ROBYN JONES, CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Since she established Charlton House in 1991, Robyn Jones has met every challenge and opportunity face on. She has pushed the boundaries of contract catering and in doing so, gained a reputation for quality and innovation. Few would disagree that Charlton House sets standards for others to follow. 

In Sixteen years she has built a £75 million organisation. Charlton House still holds many of the contracts won in the early days of the business, and many of Robyn’s original staff are still with her - a reflection of her determination to remain true to her original goals and standards.

Despite working tirelessly to develop the company, Robyn still finds time to give something back to the industry. She is a trustee of the PM Trust, a charity that provides financial assistance to young people embarking on a career within the hospitality industry. She is a guardian member of Hospitality In Action, and a patron of ACE – the Association of Catering Excellence. She has forged relationships with many leading catering colleges to give trainee chefs placements within Charlton House.  For the third year running, we are sponsoring Young Chef, in association with Central Berkshire Education Business Partnership for schools in Greater Reading and Wokingham. back to the top

Robyn is a fair, business-minded and highly motivated leader who nurtures best practice within a positive work culture.

TIM JONES, CO-FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN

When Robyn Jones established Charlton House in 1991, she was not alone. Tim Jones provided the encouragement and support she needed to take that leap of faith.

A chartered accountant by profession, Tim was involved from the outset. By day, he kept a roof over their heads by working as a financial director for an international translation company. By night, he handled our accountants and finances.

As we continued to grow, Tim’s commitment to Charlton House increased accordingly by gradually reducing his commitment to the translation company. In September 2000 he relinquished fully his external director post and came on board full-time to concentrate on developing Charlton House further.

That same month, Tim announced a five-year plan to double our turnover by 2005. He achieved his goal within three years. Our average annual increase in turnover since then has been 25 per cent, year on year.

Tim’s financial acumen and business flair complements Robyn’s vision and drive. Together, they have created the largest ‘organically’ grown food service company, without the need for acquisitions or external funding. back to the top

ALISON TYLER, JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR

Alison Tyler joined us in September 1998 as Director of Business Development. She went on to develop and implement a highly successful sales strategy which saw our annual turnover leap from £7.5 million to its current level of £75 million, and profitability rise from £70k to £1m.

She has established, trained and motivated a team of sales people who continue to drive our company forward and make it the most respected name within the UK contract catering sector today. We are seen as a major national independent player, most recently breaking into the Scottish market, and our portfolio of high profile City contracts continues to expand.

In June 2004, Alison Tyler was appointed Joint Managing Director with Caroline Fry. As a Board Director, Alison retains responsibility for the sales department whilst working with Caroline Fry who manages the operational side of the business. They jointly ensure the qualitative and financial success of our existing customer base and new business gained. With five Board Directors involved in the operational detail, each client is assured a personal level of service. back to the top

CAROLINE FRY, JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR

Caroline Fry became our first full-time operational employee in 1994. Originally appointed as an Operations Manager, with responsibility for six contracts, Caroline quickly became Robyn’s “number two”. Like Robyn, she had to turn her hand to accounting, payroll and even covered as staff restaurant manager, when required.

She was promoted to Senior Operations Manager two years later and become Operations Director in 1997. In 1998, Caroline was invited to become a member of the Board. After maternity leave in 2002, she returned as Client Resources Director, with responsibility for all of the company resources including training & development, recruitment, personnel, marketing, food innovation and new contract openings.

In June 2004, Caroline Fry was appointed Joint Managing Director of Charlton House, with responsibility for the operations side of the business. 

Caroline’s shared vision for our company, her ability to permeate our philosophy, values and standards throughout, and the relationships which she has built with clients over the years, have played a major role in the development of Charlton House. back to the top

TREVOR JONES, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Another Mr Jones joined us in January 2006 as Commercial Director. No relation to Tim and Robyn, Trevor Jones became our fifth member of the Board.

We created the new directorship post in line with our ambitious five-year growth plan, which will see our annual turnover continue to soar from its current £75 million to over £100 million by 2009. 

Prior to his appointment, Trevor was Retail Commercial Director of Alpha Airports Group Plc, and before that, Regional Finance Director with Estée Lauder at the company’s regional headquarters in Miami, Florida. 

His strong retail background brings a commercial focus and a fresh and balanced facet to the Board. His appointment allows Robyn and Tim to spend more time with our clients and concentrate on client satisfaction and staff well-being.

Trevor Jones is now working closely with our other directors to ensure our on-going commercial success. His responsibilities include monitoring business performance, contract retention and cost control in order to maximise profitability and growth. He is also responsible for our finance and IT functions, enhancing and developing management information and accounting systems to enable us to meet the challenges of future growth and development. back to the top