BM promotes two joint MDs following departure of CEO Ian Thomas

Catering company BM has promoted Angus Brydon and Antony Prentice to joint managing directors, following the departure of chief executive Ian Thomas, who will be taking up another role within the WSH business.

Francois Gautreaux, BM’s UK managing director, will also be leaving the business "to pursue other interests".

Both Brydon and Prentice have worked for BM for more than 10 years. Brydon, who looked after the company’s London business, previously worked as operations director for Elior and food services manager at Compass. Prentice was responsible for BM’s business in the regions and previously worked as group performance manager for Restaurant Associates and general manager at Eurest.

Petra Belohoubkova has also joined the business as head of finance from another WSH company, Holroyd Howe. A qualified CIMA accountant with 10 years' experience gained in management accounting and business partnering roles, Petra has worked for global FTSE 100 business services companies such as Rentokil Initial, as well as UK-based companies Microchip Technology Inc and Cerulli Associates.

BM founder Wendy Bartlett said: “I’ve always believed that change is vital to the success of any business, so I’m excited by the opportunities these new appointments bring. I will continue leading BM to ensure we retain our culture and individuality. Both Angus and Antony have a great deal of experience and I am confident that this new senior team and flat structure are perfect to take us on our next part of the journey.

“Not only will this move give us more strength in depth, but it will also mean we will dedicate even more investment into the development of our teams.

“Both Antony and Angus know our business well and will offer a fresh perspective for the continued growth of BM. Most importantly, it will keep our fundamentally food ethos and our people at the core of our operations.

“I can’t thank Ian and Francois enough for what they have achieved. Francois has always been my rock and did so much to successfully steer our business through a decade of growth, building a solid team to succeed him for the future. Ian Thomas embraces all that we stand for and it’s a great opportunity for him within WSH to explore new challenges and advance his career.

“What I’m particularly delighted about is that, in joining WSH, we are able to create opportunities for the BM family for the future.”

Brydon said: “It is an immense privilege to be given the opportunity to lead BM with Antony and the rest of the senior leadership team. We are entering a new phase in the BM journey and I’m excited about the steps we will continue to take to live and reinforce our core values.”

Prentice said: “I am very excited about the future of BM and the opportunities to continue to grow from strength to strength. Both Angus and I are extremely proud of the teams we have supporting us and the amazing family culture we have at BM. We are honoured to be taking the lead in the next stage of the BM journey.”

Belohoubkova added: “I am very excited to be a part of a company with such strong values and am looking forward to helping strengthen BM’s commercial & financial positions.”

BM, formerly Bartlett Mitchell, was founded by Ian Mitchell and executive chairman Wendy Bartlett in 2000. The workplace catering company has been owned by Westbury Street Holdings (WSH) since 2020 and has 700 employees serving 40,000 customers across 90 clients in London, the Home Counties and the South-East.

Pictured (L-R): Angus Brydon, Wendy Bartlett, Anthony Prentice