfm.com
customer experience. We've introduced new apps for pre- ordering, and designed and implemented unmanned service areas and lockers that store food at the right temperature. Clients don't want to pay subsidies as pay rates increase, so we're creating more self-service, labour-efficient food offer models. Alongside innovation, fresh food made on site by skilled chefs remains our priority, that's non-negotiable.
On nutrition, we're seeing much more interest from clients about what they're feeding their teams. Staff wellbeing is a boardroom topic now, not just an HR afterthought. We're working with clients to offer balanced menus that support energy levels throughout the day and keep people more alert and productive.
On sustainability, it's baked into how we operate now. We're looking more at whole protein sources, such as pea protein, as it's more sustainable and cost-effective. Some of our new systems can even show the carbon levels in food, how green something is based on CO2 content. This transparency helps clients make informed choices that align with their own sustainability goals.
Q:What's your outlook for the contract catering industry?
Food pricing and labour costs mean it is increasingly challenging. Workplace catering is improving as people return to offices, but education is becoming increasingly difficult due to the current funding model for school catering.
As an independent, family-owned business, we have the agility to adapt quickly, but we also feel these pressures acutely. We need to keep innovating, stay efficient, and remember why we're here, to provide quality food and service that makes a real difference to people's days. That's what doing the basics brilliantly means, and that's what will keep us competitive and sustainable for the next decade.
https://midshiress.co.uk TOMORROW’S FM | 37
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