Elior UK has announced the promotion of Charlotte Wright to director of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and food strategy. Charlotte has played a key role in embedding sustainability into the core of Elior’s business and culture and her leadership was instrumental in the company’s recent winning of the CSR award at the Contract Catering Awards, recognising Elior’s outstanding achievements in environmental and social responsibility.
In her expanded role Charlotte will lead both the CSR and food strategy to ensure that the company not only delivers the highest quality food but also meets its near-term Net Zero and carbon reductions targets for 2030. Charlotte will lead a talented team that includes the newly appointed food development director, CSR manager, head of nutrition, and head of menu development.
This change reflects Elior’s continued commitment to placing sustainability at the heart of everything they do. Focusing on data led decision making, menus can respond to specific customer needs, all while carefully balancing the increasing demand for healthier and sustainable menu options.
As a committed member of the UN Global Compact since the early 2004, Elior integrates sustainability and social responsibility into all its operations. Under Charlotte’s leadership, the company has delivered several impactful initiatives, including:
- A Lifetime of Enrichment – an initiative designed to deliver measurable social value across all age ranges, inspired by the 28,835 days in an average lifetime. By 2025, Elior aims to contribute 28,835 days of social value and is currently over 83% towards achieving it goal, with 24,165 of the 28,835 targeted days of social value already delivered.
- Tackling Food Waste – this key priority has been supported by the development of an award winning in-house solution called Footprint Reporting Assistant (FRA), designed to help achieve the goal of a 50% food waste reduction by 2030. This tablet-based app simplifies data entry and integrates seamlessly with menu management systems to calculate waste costs and weight automatically. It has already achieved a 30% reduction in food waste this year. This solution won ‘best food waste reduction’ at last year’s Waste2Zero awards.
- Water Unite Partnership – for every bottle or can of water sold across company sites, a donation is made to Water Unite. To date over £100,000 has been raised, supporting water sanitation and recycling projects across East Africa.
- Annual Charity Dinner and Fundraising – the annual charity dinner raised £30,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society. Over the past years, through its partnership with the Alzheimer’ Society, the company has surpassed its £100,000 fundraising target and has also trained a network of Dementia Friends to promote awareness amongst colleagues and create a supportive environment.
- CSR Reporting – a new CSR dashboard was introduced which allows for greater transparency and engagement by displaying central and site-specific date on carbon footprint, food waste and plastic usage, enhancing monthly discussions between operational team and clients.
- Green Force – a network of 170 active members that drive positive environmental and social practices. Since 2023, Green Force has delivered 12,832 volunteer and social value days through impactful activities including beach cleanups, community gardening, and volunteering at Ronald McDonald House and community kitchen, Refettorio Felix.
- Eco-Points and Just One Tree – this sustainability-focused loyalty scheme rewards eco-conscious dining choices. For every ten eco-points earned through low-carbon meal purchases, Elior plants a tree in partnership with Just One Tree. This initiative has increased sustainable meal choices and contributed to global reforestation efforts.
- Carbon Labelling Partnership with University of Cambridge – to assess the impact of carbon labelling, Elior conducted a trial in partnership with Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. The trial showed a 1.5% shift from meat to vegetarian choices and a 1% increase in the selection of lower-carbon dishes.
In her new role, Charlotte will also oversee Elior UK’s new three-year charity partnership with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the UK-based charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with food allergies. Founded in 2019, it was established by Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse in memory of their 15-year-old daughter Natasha, who tragically passed away from an allergic reaction to a sandwich containing undeclared sesame seeds. Natasha’s death highlighted the urgent need for better allergy awareness and clearer labelling of allergens for people with life-threatening allergies. Commencing the partnership in January of this year, Elior has committed to raising £100,000 for the charity by the end of 2027.
Commenting on her promotion and the company’s sustainability achievements, Charlotte said: “I am incredibly proud of the work we have done to embed sustainability into our business and this award is a testament to our collective efforts in driving meaningful change.
“I am exciting to take on this expanded role and to continue our journey towards Net Zero while ensuring our food strategy aligns with our commitment to quality, responsibility and innovation.”
Justin Johnson, HR Director at Elior UK, said: “Charlotte is an invaluable asset to Elior who has embraced opportunities to have a positive impact on our business and the communities we serve.
“Charlotte’s contributions to our CSR activity has been transformative and I am sure that she will bring the same success to our food strategy ensuring that Elior is at the forefront of innovation and food development whilst at the same time meeting our sustainability goals.”
