People are at the heart of what we do.
There’s no doubt in our minds that our people help to make the difference to your service every day. We believe in inspiring and motivating our people to outperform your expectations. Our passionate and committed teams always work hard to ensure we deliver on the promises made to our clients, we never stop looking at new ways to excite and educate through our fresh food.
Our commitment and perseverance keep us focused, impassioned, fresh and a company people want to work with and for.
Your senior & support team
Jeremy Alderton is a seasoned Managing Director with a genuine passion for the hospitality business. With a classical craft background and extensive experience working in restaurants and five-star hotels, Jeremy’s career has been driven by his love for food and dedication to excellence.
Throughout his journey, Jeremy has held various leadership positions across the UK and Ireland, making significant contributions to the growth of a number of companies. Jeremy’s exceptional leadership skills have always been guided by his desire to see people thrive and succeed under his mentorship.
When he’s not leading his team to new heights, Jeremy enjoys spending time with his wife Sarah and their three grown-up boys, as well as keeping up with their energetic spaniel named Dave. Based on the Hampshire/Berkshire border, Jeremy continues to inspire and drive the culinary industry forward.
Introducing Sharon Linney, our esteemed National Director of Operations, whose unwavering passion for the hospitality industry has been a driving force throughout her career. With a solid foundation in hotel and catering management, Sharon embarked on her professional journey as a Graduate Trainee at the Inner London Education Authority’s education catering department. Through dedication and determination, she swiftly ascended the ranks, accumulating valuable expertise in operations, catering development, and training along the way.
Sharon’s career path led her to excel in the dynamic realm of contract catering, where she immersed herself for numerous years, continually seeking growth and development opportunities. Her fervour for operational audit, compliance, and operations management shines brightly, reflecting her dedication to excellence in every endeavour.
Recognized for her outstanding contributions, Sharon was honoured among the Top 50 Women in UK Foodservice in 2022 by ACE, a testament to her remarkable leadership and influence within the industry. Beyond her professional pursuits, Sharon finds joy in family life, residing with her husband Nigel and their two sons and two daughters.
Valentina De Pascale, the Head of Nutrition, discovered her passion for nutrition during her formative years, surrounded by wisdom and food traditions at her grandmother’s kitchen table in Italy. This early fascination blossomed into a dedicated career centred around helping others through the power of nutrition.
Valentina has spent the past decade coaching nutrition and specialising in sports nutrition strategies. She has worked with a wide range of clients, collaborating with prominent businesses in the sports industry. Alongside her nutrition pursuits, Valentina has also excelled in endurance sports, managing her career while sharing her expertise with others.
Renowned for her ability to diagnose physical and nutritional issues and create tailor-made solutions, Valentina is highly regarded in the endurance sports community. Her true passion lies in empowering individuals to become the best versions of themselves through the combination of nourishing food and cultivating a resilient mindset. During her leisure time, Valentina immerses herself in swim-bike-run training, preparing for her next Ironman race. She also delights in the joys of cooking and travels to Italy, where she finds inspiration and connection to her roots.
John brings almost 40 years of experience in restaurants, hotels, banks and schools. He has cooked for the President of Ireland, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. His unmistakable passion for outstanding food and creativity shapes our menus and inspires our teams to deliver the very best food and service, every day.
Lynne Hetherington, an Operations Manager with a background in Hospitality, is passionate about food and service. She developed her love for food and hospitality in South Africa, thanks to her British-born grandfather who owned a butchery. Lynne, a qualified chef and hotelier, has worked in renowned hotels, prestigious golf clubs, resorts, and restaurants.
Starting her career as a Unit Manager, Lynne quickly advanced to Area and Operations Manager, running a large events company and a bespoke bistro. Her success and experience in catering and business led her to manage key contracts in the Business and Industry sector, including international ones. Lynne has been recognised for her accomplishments and excels in delivering great food from top sources.
Lynne also enjoys travelling and exploring new culinary delights and cookery skills. She joined the education sector, managing contracts across Greater London and catering to diverse needs. She has a keen interest in nutrition and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Lynne relocated to Surrey with her husband and two adult children and loves playing sports like golf, mountain biking, and water sports whenever possible.
Kathryn Dockerty, our Business Development Manager has joined us to deliver and drive Palmer & Howells forward. Focussing on growth and client retention, Kathryn creates a fantastic repour and relationships with our clients helping to promote the wonderful work Palmer & Howells delivers to its clients.
Ben Donald, is one of our Culinary and Operations support manager. He helps deliver our day to day standards to our clients and customers as well as helping Ryan develop new food trends and standards to drive the business forward.
Simon Cook, is one of our Culinary and Operations support manager. He helps deliver our day to day standards to our clients and customers as well as helping Ryan develop new food trends and standards to drive the business forward.
Sophie Chater Communications Manager – Sophie is responsible for our communications to both parents and pupils as well as our internal communications, keeping our teams up to date.
Andrea Walton Head of Marketing – Andreas’ role is to support our clients marketing needs, with her design team she will support and advise on events and signage, to make sure we are engaged with pupils and parents.
Lynn Darling Sales Support – Lynn is our sales support for new clients, being the liaison between our clients and teams. Lynn will aid in new client mobilisation and help guide our teams on delivery.
Lisa Dimelow Human Resources Business Partner – Lisa deals with our TUPE of new clients and staff as well as aiding in the day-to-day running of our HR needs, Lisa will work with the teams to make sure they are happy and developing within their roles.
Jamie – Executive Chef JAG’s School
Jamie is one of our Executive Chefs at JAG’s School, he has been with Palmer & Howells for just over a year and in that time has really helped us develop our food strategy. Working with us at the recent ISBA conference Jamie helped to showcase our new ‘focus on five’ food strategy, bringing in five key focuses which we promote in every one of our schools.