Independent catering company Accent Catering Services has strengthened its senior leadership team with two new appointments. Pierre Hermenault has been promoted internally to Executive Director of Operations, while Mark Crowe has joined the team as Culinary Director.
Hermenault initially joined Accent Catering as an operations manager in 2022, bringing experience from his previous roles in catering management with industry leaders Elior and Baxter Storey. Within just a year, he was promoted to Operations Director.
In collaboration with Ian Crabtree, Managing Director of Accent, Hermenault is now tasked with leading the operational aspects of the company’s portfolio, which includes primary, secondary, and independent school contracts, as well as business and industry (B&I) and retail contracts. His responsibilities encompass overseeing financial performance, food strategy, social engagement, and nutrition.
One aspect of his role is particularly close to his heart, as he explained: “Accent’s food ethos and emphasis on people are what drew me to join this business in the first place, so it is wonderful to have this opportunity to build on the special partnerships we already hold with clients and our teams. I am also eager to support people in the business to reach their full potential in their careers and lives as we have some fantastic talent.”
Ian Crabtree, Managing Director of Accent Catering said: “To have home-grown talent promoted from within is a great advantage as Pierre’s vision and ethos are already aligned with our relationship-centred approach. His passion and genuine interest in people and his love of food shine through, reflected in the fact that he is out in the business most days a week.”
A shared passion for good food unites Hermenault and Accent, and he collaborates closely with the new Culinary Director, Mark Crowe, to promote and enhance the company’s fresh food ethos and commitment to seasonality.
Accent’s second appointment is external, with Mark Crowe joining as Culinary Director. Reporting to Ian Crabtree, he will be responsible for upholding the company’s high culinary standards and innovative approach, focusing on recipe and menu development, sustainability, and nutrition across Accent’s expanding portfolio of education and B&I contracts.
Crowe brings over 25 years of experience across various sectors of the industry, including five-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK and France, as well as contract catering and corporate hospitality.
Before joining Accent Catering, he spent the last sixteen years as a Strategic Development Chef at Elior.
Ian Crabtree said: “Mark is a highly respected industry professional who is culturally the right fit with our food ethos and quality-driven approach. We are thrilled to have him on board and look forward to seeing him grow into his new role and make it his own.”
These recent investments in Accent Catering’s leadership team underscore the company’s strategic plans, as Ian explained: “Our focus on food and people remain at the heart of what we do. These values were clearly at the centre of Pierre and Mark’s thinking too and will ensure we remain a leading player in the markets we operate. Coupled with our focus on a nutritionally balanced food offer, we are constantly looking at ways to inspire our customers to make healthier choices by connecting them to real food, locally sourced and cooked from fresh. Pierre and Mark’s passion and enthusiasm will ensure we continue to develop and innovate at a market leading pace.”