Sodexo UK and Ireland has appointed Sean Haley as regional chair, following the departure of Neil Murray, who leaves to pursue opportunities outside the group.

Haley takes on the new role, in addition to his current position as managing director for Service Operations, at a time of strong growth for Sodexo in the UK and Ireland.

Sean Haley joined Sodexo over four years ago as part of the acquisition of Atkins' asset management business in December 2011.

As MD for Sodexo’s Service Operations division, and previously as head of business development, Sean has played a critical role in supporting the transformation of the business, developing world-class infrastructure and creating the clear focus on growth necessary to deliver the company’s ambitious targets.

Sean has 28 years’ experience and an in-depth knowledge of both public and private sector outsourcing.

Sean is a strong supporter of Sodexo’s diversity and inclusion strategy, having chaired the award-winning ‘Generations’ workstream, one of six D&I workstreams  at Sodexo, which seeks to forge understanding and better working relationships between the different generations in Sodexo’s 34,000-strong workforce.

David Bailey, head of global development for Sodexo’s corporate services business takes over Neil Murray’s other role, as CEO of Sodexo UK and Ireland’s Corporate Services business.

David led the sale and deployment of global contracts, including GSK, Unilever, Astra Zeneca, Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Zurich, all of which are now top ten clients in the UK and Ireland. He will retain his head of global development role.

Joining Sodexo in 2004, David has held various senior operations and sales positions, including MD of Sodexo ILA pharmaceutical operations, MD of Corporate Services and global account director for the GSK account. David was a key and founding member in the formation of Sodexo Global Pharmaceutical Center of Excellence.

Sean Haley commented; “Sodexo has enjoyed consistent growth in the UK and Ireland market in the last few years. We continue to build our reputation for innovative services that improve quality of life for our clients and customers across both the private and public sectors, and are seeing growth as a result. We also continue to be seen as a leader in responsible employment practices, having made a series of commitments to our employees in areas such as the Living Wage and gender pay reporting, and I’m committed to ensuring this remains a focus.”

David Bailey said; “The UK and Ireland is a key market for Sodexo’s Corporate Services business and we are at the forefront of innovation and development of best practice in integrated facilities management. It’s an exciting time to take on this role and I’m delighted to be leading such a great team.”

Neil Murray joined Sodexo UK and Ireland in 2009 to head up Sodexo’s Corporate Services division. Under his leadership, the business has strengthened considerably and gained solid market positions, notably in integrated facilities management, winning some impressive contracts, particularly in the FMCG, pharmaceutical and financial services sectors.

He commented; “After seven years with Sodexo, it is the right time for me to move on. I have had a very fulfilling career with Sodexo and have enjoyed working with a great team of UK and international colleagues.”

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