My Graduate Scheme Experience, by Compass Group's Charles Greenough

Charles Greenough, Food and Beverage Duty Manager at Levy UK + Ireland at Chelsea Football Club shares his experience joining Compass Group's graduate scheme.

I am originally from a little village in the countryside in Doncaster, I made a short move to Leeds Beckett University where I graduated in 2017 after studying Sport Business Management, and this was a great opportunity to gain real-world leadership skills. I have always been passionate about travelling and seeing new exciting places, I did not want regret the chance after finishing my degree, so I saved every penny I had, working a sales insurance job back home to be able to have the fantastic opportunity to explore the world with my closest mates, living in Australia for a year and visiting a lot of countries in South East Asia after. This was great to meet people, taste great food and really enjoy life.

I wanted to build upon my brilliant time away and take advantage of my degree with a graduate scheme which would open doors, offer a structured learning pathway, with great opportunities. I was fortunate enough to move to London for my first placement at the exciting O2 Arena with Levy UK our dedicated sport/leisure catering sector. My first placement was a great chance to understand the working culture of Compass, the enthusiasm and energy to deliver great service. And importantly to understand how support is readily available from a team who have a wealth of hospitality knowledge. The variety of experiences I was exposed to including the Brits, ATP World Tour and placements with Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea FC and England RFC, was a chance to learn how to communicate and build a rapport with a network of contacts. I am sure one day you will the opportunity to be part of these great events. In terms of leadership skills, I was able to manage my own team across various front of house environments, understanding how to engage, respect and motivate others to deliver exceptional service to the client and the customers. 

I moved to work with Medirest, our dedicated healthcare sector, helping to mobilse a contract with the NHS UCLH in Central London. This opportunity allowed me to take ownership of managing several priorities, working closely with different suppliers and meeting important deadlines to achieve project success. It also demonstrates the wide variety of choice available within Compass, and how varied each role can be, and the opportunity to develop across all different kinds of environments you would not think you would be involved in previously. I stayed within Healthcare after this placement working at London Bridge a private hospital, it was amazing to see their offering of food choices and the expectations and bespoke hospitality of patient care in a private hospital.

My final rotation was helping the recruitment drive with Chartwells University within London and the South East Coast, this was brilliant as it offered the chance to learn/develop skills away from Operations, and like each of my placement I was given the opportunity to connect with senior members within the sector.

And now I have arrived at Chelsea Football Club working the role as a Duty Manager for almost 2 years, covering huge match-day operations and catering for well recognised companies at Stamford Bridge. It has been a great role so far, it’s brilliant to use the experiences of the graduate scheme to lead teams and be confident in my role. Although I am no longer classed as a graduate, I still feel supported and learning so much every day!