Delaware North Wins its First Foodservice Catey

Alison Gray, Delaware North’s human resources director in the United Kingdom, took home the HR Award at the 2014 Catey Awards, aimed at celebrating individuals, teams and businesses across the United Kingdom.

The highly sought after Catey is Delaware North’s first and includes mention of the company’s commitment to customer service through its GuestPath® initiative. The award is also significant given Delaware North’s growing UK operation that includes new stadium catering and food service accounts with Charlton Athletic FC and Fulham FC.

The October 2014 event featured more than 70 judges, each selected for his or her expertise in the industry. The judges praised Gray for the impact she has had on the business during her three years with Delaware North -- particularly what she has done to make sure associates feel motivated and valued.

“Alison is clearly an inspiring HR leader who has made a real impact within the organization,” said judge Emily Perry, a director with Humm Media. “The breadth of her role, success witnessed and stepping up in the absence of a managing director make her a worthy winner.”

“I like the way Alison places great emphasis on making people feel valued to come to work, because this is so important and rarely recognized,” added judge Julia Sibley, a chief executive at Savoy Educational Trust. “Secondly, the reward and recognition program within Delaware North’s GuestPath® initiative seems to be working really well and with really good statistics – reducing turnover from 37 percent to 21 percent.”