Bill Toner, 52, the former chief executive of Aramark UK, has been appointed chief executive of Host Contract Management, replacing company founder Jerry Brand at the helm of the company.
Brand, 53, who established Host in 2004, will remain on the board as the non-executive chairman but will relinquish the day-to-day running and development of the company. He will maintain a hands–off involvement in its long-term strategic plans but will retain his majority shares. Brand will now concentrate on Caternet, his integrated catering management software house.
“Launching the Caternet concept is the culmination of several years’ work on the part of myself and my development team. It has been a significant investment and bringing it to market now provides me with a new challenge, and one that I need to devote all my time to,” said Brand. “Caternet has been well received and we are already working with several large organisations and achieving big savings on their annual budgets. With Bill Toner as chief executive Host will be in the hands of an experienced, corporate operator with the skills and knowledge to take the business through its next phase of development.”
Scottish-born Toner, who joined Host as non-executive director in November 2010, has spent most of his 30-year career with Sodexo UK (formerly Gardner Merchant) including five years as managing director. In 1999 he left Sodexo to become chief executive of Aramark UK which he built into the UK’s third-largest contract caterer with over 1,000 contracts and an annual turnover of £400m.
Toner’s immediate priority as Host’s chief executive will be to work closely with sales director Andrew Scott and operations director Deborah Homshaw to strengthen links between the company’s head office and its restaurants. He will also play a pivotal role in client liaison and the growth of the company through new contracts in its core markets and via strategic acquisitions.
“I’m very excited by the opportunity to take over the running of Host. There is much to be done and many new business opportunities. I have a great team in Deborah and Andrew and I strongly believe that Host can grow to become a major market player,” he said. “Jerry has built a great cultural foundation and we have enjoyed working together but he now needs to focus on Caternet, so I will run and develop the Host business.”
Toner will continue his emphasis on food quality and the training of Host chefs, forging ahead with the new working partnership with Michelin-starred Gleneagles chef Andrew Fairlie. Host chefs will attend three-day training courses at Gleneagles to improve their cooking skills and inspire them to use new techniques and ingredients.
Host was established by Jerry Brand as an independent, national, environmentally-friendly contract catering company, partly owned by its management. The company has 86 contracts across the UK in business & industry, directors and partners’ dining rooms, conference facilities, independent schools, further and higher education and the healthcare industry.
Last year Host doubled its pre-tax profits to £416,000. Turnover to the year ending 31 December 2010 decreased marginally to £14.2m, from £14.5m the previous year.
For further information, interviews or photography please contact Linda Pettit at Tilburstow Media Partners on 01737 823721/07973 789853 or email linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk.
You can download high resolution photography of Bill Toner by clicking the link here
EDITOR’S NOTE
ABOUT HOST
Host is an independent, nationally based, environmentally friendly contract catering company, partly owned by the company management through an EMI share option scheme. The company was founded in 2004 by award winning contractor and former restaurateur Jerry Brand.
Host has contracts in Scotland, Wales and mainland England including business & industry, directors and partners dining rooms, conference facilities, independent (prep, senior and 6th form) schools, Beacon state schools, further and higher education, and the healthcare industry in care homes, hospices and hospitals. The Host organisation looks after 86 contracts and employs over 550 staff.
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