Bill Toner

Bill Toner
MBE
Toner in 2025
EducationTelford College
OccupationChief executive
EmployerCH&CO

Bill Toner is a Scottish chief executive in the hospitality industry. Since 2015, he has served as the CEO of CH&CO.[1] In 2018, The Caterer ranked Toner in tenth place for its Top 100 list.[2] For the 2023 Catey Awards, Toner received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work at several caterers. On December 30, 2024, he was named to the King's New Year Honours List 2025 for "services to the hospitality sector" and made an MBE.[3]

Education

Toner was born in West Lothian, Scotland, and grew up in a family of five. His father and brothers were coal miners.[4]

In 1977, Toner graduated from Telford College with an Ordinary National Diploma in Hotel Catering & International Management and several City & Guilds culinary courses completed. He was also certified by the Hotel and Catering Institutional Management Association.[5]

Career

Toner began working in the hospitality industry at the age of 14 as a part-time kitchen helper at Bridge Castle Hotel. At the age of 16, he left home and school to live and work there permanently before going to Telford College at the age of 18. He then trained to become a professional chef and worked at restaurants in France and Scotland.[6] At the age of 23, he was offered a sous chef role at a hotel in South Africa, but Susanne, his wife who was pregnant at the time, applied to a job as a catering manager at Royal Bank of Scotland (contracted through Gardner Merchant) on his behalf.[5]

Toner then worked several roles at Gardner Merchant for 18 years, including general manager, district manager, and several director positions.[5] By the time it was sold to Sodexo, he served as its managing director at the age of 36.[5] Afterward, he worked as a chief executive of Aramark starting in 1999, then Host Catermasters Group in 2011, and went through several company mergers and acquisitions before arriving at CH&CO where, as of 2015, Toner has been the CEO.[7][8][9][10]

In 2023, Toner was appointed as a trustee of the Savoy Educational Trust. He also serves as a trustee for industry charities like Hospitality Action and Springboard.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Bill's excellent adventure | Public Sector Catering". www.publicsectorcatering.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  2. ^ "Top 100: Bill Toner, CH&Co Group". The Caterer. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  3. ^ "New Year Honours 2025: awards for Bill Toner and George McIvor". The Caterer. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  4. ^ Armitstead, Louise (2003-11-02). "Interview: Louise Armitstead: Caterer cooked up cult of the celebrity chef". The Times. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  5. ^ a b c d "My route to the top – Bill Toner". The Caterer. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  6. ^ "My route to the top – Bill Toner". The Caterer. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  7. ^ "Top 100: Bill Toner, CH&Co Group". The Caterer. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  8. ^ "CH&CO CEO awarded MBE in New Year Honours". www.facilitatemagazine.com. 2025-01-02. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  9. ^ "Bill Toner replaces Jerry Brand as boss at Host". The Caterer. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  10. ^ "EXCLUSIVE! Q&A with... Bill Toner, CEO of CH&CO". Caterlyst. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  11. ^ Russell, James (2023-03-23). "The Savoy Educational Trust appoints Bill Toner as a Trustee". Hospitality & Catering News. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
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