Leanne Findley, account manager for the aviation business for Sodexo was announced as the overall winner in front of 250 guests at the association’s annual summer event.
Ming Lai, national account manager KPMG, Restaurant Associates and Emma Langford, people manager at Lexington Catering were both highly commended.
Paul Hurren, chair of ACE, said: “When I became ACE Chair one of my aims was to put young people in the spotlight, as they are the future of our industry and I believe we should champion young talent at every opportunity.
“These awards are just one aspect of our work to involve the next generation. I know Robyn Jones would be delighted that she is still shining the spotlight on the stars of contract catering.”
The ACE Robyns Award, sponsored by Troika, was created by the ACE committee in memory of Robyn Jones OBE, founder of CH&Co, who sadly died in September 2015.
Through the new awards ACE aims to recognise up-and-coming talent in all aspects of contract catering, from chefs to marketers and from butlers to business development staff.