Trevor Annon, the founder and chairman of Mount Charles, Ireland’s largest independently owned foodservice and outsourced business support organisation, has been awarded the Outstanding Contribution award at the 2016 Janus Awards.
Organised by the Institute of Hospitality in Northern Ireland and known in the industry as the ‘Hospitality Oscars’, the Janus Awards celebrate the very best in professionalism throughout the entire spectrum of hospitality businesses.
Regarded as having changed the face of contract catering in Northern Ireland and as one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs, Trevor Annon formed Mount Charles back in 1988.
He had realised that a gap existed for a locally owned contract caterer to compete with the large UK-wide corporate catering organisations, concentrating on promoting local ownerships, local food and creating local employment opportunities.
Under Trevor’s leadership in the past 28 years Mount Charles has grown from an employee base of one to almost 2,000 employees across the UK & Ireland, and has diversified from being solely a contract caterer to a multiservice organisation with a turnover in excess of £30m, offering both contract and retail catering, cleaning, vending and security services.
Moving from the role of Managing Director to that of Chairman in 2013, Trevor remains an integral part of the business and is still fully involved on a daily basis with employees, clients and contracts alike.
His work has helped to develop the Group to the point where it is now a market leader with a client portfolio which includes many blue chip companies and organisations including Ulster University, Belfast Metropolitan College, South East Regional College, NI Science Park, Western Health Trust, Translink, Allen & Overy, Moy Park , Bombardier, Laganside Court, Titanic Belfast, Belfast International Airport, City of Derry Airport, Exeter International Airport, to name but a few.
Upon receiving the award, Trevor Annon said: “The Outstanding Contribution Award was the last of the evening. When the Chair of The Institute of Hospitality (NI) was explaining the criteria used by the panel to make this award, I was sitting at our table chatting to my colleagues. He then started to describe the background and credentials of this year’s appointee and it was only then it started to dawn on me who he was referring to. Glaring eyes and smiling faces started to look in my direction and eventually my name was announced. At this point my hands quite literally started to shake with disbelief and surprise. The next thing I remember was walking towards the stage to collect the award thinking ‘I did not see that coming, what am I going to say’; for anyone who knows me, I am not usually left short for words!
“I have been privileged to collect numerous awards on behalf of the company, but this was the first occasion in my career when I have been the recipient of an award. For the panel to honour me was a humbling experience, but I felt so proud that my peers within the industry considered me to be worthy of the award. It was also great that I could receive the award in the company of my colleagues and my wife Kate.”
Michael Cafolla from the Institute of Hospitality said: “The nominees for this year’s Outstanding Contribution had to meet predetermined criteria – they had to be innovative, progressive and driven, striving to achieve the very best for their organisations and for this industry, whilst also making a major economic impact.
“At the heart of their operations is their focus on and commitment to developing themselves, their people and their organisation. In doing this they raise the bar for the rest of the industry, ensuring it continues to flourish and grow. Trevor has not only met the criteria but has gone over and above for the industry and was a worthy recipient of the 21st Janus Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry.”
Managing Director of Mount Charles, Cathal Geoghegan added: “Trevor is a real champion for Northern Ireland and his contribution to the wider catering industry has been significant; we are delighted that this has been recognised by his peers at the Janus Awards.
“Not only has he created thousands of employment opportunities, he has placed a high value on all of those jobs. Testament to his leadership is the fact that a number of his colleagues have been with the company for more than 20 years, many of them working their way up the ladder to hold senior positions today.”
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