Williams Refrigeration’s Malcolm Harling scoops FEA’s Outstanding Contribution Award

Williams Refrigeration’s sales and marketing director Malcolm Harling has won this year’s Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) and The Caterer Outstanding Contribution to the Catering Equipment Industry Award.

The trophy was presented last night (21 November) at a gala dinner that was the culmination of the FEA Conference 2024, held at the Leonardo Hotel and Conference Venue Hinckley Island in Leicestershire.

Tim Smith, chief executive of Williams’ parent company AFE Group, handed the trophy to Harling and praised him for his “extraordinary skills, dedication and contribution”.

“I’ve known Malcolm for 25 years and I remain enormously proud to be working alongside him,” he said. “He’s someone who encourages and supports colleagues, unfailingly. He’s also been a terrific supporter of, and ambassador for, FEA. He’s still hard at work for FEA, as chair of the refrigeration product group forum. He’s been a huge advocate of many of FEA’s initiatives, particularly Certified Food Service Professional and the Foodservice Carbon Professional accreditations. He’s given no less than 23 years’ service to the association – and he’s not stopped yet!”

Harling’s 45-year career took him from training to be a chef to stints on the cruise ship P&O Oriana as a steward to working as a footman at Buckingham Palace, during which time he met the late Queen and US president Ronald Reagan. As a qualified chef, Harling worked all over the globe, from Zurich to Sydney, before making the switch to the foodservice equipment sector in the early 1990s.

He said: “Thank you very much for this honour. In our industry there are great opportunities wherever you go, be it front or back of house, reception, HR or whatever. I’ve been privileged to work with a lot of really good people.”

Harling was joined onstage by his wife Mandy and sons Richard and Simon, the latter of which made a surprise trip over from his home in Los Angeles.

Earlier in the night, the Apprentice of the Year Award, sponsored by John Gilbert, was won by Tyler Speight at kitchen house Advance Group, who was recognised for undertaking great learning and professional development. Thomas Hamid from catering equipment distributor Airedale Group and James Rainey from cooking appliance manufacturer Falcon Foodservice Equipment were highly commended in this category.

The first honours of the night were the Chair’s Awards, presented by newly-elected FEA chair Emma Brooks. The awards recognise individuals and organisations whose distinguished service has enhanced the foodservice equipment industry. The winners comprised: Simon Frost, managing director, Hoshizaki UK; Kirstin Hatherley-Bramwell, managing director of Hatherley Commercial Services and current chair of CEDA; Steve Hobbs, director, Grande Cuisine; Erik Mul, technical product manager, ACO; Malcolm Skinner, managing director, Marren Microwave; and Lord Trefgarne, FEA’s patron.

At the conference’s informal dinner on 20 November, industry fundraisers were rewarded with the FEA Charitable Endeavour Awards. Unox scooped the company category victory for the Moving Mountains for Mental Health challenge, which saw a 25-strong team carry a 140kg, 10-grid Cheftop-X oven up Ben Nevis. The feat raised more than £23,000 for the Burnt Chef Project.

Lockhart Catering Equipment won the team category for raising more than £7,000 for the Duchenne muscular dystrophy charity, while the group honour went to Mark Sumner for a Foodservice Elevated & Accelerated by Specialist Talent (FEAST) charity football match which raised more than £3,000 for the Milly-Rose Stirrup Foundation.

Marston’s property director, Andy Kershaw, was rewarded in the individual category for participating in a team that cycled 340 miles from London to Paris, raising £14,000 for the Marston’s Charitable Foundation and the Sam Myatt Memorial Fund.

Image courtesy Adam Hollingworth Photography