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Simon Smith: Huge sense of pride in the achievements of people at SSP and partner TFS

INTERNATIONAL. SSP Group Chief Executive Simon Smith has expressed his delight that company teams and individuals from around the world were recognised in last week’s FAB Superstars Awards.

The first in an annual awards programme, FAB Superstars was organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, with the winners announced at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo. SSP and joint-venture partner Travel Food Services (TFS) won a series of individual and team accolades.

Smith said: “Despite the extraordinary challenges our teams have faced throughout these past 18 months, they have shown true passion, dedication and resilience. We’re already hugely proud of the achievements of our colleagues at SSP and TFS and what they’ve achieved, so to have this hard work recognised by our esteemed industry partners at the FAB Superstar Awards is an honour.

“All the individuals and teams who have won this award live our values every day, and we are delighted to be able to celebrate their success.”

Click on the video to watch the awards ceremony in full.

The awards recognised the effort and dedication shown by colleagues in the travel food & beverage sector worldwide during the past 18 months.

Awards won by SSP Group and joint venture partner TFS include:

• Star Team Asia Pacific – Front of House: SSP Perth, Australia
• Star Individual Americas – Stores/Admin/Logistics: Tim Wilmes at SSP America
• Star Individual Middle East & Africa – Stores/Admin/Logistics: Frantzeska Georgiou at SSP EEME
• Star Story, Team or Individual – Americas: Stephanie Torres at SSP America
• Humanity, Leadership and Inspiration – Team or Individual Europe: SSP UK Birmingham
• Star Story Asia Pacific Front of House: Nangamuthu Murugan, Guest Service Associate, TFS, Chennai Domestic Airport
• Innovation Asia Pacific: Stores/Admin /Logistics: Accounts Payable Team, TFS Head Office
• Star Individual Asia Pacific – Stores/Admin/Logistics: Venkat Subramanian, Technical Services, TFS, Chennai Airport

INTERNATIONAL. The Moodie Davitt Report today named the inaugural winners of the FAB Superstars Awards, a programme that recognises the efforts and achievements of staff in the travel food & beverage sector around the world.

The announcement was made at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, as the culmination of the Knowledge Hub programme at the event.

Along with sister awards programme Travel Retail Superstars (announced earlier), FAB Superstars was created to shine a light on the frontline and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who have helped keep the industry going throughout 2020 and into this year.

We asked employers to submit a written entry for each individual or team, addressing the impact made by the person or department through their actions, and how far they reached; how they measured success in terms of service or helped improve the business; and what made a particular staff member or team stand out?

Categories included Star Team, Star Individual, Star Story (Team or Individual), Innovation (Team or Individual) and Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration. Nominations were invited by region and by department (Front of House; Kitchen; Stores/Admin/Logistics) to cover as broad a spectrum of staff as possible.

The winners are featured in the video on this page and listed below. Congratulations to them and all who were nominated. 

STAR TEAM 

Star Team Americas: Front of House

Starbucks Airside E Team, TPA Airport, USA

Nominated by HMSHost North America, Autogrill/HMSHost

Star Team Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Unison Consulting Team, Chicago O’Hare International Airport

Nominated by Unison Consulting

Star Team Asia Pacific: Front of House

Perth Front of House Team, SSP Perth, Australia

Nominated by SSP APAC Australia

Star Team Europe: Front of House

TRG Team, Multiple locations UK

Nominated by The Restaurant Group

Star Team Europe: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Maria Markach & Vladimir Rybakov, Shift Leaders, HMSHost International, Pulkovo Airport

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost 

Star Team Middle East & Africa: Front of House

Middle East Team,UAE & Qatar, HMSHost International

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost

STAR INDIVIDUAL

Star Individual Americas: Front of House

Freddie Maldonado, Server, Cigar City Brewing TPA Airport (USA)

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost

Star Individual Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Tim Wilmes, Senior Manager of Openings/Operational Excellence at SSP America (pictured below)

Nominated by SSP America 

Star Individual Asia Pacific: Front of House

Tim Mercer, On-site Manager, Vantage Bar, Emirates Leisure Retail, Auckland International Airport

Nominated by Auckland International Airport Limited

Star Individual Asia Pacific: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Venkat Subramanian, Technical Services, TFS, Chennai Airport

Nominated by Travel Food Services

Star Individual Europe: Front of House

Erdal Sari, Food & Beverage Associate, Istanbul, Turkey

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost

Star Individual Europe: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Sonja Hohle, Hr Manager Shared Services, The Netherlands

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost

Star Individual Middle East & Africa: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Frantzeska Georgiou, Burger King Brand Manager, Eastern Europe and Middle East

Nominated by SSP EEME

STAR STORY 

Star Story Americas: Front of House

Stephanie Torres, Barista, San Diego International Airport

Nominated by SSP America

Star Story Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics

PHL, Chickie’s and Pete’s & Marriott Partnership – All Teams – PHL Airport, USA

Nominated by  MarketPlace PHL Airport 

Star Story Asia Pacific: Front of House

Nangamuthu Murugan, Guest Service Associate, TFS, Chennai Domestic Airport

Nominated by Travel Food Services

Star Story Asia Pacific: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Ho Thi Anh Guong, Accounting Officer, Phu Quoc Airport, Vietnam (below with team)

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost

Star Story Europe: Front of House

Lisa Uranie, Shift Manager, Schiphol Airport

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost

INNOVATION

Innovation Americas: Front of House

Marketing Team, Areas, Mexico

Nominated by Areas

Innovation Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Partnership between DFW Concessions, DFW Environmental Affairs, Servy & Star Concessions, Terminal D Extension, DFW

Nominated by DFW International Airport

Innovation Asia Pacific: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Accounts Payable Team, TFS Head Office

Nominated by Travel Food Services

Innovation Europe: Front of House

BTA Food & Services, IGA Istanbul Airport

Nominated by BTA Food &  Services

Innovation Europe: Kitchen

MISA Ghost Kitchen Team, Lagardère Travel Retail Poland

Nominated by Lagardère Travel Retail

Innovation Europe: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Team formed of representatives from Collinson, Airport Dimensions and Servy, Club Aspire Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal 5

Nominated by Collinson

HUMANITY, LEADERSHIP & INSPIRATION

Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Americas: Kitchen

Chef Patrick Fischer, Executive Chef of Paradies Lagardère’s Dining Division & Paradies Lagardère Marketing Team

Nominated by Paradies Lagardère

Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Vino Volo Team, ‘Cheers To You’, Paradies Lagardère

Nominated by Paradies Lagardère

Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific: Front of House

Bangalore Team, India – all FOH, Kitchen, Stores/Admin/Logistics

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost

Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific: Kitchen

E Venkateshan, Chef De Partie, Lounge Kitchen, Bangalore

Nominated by Travel Food Services

Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific: Logistics / Warehouse

David Mackay, Regional Managing Director for Asia Pacific, HMSHost

Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost

Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Europe: Front of House

SSP UK Birmingham Airport Team

Nominated by SSP UK

Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Europe: Stores / Admin / Logistics

Marly la Ville Warehouse Team and Phenix, an anti-waste French start up, and a partnership between Lagardère Travel Retail and Phenix

Nominated by Lagardère Travel Retail

To help decide the award winners, The Moodie Davitt Report gathered an advisory committee of hugely experienced travel food & beverage specialists as judges. They included industry consultant Nick Inkster, who spent 25 years in senior roles with SSP; Kevin Zajax, CEO at Ground Control Global and former CEO & Managing Director at Emirates Leisure Retail; US airport commercial management consultant Alan Gluck, alongside The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie.

The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt said: “The number and quality of the entries we received from right around the world was humbling and inspiring.

“We thank all of the companies that made nominations – we plan to recognise everyone who took part in a special publication very soon – and most of all we salute those heroes and heroines of the front line and back office that have kept our sector running through its greatest crisis.

“These awards reinforce the message that this is an industry built on its people, their humanity, their service, the personal touch that sets great in-person dining and retail apart from other channels – values that will sustain our industry as it recovers.”

*For more rolling coverage from the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, click here.