Elior UK has celebrated the achievements of its star employees during a glittering awards ceremony at the AMEX stadium, home of Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Elior Awards, hosted by TV presenter Kate Thornton, recognised the achievements of individuals from across all divisions and regions of the business – from chefs and managers, to communications staff and catering managers.

Arran McDowell, HR director, Elior UK, explains: “At Elior it’s the whole experience that matters – delivering joy, pleasure and service with a smile.  Our employees are at the heart of what we do and without them we couldn’t provide such a great experience to our customers.

“These awards are all about recognising the people at the grass roots of the business and are made even more meaningful because the winners have been nominated, and voted for, by their peers.  We have one of the lowest levels of staff turnover in the industry and one of the reasons for this is because we recognise the hard work, dedication and talents of our staff.”

Eleven employees were honoured on the night including Ethan Dewitt-Bukater, catering manager, Tesco Skegness. Ethan took home the Customer Service Awards thanks to his personal dedication to providing the best possible customer service.  The passion demonstrated in encouraging others to deliver excellence on sites was also commended.

Rachael Clarke, site manager, News International was awarded Star Site for her exceptional food innovation, financial performance and ongoing CSR initiatives.  Rachael was praised for investing in and developing her team to deliver exceptional customer service, and enhancing the whole customer journey at News International.

The evening’s 240 guests were treated to a performance by dance act Flawless, and mini-concert from Cystic Fibrosis sufferer Bianca Nicholas, who benefited from Elior’s Charity of the Year, The Starlight Charity.

Each of the eleven winners were presented with a trophy from Kate Thornton and Elior chief executive Tim Hammond and awarded an all expenses paid trip of a lifetime to Las Vegas.