Meals, Deals and Quangos - The memoir of Sir Garry Hawkes

This May will see the publication of Sir Garry’s memoir which is a very personal, candid and thought provoking story which starts in post-war Yorkshire and literally travels the world.

There are many who will say that it was a different era and time which is, of course, is very true but as the debate often goes, one can only be as good as the period of time allows one to be and Gardner Merchant was a truly world class business over a long period of time; bringing together an exceptional team which really were progressive, before the term was even coined.

It is also easy to forget or dismiss the past but the story really is one all emerging leaders and established leaders should read. The company were forerunners for many of the great food service companies to follow over the last twenty years at the end of the day:

· Gardner Merchant really understood market segmentation and how to develop different strategies for each market

· One of their greatest strengths lay in communication and they created different communication strategies for each level. They worked hard and were highly innovative in their approach.

· They understood how to develop the business across the globe, which markets to enter and how to ensure there were strong pillars in place which would allow a region to develop.

· They were one of the very first companies to promote women to break the so called 'glass ceiling'. The same with BAME talent. They were miles ahead in their people strategies over other companies at that time.

However, their two strongest pillars were that:

· Sir Garry and the company understood the importance of growth mindsets and encouraging their people to want to learn and grow.

· That the business was all about people. Their investment in L&D was a role model for the industry. Kenley was a training centre which became a symbol of the company’s strength in its culture.

The counter argument is that we live in different times today where margins are under more pressure, that the market does not possess the same ability to grow organically. All true but still Sir Garry and the company built such a strong culture and leadership team which even today still holds sway and influence across the industry. This was an example of how a world class team came together to led a global company which did break new boundaries.

The story does make one reflect on what really allowed the company to be successful and why Sir Garry proved to be such a formidable leader.