Craig Nightingale has been announced as the new Managing Director for Bunzl Catering & Hospitality Division that includes Bunzl Catering Supplies, Lockhart Catering Equipment, Tri-Star Packaging Supplies, AGGORA, and Enviropack.
Craig succeeds Helen Cockerham who retired earlier this year, and brings over 30 years’ experience into the role, 20 of which have been at Bunzl. Since joining from Huhtamaki as European Sales Manager in 2004, Craig has held numerous roles within the group including MD of Keenpac, Group MD, and most recently, Divisional Managing Director of Bunzl Retail Division in the UK.
Speaking of his appointment, Craig enthused:
“I worked within the catering and hospitality division for over 5 years when I first joined Bunzl, and it is a sector that I have a particular love for. After being in the role just a matter of weeks, I can honestly say it is fantastic to be back and I can’t wait to work alongside the leadership team and re-engage with some of our major customers. I worked with Helen for many years and we have a lot in common including our customer first mentality which dictates that we provide a great service to both our customers and suppliers.”
Mark Lombard, Managing Director of Lockhart Catering Equipment commented:
“Having someone of Craig’s calibre as Managing Director of the Catering and Hospitality Division is particularly important. Craig brings a wealth of knowledge and experience which will be extremely beneficial for the team as well as our customers. I would like to welcome Craig to the role and wish him every success, whilst also thanking Helen for over 30 years of dedicated service to Bunzl and wish her all the best in her retirement.”
As well as supporting customers and continuing to grow the division, there are many items already on Craig’s focus list, with sustainability and new product innovation a key part:
“Sustainability is key for all customers, so we need to make sure that we are totally aligned with their needs. This is not just from a product perspective, but our entire carbon footprint and we are already making some significant inroads in this direction in tandem with our suppliers. In addition, bringing product innovation to the market is imperative – there are a lot of challenges within the hospitality industry and being able to provide a solution and something different that genuinely assists the customer is crucial.”
