Palmer & Howells, specialist independent school and workplace caterer, has appointed Sharon Linney as National Director of Operations.

Sharon is highly passionate about the hospitality industry, having studied hotel and catering management. Sharon started her career as a Graduate Trainee, working for the Inner London Education Authority in the education catering department. Sharon quickly progressed, gaining valuable experience along the way in operations, catering development, and training.

Moving on to the commercial world of contract catering to Aramark UK where she stayed for many years gaining experience and further development. Sharon enjoyed working in operational audit, compliance and operations management – which is where her passion truly lies.

More recently, Sharon has worked for CH&CO, firstly as an Operations Director in its successful London Vacherin business, being part of the team when this business enjoyed significant growth; and latterly as Director of Operations, UK, successfully leading its independent schools business. Sharon was voted amongst the Top 50 women in UK foodservice in 2022 by The Association of Catering Excellence (ACE).

Commenting on her appointment, Sharon Linney said: “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to join the senior leadership of Palmer & Howells to drive excellence through its talented team to deliver an exceptional service for clients, workplace employees, pupils and parents; ensuring we serve consistently appetising, modern and healthy food which is freshly prepared, bursting with flavour and locally and ethically sourced.”

Jeremy Alderton, Managing Director of Palmer & Howells, said: “We are excited to welcome Sharon to the team. She has successfully worked at Operations Director level for over 15 years, combining her energy, experience and deep passion for client relationships, team development, charity partnerships, coaching and mentoring, together with an enthusiasm for food innovation and service excellence, resulting in strong contract retention.”

Sharon joined/joins Palmer & Howells in early March and will foster innovation to grow the business while upholding its commitment to create seasonal menus featuring fresh and tasty ingredients responsibly sourced from local and regional suppliers – a testament to supporting the local economy and reducing its carbon footprint.

Sharon lives with her husband Nigel and has two sons and two daughters.