Our Executive Team

With decades of industry experience, our Executive Team steer our business.

And in a company that serves so many different markets, we’re fortunate that our Executive Team bring vast experience spanning a broad spectrum of sectors including retail, hospitality, finance, telecommunications, sports and leisure, professional services and even as owners of their own businesses. It’s the sort of experience that not only gives them a broader standpoint on the world of business, but a strong customer-led perspective so that we can best serve our clients.

Our Executive Team’s diverse backgrounds ensure we continually endeavour to deliver disruptive and creative solutions to the world of catering.

At the heart of our organisation lies an Executive Team based in Dublin and Belfast, which has been charged with leading the business and bringing its diverse sectors and vibrant people together to help Ireland grow.

Chris Chidley, Managing Director

Chris first joined Compass Group over 9 years ago and has worked across a variety of roles including concept development, supply chain and business development. As Managing Director for Compass Group Ireland, he brings 18 years industry experience to bear in driving the continued growth of the company.

At Compass Group, food is our business and the local community is our client base. Chris believes in putting customers first and shares our ethos of using fresh, locally sourced and sustainable produce to deliver bespoke packages carefully tailored to our customer’s needs.

Chris is a transformational business leader with a track record of implementing winning strategies for businesses. He has extensive experience in sustainable net growth, client relations, commercial turnaround and process management. Chris loves to work with people who share his passion and commitment to creating a best in class customer experience. That commitment is seen in his hands-on approach, as comfortable pulling pints behind the bar in the Aviva as he is agreeing food goals with a client.

A native of Worcester Chris & his family moved to Dublin to take up the role of Managing Director in January 2019. In Chris’ spare time he likes to golf, travel & spend time with his family.

Margaret Campbell, Business Director

Margaret joined Compass Group some 30 years ago, and has worked in nearly every aspect of our company – in the culinary field, as an Area Manager, Operations Director for Northern Ireland (a role she held for 10 years) – and now since January 2016, Business Director for the entire Irish Business.

As Business Director, Margaret is responsible for ensuring we never quit on delivering on our promises to clients – which through our high-performing teams is rarely a problem!

Margaret believes that understanding what is important to the customer and client is central to operational planning. And she works with this in mind to ensure our clients are always satisfied – if not delighted with the service we provide.

Margaret is passionate about delivering lasting solutions and developing long term partnerships with clients and her commitment always shines through.

Deirdre O’Neill, Head of Marketing

Deirdre is responsible for creating exciting retail offers and communications that drive sales and growth across our business and for our clients. She ensures that all marketing, print and online is relevant, exciting and jumps out to our customers. She regularly updates the culinary team on any new insights or trends across our business that can be showcased across the estate. In her role, she works closely with the culinary and nutrition teams to create tailored offers that are relevant, innovative, delivers real value and have a sparkle of panache!

Deirdre has 11 years’ experience in both the Food & Retail industry delivering game-changing marketing campaigns for FMCG leading companies. She recently joined our team at Compass to head up the marketing division, tasked with innovating our digital and brand communications. A highly creative individual, Deirdre places the consumer at the core of all brand activity.

Aisling Roughan, Head of Finance

Aisling joined Compass Group in 2014 as a Finance Business Partner before being promoted to the role of Head of Finance in 2018. She is responsible for managing all financial aspects of Compass Group’s Irish business ensuring robust financial information is the basis for all commercial decisions.

Aisling studied at UCC where she gained an honours degree in Nutritional Sciences before relocating to Edinburgh to pursue postgraduate studies in Dietetics. She then switched from the science of food to that of numbers, embarking ona career in finance. She has worked as a financial controller at a variety of sports venues, Murrayfield Stadium chief amongst them. This experience introduced her to the demands of high footfall, event-driven businesses with varied customer needs. After a decade in Scotland, Aisling returned to Ireland to work for Compass Group, where she combines an appreciation of quality food with her financial expertise.

Aisling loves the fast-paced, ever-changing nature of the food industry. Her focus on business excellence ensure that she is supporting our team with her expert financial analysis and always delivering value for clients.

Shay Kendrick, Culinary Director

With over 25 years of enviable gastronomic experience under his belt, Shay’s culinary skills are hard to beat. Inspired by the greats such as Marco Pierre White and local stalwart Kevin Thornton, Shay champions local, seasonal ingredients with a heavy emphasis on sustainability.

His experience in the kitchen has seen him work with the legendary Albert Roux, moving him to establish his very own Michelin Bib Gourmand rated restaurant before heading up the food revolution at Google. He’s an active member of Euro Toques, a former Chef Ireland competition winner and Chairperson for the EMEA Culinary Council.

The speed, pace and creativity of the kitchen is what drives him, along with a passion for developing the next generation of food obsessive superstars…

“To maintain our position as the #1 caterer of choice for food at work programmes across the Island of Ireland is my biggest focus. I want to build a strong sense of community within our culinary brigade and develop winning teams through high levels of ongoing development” – Shay Kendrick

Shay’s expertise includes:

Developing exciting new food concepts inspired by emerging trends
Hands on training & development
Creating & executing memorable food experiences

Ciara Murray, Strategic Partnership Director

Ciara is a catering management graduate with a strong background in sales and retail catering. She has 30 years’ experience in the hospitality and food service industry, 20 years’ of which have been with Compass Group with roles ranging from retail General Manager to Operations Manager and Sales Director for our Northern Ireland business. Today she is our Strategic Partnership Director.

Starting her career on the high street with a well-known market leading retailer, Ciara helped develop their café concepts across their UK and Ireland portfolio.

Ciara is a people’s person, helping us to build lasting relationships and winning strategies with our clients that deliver value and performance and retain business through first-class service delivery.

Correna McMullan, Head of People

Responsible for the People Strategy in Ireland, Correna is a hospitality management graduate and a long serving member of the local Compass Group UK & Ireland team.. Her role is to drive forward all people related initiatives that support the Ireland Business Strategy including our growth plans. The role covers the whole range of HR activities including talent attraction, development and retention, learning & development and engagement.

Correna is a real people person. Her goals is to support our management and frontline teams to have great days at work, and spends many an afternoon connecting with people over coffee and a macaroon.