Compass CEO among 6 killed in Sydney seaplane crash
MELBOURNE: The chief executive officer (CEO) of Compass Group Plc, the world’s biggest catering firm, and four of his close family members were among the six people who died when the seaplane they were travelling in crashed into Sydney river on New Year’s Eve.
Richard Cousins, 58, chief of the British-based catering and food services giant, died alongside Emma Bowden, 48, Heather Bowden, 11, Edward Cousins, 23, and William Cousins, 25, according to Detective Superintendent Mark Hutchings from the New South Wales Police.
The pilot, Gareth Morgan, 44, also died in the crash.
Australian media reports identified the victims as the CEO’s two sons, his fiancee and her daughter.
Cousins had been due to retire on March 31.
Compass said the new chief executive, Dominic Blakemore, had now started his new role yesterday, instead of April 1 as originally planned.
Compass, with annual turnover of almost £23 billion (RM126 billion), employs around 550,000 people around the world providing food services to schools, the armed forces and office workers.
Blakemore has worked at Compass since 2012 with roles as both finance director and head of the group’s European operations.
Compass chairman Paul Walsh said: “Richard was known and respected for his great humanity and a no-nonsense style that transformed Compass into one of Britain’s leading companies.”
Cousins, who led Compass over the past 11 years, was due to step down in March. It followed his decision to quit his role of senior independent director of supermarket giant Tesco.
He has been widely credited with turning the company’s business around and making Compass into one of the Financial Times Stock Exchange’s bestperforming firms.
Cousins had also been named as one of the world’s best-performing CEOs by Harvard Business Review. Reuters