Owen Stanford wins first-ever ‘BM Family’ award at FOODIES
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Owen Stanford has been named as the first-ever winner of the ‘BM family’ award at the company‘s annual ‘FOODIES’ celebration.
Stanford received the award for the work he has done around mental health with the BM family and wider society, including offering support to colleges during the pandemic, alongside being on call for community-based search and rescue teams.
Stanford picked up the award alongside other notable winners on the night, including Francois Gautreaux, UK managing director, who picked up the founders’ award for his efforts to keep the business safe during what has been a challenging time for the sector.
Held in central London, more than 300 team members from across the BM business came together to celebrate the achievements of fellow team members.
The ‘FOODIES’, made up of more than 25 individual and team awards across 12 categories, were launched in 2017 to recognise the lengths at which team members go to in order to reinforce the company’s values.
Each category is endorsed by a board director and shortlists are developed following the submission of written nominations from BM family team members.
The winners are decided by an expert panel of judges made up of the CEO, executive chairman and the heads of department.
The full list of individual winners is below:
- Fundamentally food award – Tad Anjani, Head Chef
- Obsessive about our people award – Murray Soper, Talent and Team Manager
- Open and honest award – Alan Pack, Regional Chef Manager
- Dedicated to our customers award – Bernard Moray, Catering Manager
- Innovative in all we do award – Ewelina Borys, Catering Manager
- Entrepreneurial award – Petra Camara, Coffee Specialist
- Support you can trust award – Hannah Carmichael, Bid Writer
- Charity Champion award – Sunil Varma, Head Chef
- Yapster Hero – Kevin Macey, Executive Chef
- ED&I award – Gregory Hall, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- BM Family Superstar – Owen Stanford, Regional Chef Manager
- Perkee awards – Dominic Perry & Nerida Antoniou, Head Barista and General Manager
- The Founders Award – Francois Gautreaux, UK Managing Director
Wendy Bartlett, executive chairman of BM, said: “People make the difference to an organisation.
“Ian and I have long said that you can spend all the money you like trying to deliver quality, but in the long run, if you capture the hearts of your team with the same passion you have for your business, you will have the edge.
“The awards recognise that difference. We couldn’t be prouder of the impact that those recognised at the awards, and their teams, have on our business. They are the secret sauce of BM.
“We are forever grateful for their individual and team efforts.“
Stanford added: “It was a complete surprise and I was both humbled and surprised to be recognised, especially as we work with some great people within our business. It was an absolute honour.”
