Bob Cotton wins the 2010 Cost Sector Catering Blue Ribband Award

12th April 2010, 3:05pm

The Cost Sector Catering Blue Ribband Award is given each year to a person or organisation the judges believe has made a truly outstanding contribution to our industry.

This year's Cost Sector Catering awards saw the 2010 Blue Ribband award go to Bob Cotton. We take a look at the judging panel's reasons for awarding him the highest accolade bestowed by these awards.

Back in the swinging sixties he made the decision that shaped his future when he opted for a degree in hotel management at the University of Surrey. The course included a one-year work placement as a graduate management trainee. He ended up joining contract caterer Gardner Merchant and it was the beginning of a close association with both the company and the contract catering industry.

When he later joined them full-time he was a district manager and spent some time in Northern Ireland as a general manager before being chosen by the then chief executive Garry Hawkes to be his personal assistant.

For the next 20 years these two formed a team that enjoyed great success in the industry, with Bob taking on responsibility for the company's public relations as well.

When we spoke to Garry last week he said of Bob: "He was very good at handling his boss and making sure he got the outcome he wanted. He has an ability to handle people in power.

"When he took over the PR for Gardner Merchant he raised our profile in the market from something like 10% to 85% through his efforts."

He added: "He pulled the strings and I performed. I remember once in the run-up to Wimbledon I had to get up close and personal with some strawberries in a wet field down on the farm. We got tremendous coverage out of it in the Daily Telegraph, among others, but it was me who had to roll around for the photographers, he just arranged it."

In the 1990s Bob really began to extend his influence beyond the company and into the wider industry. He helped breathe life into the faltering Catering Industry Group as part of the team that relaunched it as the Catering Arena. Today, as simply Arena, it continues as a highly successful hospitality networking organisation.

Significantly, too, in 1995 he became a member of the national executive of the British Hospitality Association, chairing the BHA's influential Contract Catering Forum and handling direct negotiations with the Government on replacing compulsory competitive tendering with 'best value'.

This led in 1999 to his appointment as chief executive of the BHA. From which he steps down this summer. His efforts on behalf of the industry were recognised in 2003 when he was awarded an OBE for services to tourism and the hospitality industry.

His crowded CV shows that he has strongly supported initiatives to improve the training and education of young people coming into the industry. He is a trustee of Springboard UK, a council member of the sector skills council People 1st and has chaired the Hospitality Skills Academy.

And he has lent his considerable support to our industry's dedicated charity Hospitality Action, currently as president after previously serving as chairman.

Here are a some comments from a couple of people who've worked with him for a number of years.

Wendy Bartlett, managing director of contract catering company Bartlett Mitchell, says: "I think he's done a great job in pulling us all together and coping with the political maze to make sure our voice is heard.

"He's done an amazing job at the BHA and played a pivotal role in raising the profile of our industry with the Government. His leadership has been full-on."

Phil Hooper, corporate affairs director at Sodexo, worked with Bob when the company was called Gardner Merchant and later through the BHA's Contract Catering Forum which today is known as the Food and Service Management Forum.

He says: "I have to say that when he left Gardner Merchant to join the BHA he took on something that was a pretty poor outfit and really shook them up, grew its membership and increased its influence. There are not many parts of the hospitality industry that haven't been affected by Bob.

"He's a fantastic networker, he can eat for England and will happily turn up at breakfast, lunch and dinner to attend meetings with BHA members to hear their views on things."

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