Chris Gamm to join Springboard as chief executive

The Caterer editor Chris Gamm will join Springboard as chief executive in August, replacing Anne Pierce who retires after 23 years running the charity.

Gamm joined The Caterer in January 2018 and says Springboard, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2020, will play an important role in creating a sustainable future for the hospitality industry.

“As the industry rebuilds following the coronavirus crisis, it will continue to face a huge staffing challenge and has never needed Springboard’s work more; promoting hospitality as a great place to work, attracting talent to it and giving people the skills for a successful career,” he said.

“I look forward to working with operators and suppliers on some exciting projects in 2020 and beyond to showcase this amazing industry to the next generation of workers.

“It’s been a huge honour to lead The Caterer for the past two and a half years. It’s played a vital role supporting the hospitality industry for the past 142 years, never more so than the past few months during the coronavirus pandemic.”

Alastair Storey, Springboard’s chairman, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Chris to Springboard. I was hugely impressed with his vision for the future of the charity, strategy for delivering it and the dynamism he’ll bring to the role.”

Gamm is the second recent editor to leave The Caterer to head up an industry charity, after former editor and publisher Mark Lewis joined Hospitality Action as chief executive in 2017.

Clive Jacobs, chairman and founder of The Caterer's parent company Jacobs Media Group, said: “It’s a credit to The Caterer’s standing in the industry that two former editors are now leading hospitality’s two main charities, playing vital roles in supporting thousands of businesses and individuals around the UK each year.”