The Mount Charles Group, Ireland’s largest indigenous food service and business outsourcing company, has announced the appointment of Leann Duffy as Group Director of Catering.

Leann joins the company from Marks & Spencer Plc, where she spent 3.5 years in various roles including Head of Hospitality Operations in Ireland, ending in her most recent role as Head of Bakery Operations for their in-store hospitality department, managing 530 units across the UK and Ireland. Prior to this she was the Ireland Manager for Compass Group.

Her new position, which is an integral part of the Mount Charles senior team, will include responsibility for the company’s extensive portfolio of catering, beverage and vending operations.

Leann said: “I’m really looking forward to the challenge of this new role with the Mount Charles Group.

“It’s a homegrown, local company that prides itself on offering a personal, tailored service and that’s something that really appealed to me, as it’s unique in a marketplace crowded with large multinational firms.

“In my role as Group Director of Catering I’ll be leading business development, strategic planning, and team management across the division, but ultimately my goal is to further grow the catering division and improve our offering for clients.”

Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of the Mount Charles Group said: “Our catering division has gone from strength to strength in the last 12 months and we’ve secured a number of major new contracts, so the timing of this appointment couldn’t be better, particularly as we seek to reach an ambitious growth target of 20% for this division in 2016.

“Leann has a proven track record in the industry and she will be a great addition to our senior team. With her experience I’m confident that we can further develop our services, continue to grow our catering division and push standards even higher.”

Leann is just one of a number of new recruits joining the Mount Charles Group as part of the company’s ongoing expansion plans.

Amanda Costello-Harris has been appointed as Health, Safety and Environmental Officer, Angela Maguire has joined the company as an Area Manager to the Contract Catering Services Division and Barry McLean has joined as Procurement & Compliance Officer.

For more information on the Mount Charles Group visit www.mountcharles.com