NEC Group caterer Amadeus has appointed Catherine Schofield as general manager for regional venues.

The newly-created role has been introduced to manage the caterer's growing portfolio of regional venue catering contracts, including Library of Birmingham, Cadbury World, Dudley Zoo, Stratford Riverside, and Camden, Amadeus' first fixed-site catering contract in London.

As part of the new role Ms Schofield will oversee operations at each venue, managing profit and loss, customer service and staffing. Before joining Amadeus, she worked for Dunelm for eight years as coffee shop area manager, during which time she managed 51 sites across the north of the UK.

Her retail experience, which included working for companies like Pets at Home, will be put to use in her new role, overseeing customer service and contributing to the commercial success of Amadeus’ clients.

Robert Housden, operations director for Amadeus, said: “We have introduced the role of general manager for regional venues to support our ambitious growth plans.

"Having already secured a number of high-profile catering contracts over the past 12 months, worth in excess of £26 million, we aim to continue to add to our portfolio. Catherine will help to ensure that we are operating efficiently and that customer service remains at the same high standard that Amadeus prides itself on, across all of our regional venues.”

He added: “Catherine brings with her a wealth of experience, having amassed an impressive 27-year career in retail, so we are confident that with her skills and knowledge of the industry she will be a huge asset to the business and play an integral role in helping us attract new business wins and deliver our continued growth plans.”

Ms Schofield said: “It’s a really exciting time for Amadeus, having established itself in the food sector of the retail industry in recent years, and I am delighted to be involved.

"I am particularly looking forward to working with my teams to come up with new and exciting ways to operate each venue.”