Richard Cousins chief executive of Compass Group has died in a tragic New Year’s Eve seaplane crash near Sydney, his two sons, fiancée and her daughter were also on board.
The Australian pilot of the seaplane was also killed.
Earlier this morning Compass Group put out the following statement:
It is with deep sadness that we can confirm that our Group Chief Executive, Richard Cousins and four members of his close family have died in a plane accident in Australia on 31 December 2017.
Paul Walsh, Compass Group Chairman, said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this terrible news. The thoughts of everyone at Compass are with Richard’s family and friends, and we extend our deepest sympathies to them.
“It has been a great privilege to know Richard personally and to work with him for the last few years. Richard was known and respected for his great humanity and a no-nonsense style that transformed Compass into one of Britain’s leading companies.”
Cousins, was highly respected in foodservices as well as being held in very high regard in business across the City of London. He was due to retire as Compass chief executive in March and from the group in September.
Born in Yorkshire Cousins grew up in Leeds and started work at Cadbury-Schweppes in 1981.
His role will be taken forward by Dominic Blakemore, chief operating officer for Compass Group Europe.
Compass Group plc is a British multinational contract foodservice, cleaning, property management and support services company headquartered in the Compass House in Chertsey, Surrey. Compass Group is the largest contract foodservice company in the world and has operations in over 50 countries. Compass Group serves around 4 billion meals a year in locations including – offices and factories, schools, universities, hospitals, major sports and cultural venues, mining camps, correctional (prison) facilities and offshore oil platforms.