Amadeus’ Kevin Watson recognised with a Midlands Director of the Year Award

Amadeus’ Managing Director, Kevin Watson, has been named 2020 Midlands Director of the Year in the Social Value and Sustainability Impact category, by the Institute of Directors.

Kevin was praised by the judges for pioneering the reduction of food waste within the events industry. After recognising the issue as one of the leading problems in the sector, Amadeus became the first catering company in the events arena to pilot the Winnow food waste scheme, installing software at the caterer’s International Convention Centre (ICC) venue. This technology, which monitors and weighs food wastage, has seen Amadeus reduce their food waste by a third, the equivalent of 40,800 meals a year.

Kevin also ensured that surplus pre-packaged food from the NEC didn’t go to waste by donating it to local individuals and community groups in need via food distribution service OLIO. Since July 2019, the equivalent of 10,000 portions of food have been saved from going to landfill, averting more than seven tonnes of Co2 emissions – equal to more than 1,100 laps of Birmingham’s ring road in a small family car.

Kevin Watson, Managing Director of Amadeus, commented: “It’s an honour to be recognised at the Institute of Directors Midlands Awards 2020. I am surrounded by a fantastic team and this is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Amadeus. 

“Amadeus caters for more than 10 million visitors each year, so we know that the way we manage our food waste has the ability to make a huge impact. Anything we can do to help the environment or even to help families put food on the table has the potential to make real positive changes within our communities.”

 The virtual awards ceremony celebrated the pinnacle of business leadership and excellence from across the Midlands, for the first time bringing together the East Midlands and West Midlands divisions of the Institute of Directors.