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.
As an accomplished Operations Director, Emma Allen has accumulated fifteen years of experience in contract catering management. Her expertise extends across both the Business and Industry (B&I) sector and Independent Education sector, where she has worked with prestigious schools across the country.
Emma’s forte lies in overseeing large and small-scale mobilisations, collaborating closely with Heads and Bursars to continuously enhance catering offerings. She understands the importance of building strong partnerships with each school under her care, fostering a true sense of teamwork and camaraderie.
Passionate about people, Emma excels in creating and leading teams of skilled operators. She encourages the development of individual strengths within her team, fostering a vibrant and united working environment where personalities are celebrated.
In her spare time, Emma loves to travel, exploring the world with her husband and relishing long walks with their dog amidst the picturesque Cotswold countryside, which she calls home.
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.
Andrew Sullivan, an Operations Manager with an unwavering dedication to customer service and a profound love for food, began his career in luxury London hotels. With an innate ability to anticipate guests’ needs and a commitment to delivering exceptional experiences, Andrew quickly excelled in his craft.
Over the years, Andrew’s journey has seen him rise through the ranks in renowned hotels, lead a prominent events operation at one of the Great 12 Livery Companies, and manage provisions for distinguished law firms in London. However, it was within the realm of Independent Schools catering that Andrew discovered his true passion.
For five years, Andrew had the privilege of running the catering operation at one of the country’s leading independent schools. During this invaluable experience, he learned first-hand the priorities of the independent market and how to implement and balance the requirements of parents; with the budget from the school; along with an offer appealing to a wide demographic of children and staff; all the while retaining good nutritional values with strict allergy management to great effect.
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 recently 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.
Ian Sansum, Ben Donald and Simon Cook are our team of Culinary and Operations Support Managers, they assist our clients and teams in day to day delivery, helping to train staff and make sure standards are maintained.
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.