Morag Freathy
, Compass B&I
Morag Freathy is that rare breed of inspirational leader with an ability to drive cultural change and deliver financial results, using both sides of the brain to achieve business success for Compass Business & Industry.
Hailing from a farming background, she combines a seemingly effortless ability to engage and galvanise everyone she meets, with a meticulous, forensic focus on finance that has made our business a powerhouse in the contract catering space.
As soon as she took charge, Morag set herself a clear challenge: to deliver financial and reputational growth by changing the culture of the business to focus on people and planet.
Importantly, she spotted early that Net Zero was not only morally right but key to business success; and our size, serving 4.7m meals a year, meant we had an opportunity to make a difference.
Driven by a plant-based revolution, we became the first UK contract caterer to promise Net Zero by 2030, including Scope 3 emissions. As a result, clients value our ability to support their own Net Zero journey.
If we wind back to 2017, when Morag arrived as MD for Eurest before leading Compass B&I in 2019, it was a different picture.
The business wasn’t performing well financially, morale was low and client relationships strained. All the talk was around finance, but Morag felt the proposition needed reviewing.
She decided to reflect on the brand’s essence; and since then, despite the pandemic, food inflation and shifting workplace trends, has overseen a remarkable change in culture that delivers on every level.
Fourteen senior leadership promotions in the last 12 months prove Morag’s commitment to support diversity and nurture talent.
Compass B&I is now delivering consistent growth, respected as a thought leader in how an outstanding food offer delivers health, wellbeing and sustainability benefits for our clients.
The statistics speak for themselves:
“Morag’s influence on Compass B&I has been outstanding, delivering excellent financial results and driving our health, wellbeing and sustainability goals.
When you consider we serve over 4.7m meals a year in our workplace restaurants, that represents a significant contribution to the health of our country and the future of our planet. Her accessible and inclusive leadership style has made her hugely popular with colleagues and clients and, when it comes to finance, Morag has a meticulous approach that aims to achieve value for money for our clients too. That combination of skills - together with a willingness to support innovation and forge strategic partnerships - makes her an impressive leader, worthy of Management Today’s Women in Leadership Power List.” - Robin Mills, Chief Executive Officer, Compass Group UK & Ireland.