James Stradling, Senior HSE Manager South & Restaurant Associates
James’s career journey started with a hospitality management apprenticeship at Compass Group in the late 1990s which saw him spending time in various operational and chef roles.
This is when he developed a keen interest in food hygiene and health and safety science which led him to successfully securing a traineeship sponsored by The Association of London Environmental Health Managers (ALEM). James went on to spend 12 years working for various local authority environmental health departments in London, regulating and advising a broad spectrum of businesses and members of public on matters relating to food safety, food standards, composition and labelling, health & safety, licencing, environment and public health. During this time, James also joined The Food Standards Agency taskforce during the London 2012 Olympics and policy steering group for The Food Hygiene Rating scheme.
Upon leaving local authority, James spent over 5 years heading up food safety and health & safety for two luxury hotel groups and an international restaurant group working with a range of celebrity chefs before returning to Compass Group in 2024.
James is qualified in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice and a member of The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. He also holds the NEBOSH Certificates in Occupational Health & Safety, Fire Safety and Construction Safety
In his spare time James loves to travel, attend music concerts and is a self-confessed foodie, he also volunteers for housing campaign groups.
Contact Email: James.Stradling@compass-group.co.uk
Contact Number: 07386 692822
Matt Webb - HSE Manager - Bank of America & Santander
My career has primarily been in hospitality, working for all the big contract catering companies from Aramark, WSH and off course Compass, as well as small caterers such as Bartlett Mitchell and Thomas Franks. With a wide range of hospitality experience from private members clubs, Livery halls, event caterers and corporate hospitality.
Since the pandemic I have moved into the role of HSE, with a wealth of operational experience as well as a good understanding of systems I have been well placed to support our clients at Bank of America and Santander.
Contact Email: matthew.webb1@bofa.com
Contact Number:0207 995 5622
Graham Pankhurst - Citigroup Project and Compliance Manager
Graham has over 35 years' experience in the catering industry. Born is Africa and with a degree in Hotel Management he moved to the United Kingdom after a period of travelling the world and started a career in contract catering. Having general managed various contracts, covid arrived his contract at the time closed and he was made redundant.
There followed a period of redefining his career, where he tried various jobs: cold calling for a solar panel maintenance company (only lasted a few days), SIA security guarding (lasted even less) and a much longer period working on a building site.
Luckily post Covid, Restaurant Associates called, and he rejoined the company on contract, remobilising several contracts and helping with management support. In 2023 he joined Citi contract on a permanent basis as Project Manager for the digital rollout and subsequently took on the roles of HSE compliance and vetting manager as well.
Contact Email: graham.pankhurst@compass-group.co.uk
Contact Number: 07761 502441
Jennifer Wood - EHS Manager - Google
Jennifer joined Compass in December 2024 as the EHS Manager for the UK&I @ Google, bringing over 29 years of experience in hospitality and retail, with 19 years dedicated to specialist EHS Management. Her expertise lies in cultivating positive health and safety cultures across diverse brands and regulatory environments. Those brancs have included Hilton, Novotel, Ibis (Accor), Soho House Festival, Dirty Burger, Chicken Shop, Pizza East, Electric Cinema, Cowshed, Soho Works (Soho House) and Ted Baker.
Beyond her professional life she will usually be found in a kitchen, garden or on her family's farm. Jennifer actively embraces the "field to fork" philosophy.
Contact Email: jennifer.wood@xwf.google.com
Contact Number:
Anthony O’Donnell – National HSE Manager RA Venues & Rapport
Anthony has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, beginning his career as a chef in professional kitchens before progressing into senior operational roles and, later, consultancy. He has extensive international experience across Ireland, the USA, Australia, and the UK, where he has worked across sectors including Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury hotels, education, and large-scale event catering.
Anthony has held senior consultancy roles, supporting clients in quick service restaurants (QSRs), hospitals, entertainment venues, luxury hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, and event catering. In these positions, he developed and implemented tailored health, safety, and food safety management systems suited to complex and diverse operational environments.
Anthony holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MSc in Financial Services. His professional qualifications include NEBOSH certifications in General Health and Safety and Fire Safety, a Level 4 Food Safety qualification, and a Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice. He is also a CertIOSH member, reflecting his commitment to maintaining high professional standards in occupational health and safety.
Outside of work, Anthony enjoys outdoor activities and watersports.
Contact Email: Anthony.ODonnell@restaurantassociates.com rodner@deloitte.co.uk
Contact Number: 07386 692822
Simona Acaru - National H&S Manager KPMG
My careers at Compass began in 2021 at the National HSE and Compliance Lead at Deloitte, overseeing all units across the UK and Northern Ireland in all aspects of HSE and supporting the Net Zero journey alongside the RA Managers.
Simultaneously with my Deloitte contract, in 2022, i also joined the Levy family, supporting the HSE Levy team during large sporting events at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Most recently, in 2024, I took on a new role as National Health & Safety Manager at KPMG, overseeing all sites in London and across the UK.
My dedication to Health & Safety has been recongised in my career at Compass notably when I received the Restaurant Associates UK Be a Star Award for Commitment to HSE in 2022. In addition to my NEBOSH and BRCGS qualifications, I bring a background in design engineering for steel construction, where I developed a keen attention to detail and a commitment to delivering all projects to the highest standards.
Outside of work, I most enjoy spending time with my family and engaging in outdoor activities as much as possible.
Contact Email: simona.acaru@kpmg.co.uk
Contact Number: 07860 316537
Elzbieta Szewczyk - HSE Manager - Morgan Stanley
Ela has worked for Compass since 2018, starting her journey with the company as Staff Dining Manager at Blackrock, after 18 years of working in food industry.
In 2019 she joined the team at City to support colleagues in UK and Ireland in HSE and HR areas as Operation Support Manager.
After productive five years at Citi, she moved into HSE Manager role for Morgan Stanley contract.
In her spare time Ela loves reading, visiting art galleries, and travelling, exploring new places and cultures.
Contact Email: elzbieta.szewczyk@morganstandley.com
Contact Number:
Simona Bianco - HSE Manager - Rocket & Grazing
Simona has over 15 years’ experience in the catering industry, starting her career in operational management before moving into health and safety consultancy.
Originally from Italy, she holds a degree in Law and is a TechIOSH member, currently working towards Chartered status.
Simona relocated to the UK to further her career in food operations, eventually stepping into safety consultancy roles with renowned organisations such as NSF and Food Alert. These positions gave her a wide-ranging view of the challenges faced by hospitality businesses and helped her develop a practical, people-focused approach to health, safety and compliance.
She now works as the Health, Safety & Environment Manager for Grazing and Rocket, where she brings together her operational background and consultancy experience to support safe, efficient, and legally compliant environments across multiple sites.
Simona is passionate about empowering teams to take ownership of health and safety through clear communication, sensible risk management, and a strong on-site presence. She believes safety should be built into the culture, not bolted on, and enjoys helping others understand how safety supports rather than hinders service excellence.
Contact Email: simona.bianco@restaurantassociates.co.uk