LEADERSHIP  EXCELLENCE  AWARDS  2020
This year's virtual Executive Leadership Council (ELC) meeting concluded with an awards program recognizing the contributions of ELC members, and in several cases the teams they represent, over the past year. The virtual format of the event reflected the dramatic changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world and on our business, and many of this year's winners were recognized in connection to their leadership of the company's response to the crisis.
Members of the Executive Leadership Team presented the awards in four categories, followed by Aramark's most distinguished honors – the Neubauer Award (featuring a special guest presenter) and the prestigious Davidson Cup.

People Leadership

Winners in this category are exemplary leaders who strive to build a high-performance culture, value Diversity and Inclusion, and are passionate about attracting and developing the best talent.
  • Brent Hardin, RVP, Sports & Entertainment
  • Jim Frost, President, Refreshment Services
  • Amna Shoro, HR VP, International
  • Trevor Ferguson, Field President, Higher Education 

Growth Leadership

Winners in this category contributed in the areas of new sales, base business growth and retention.
  • Scott Beer, RVP, Facilities
  • Uniforms Growth Team, including Ryan Flaherty, Sheri Pelish and Gunnar Andersen
  • Thomas Bruett, Managing Director of Operations, Germany 

Financial Leadership

Winners in this category deliver on their Financial goals for their business or functional area.
  • Shannon Heard, RVP, Healthcare
  • Andrew Steiner and Art Wake, Presidents, Canadian Linen and Aramark Uniform Services
  • Jim Tarangelo, SVP, Finance
  • Yudith Rosen, Vice President, BISE Operations, Chile 

Staff Excellence

Winners in this category are functional leaders who are viewed as a critical partner and have helped the business meet its goals through their key contributions.
  • Aramark Response Committee (ARC), including Ash Hanson, Tamsin Fast, Sanjeev Midha, Allan Fernandes, Autumn Bayles, Ed Hanko, Karen Cutler, Melissa Merkel, Baker Smith, Paul Sizer and Ron Mesaros
  • Chris Havener, VP, Legal
  • Erin Duclos, VP, Human Resources & Talent Management
  • Paul Sizer, CFO, International 

Neubauer Award and Davidson Cup

Aramark’s two most distinguished honors recognize the contributions of two exemplary leaders who built this company. Davre Davidson was our Founding Chairman, who with his wife Charlotte started the company almost 87 years ago. And Joe Neubauer – a friend, colleague, and protégé of Davre's – served as Aramark's Chairman and CEO for decades.

The Neubauer Award is presented to an individual who embodies Joe’s passion for service, leads by example, encourages prudent risk taking and embraces innovation to help Aramark grow and remain competitive in an ever-changing business world. The recipient makes an enduring impact on others, ensuring that through his or her actions, we deliver on our promises. In addition, the winner is a mentor who leads by example and inspires others to do the same.
This year's winner – Barbara Flanagan, President, K-12 – was honored for her leadership of the successful and essential efforts to continue feeding children and families when the pandemic shut down school districts across the United States.
Making the recognition even more meaningful, the award was presented by a surprise guest – Joe Neubauer himself, joining the live webcast and sharing his own fond memories of Barbara's commitment, passion and dedication from their many years working together at Aramark.
Joe then stayed on to help John Zillmer present the final award of the program – the Davidson Cup, which is awarded to a line of business that demonstrates the guiding principles of Davre Davidson and our commitment to service excellence and exceeding our customers' needs.
Winning this prestigious award for 2020 was China, where our team ran toward adversity from the very earliest days of the coronavirus crisis and paved the way for much of our operational response to the pandemic. Even more impressively, they chalked up record growth while doing so.
China president George Wang accepted the award on behalf of his team. In his acceptance remarks, George took the opportunity to reminisce about successful client negotiations, during Joe's tenure as CEO, with a Chinese hospital that is still an Aramark partner after 20 years.
Congratulations to all the winners, and to the teams they represent!
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