Ian Meakins to replace Paul Walsh as Compass chairman

Ian Meakins has been appointed non-executive chairman and director of Compass, replacing Paul Walsh who announced his intention to leave in January after six years in the role.

Meakins, who previously held the position of group chief executive of Ferguson, Travelex and Alliance Unichem, will join the catering giant’s board on 1 September and take on the chairman position from 1 December, when Walsh formally departs.

He said: “It is a great honour to take on the role of chair at Compass. I look forward to working with Dominic [Blakemore, chief executive] and the executive team to drive forward the group’s strategy and ensuring that it continues to create significant value for all stakeholders."

Walsh added: “After almost seven years as chairman, with a strong and well-established chief executive in place, it is the right time for me to step down. Ian has deep experience of B2B and B2C companies and is an outstanding choice to succeed me. Compass is a world class business and it has been a privilege to serve as its chairman.”

Last month Compass reported a 54% Q3 reduction in organic revenue across Europe, with B&I contracts particularly hard hit by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Across the group's global portfolio, Q3 saw a drop in revenue of 44%, equating to a 14% drop for the year to date.