Airline Catering- presentation 2026 by COREcruitment

CANDIDATE ATTRACTION

For several years COREcruitment has worked alongside major airlines and aviation service providers, including senior appointments with Emirates Flight Catering, easyJet, Virgin Atlantic… as well as large scale providers of food and retail services such as gategroup, LSG Sky Chefs, dnata Catering, DO & CO, Newrest, Emirates Airline Catering, Sodexo Live, BaxterStorey, Swissport, SSP, Lagardere Group…and more.

Leadership in aviation services demands discipline as much as imagination, and the people who thrive in it tend to be strategists as much as operators.

Growth in airline catering and inflight services, alongside rising demand for technologydriven solutions, has intensified the competition for senior talent worldwide. This is especially true across the Gulf markets, which continue to serve as pivotal aviation hubs.

We would start by understanding whether an appointment calls for a subject matter expert from within the sector, or whether it sits better with someone bringing leadership, business development, commercial and governance experience from outside it.

Market mapping supports this in a few ways, giving insight into specialisms, structure, motivation and trends across the competitor set. We look closely at the fastest growing groups in airline catering and inflight services, alongside adjacent hard and soft services providers, names like those mentioned previously as well as major airline groups building out their own catering and services divisions. Where relevant, we'd also look past the established players to newer entrants.

Having a clear read on the market counts for more when talent is scarce and competition is tight. Market mapping gives that edge, surfacing both active and passive candidates, people who aren't looking but who'd be the right fit a business. Once identified, we'd take a targeted approach, building a case for the opportunity and making clear what sets it apart to bring them into conversation.

ABOUT CORECRUITMENT

International recruitment consultancy with hubs in London (UK), Vancouver (USA/Canada), Montpellier (France), Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Cape Town (South Africa, Middle East and Indo-Asia Pacific region)

Working on assignments across North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia/Oceania.

Our team consist of 60 expert consultants covering all senior positions across the service industry, from hospitality and catering to retail, leisure, fitness, estate, property, FMCG, finance, QSR, venues & events...and an executive team of 8 covering all leadership, C-Suite & NED roles.

Internal pre -screened candidate database of 635,000 contacts (national & international) identified from previous searches, referrals, networking, and recommendations.

Robust recruitment and screening process.

Psychometric/assessment tests: behaviour, aptitude, personality, emotional intelligence.

Member of multiple international trade bodies : networking, recruitment groups, communities developing groups for minority leaders and neurodiversity.

Aiming for leadership recruitment with at least a third of candidates submitted from diverse backgrounds

Social media is hugely important; however, there is no substitute for meeting someone face -to-face

Vast & extensive knowledge of salary offers having recently benchmarked 1,110 positions in 8 countries (UK, Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Australia and New Zealand) from CEO to Senior Vice President, VP, Head of Operations across multiple departments such as Global Sales, Merchandising, Marketing, Global F&B, Finance, Legal, I.T. and all support/head office roles.

OUR SPECIALIST SECTORS

REAL ESTATE

Managing Director

Director of Real Estate

Director of Facilities

Development Director

Commercial Director

Project Director

Leasing Specialist

Acquisitions Specialist

Sustainability

Head of Estates

Operations Director

HUMAN RESOURCES

HR Directors

HR Managers

HR Business Partners

HR Advisors

People and Culture Manager

Head of Training

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Account Director

Business Development Manager

Camp/Site Manager

Food Services Manager

Housekeeping

HSEQ Manager

TFM Manager

Logistics Manager

Maintenance Manager

Marketing & Sales Director

M&E engineer

Mobilisation Manager

Operations Manager

Property Manager

Procurement/Supply Chain

Retail Food Manager

Technical Service Manager

HEAD OFFICE

SUPPORT FUNCTIONS

Marketing Directors

Sales Directors

Sales and Marketing Directors

Sales and Marketing Managers

Heads of Marketing

Digital Specialists

Social Media Specialists

Marketing Managers

Senior Sales Managers

Sales Executives

CRM Managers

EXECUTIVE SEARCH

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Operating

Chief Information Officer

Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Human Resources Officer

Other specialist sectors:

Chefs, Restaurants, Pubs, Bars

High-end & Members Clubs

Learning & Development Managers

Training Managers

Brand Trainers

Regional Trainers

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Non-Executive Director

Independent Director

Chairpersons

Senior Independent Director

Personal Assistants

Executive Assistants

Office Managers

Services Managers

Commercial Team Administrators

Administration Assistants

Office Assistants

Business Support Coordinators

Bid Writer

Contracts Manager

Graphic Designer

Chief Technology Officer

Vice President (VP) Positions

Board Members

Leisure, Fitness, Visitors Attractions

Events & Venues

Food Service

Hotels & Luxury Travel

Private Dining & Concierge

Food Retail & QSR

Private Residences

Coworking

Sales Tech, Systems & I.T.

Health & Safety

Food Hygiene

Care Services

FMCG

Supermarket

Delivery

Supply Chain, Warehousing

Food Manufacturing

High Net Worth

Interim/Project/Temporary

TECHNOLOGY

Business Intelligence Data Software

RECRUITMENT PROCESS & METHODOLOGY

EXTRACTING THE BRIEF

Identify short, medium and long-term priorities for the business. Apply a considerable amount of time and effort in extracting a correct and comprehensive brief for each position by ensuring we thoroughly understand the details of the role and the candidate requirements

REFERRALS

Check in office for top applicant referrals. We have a target at COREcruitment that 40% of our placed candidates will come via referrals and recommendations – good people tend to know good people. We actively incentivise candidates to put us in touch with their friends/colleagues and contacts to find a higher number of ‘passive job seekers’

ADVERTISING

While our system is our first port of call, we also advertise roles on job posting platforms. We use job boards that promote diversity and inclusion within the recruitment process across all sectors and markets we specialise in.

FIRST LEVEL SEARCH

As mentioned, our system is a first port of call as we have an internal pre-screened candidate database of 550,000 contacts identified COREcruitment also has access to many different external sites and social platforms that we use to search for candidates.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

Job adverts, job boards and websites: we look at job descriptions through the eyes of a diverse candidate and make recommendations accordingly, to remove barriers and embed a truly equitable application process.

Community outreach: we are partnering with community organisations, various professional association and are actively engaging with networking groups that serve and represent underrepresented groups (Female Leaders, BAME, LGBTQIA+…)

SCREENING OF CANDIDATES

We have a multi-layered attraction method, but our basic screening philosophy is very simple:

1/3 technical ability 1/3 culture fit 1/3 motivation

CANDIDATE SUBMISSION AND CLIENT MEETINGS

Your dedicated Account Manager will: present long list of candidates for priority roles within an agreed timeframe, e.g. 1 week work with the client to distil a short list for scheduled first stage meetings assist the client in the recruitment process as candidate liaison

Allowing for travel we would hope the interview process to be completed and a candidate to be identified to offer within a 4 – 6-week period. This would allow for a three-stage client recruitment process.

OFFER, NEGOTIATION AND ON-BOARDING

Client will select their preferred candidate.

COREcruitment will act as mediator in negotiations (the package would have been confirmed Multiple times over the course of the recruitment process). Management of resignation and counteroffer. Onboarding and integration into business (regular contact for first six months).

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE : Salary checkers & salary benchmarking

SALARY BENCHMARKING

Our benchmarking process is, simply put, a case study for any given position companies, business leaders or investment houses would like to request data on.

Its main purposes are that of realigning internal positions to the market, re-evaluating salary packages, or used when planning new openings to offer the most competitive and attractive salaries.

These are even more accurate if done either at regional or country levels, as salaries can differ from one region to another.

Our data is collected from the following (but not limited) sources:

Own database of > 550,000 screened contacts worldwide across the service industry

Direct competitors’ salary studies

External international advertising boards

An extensive network of international service industry experts

60 industry & field expert consultants

19+ years of industry expertise

Here are few benchmarking studies recently accomplished:

SALARY CHECKERS

They work as a comparative tool. If a business is trying to figure out whether a package it's offering for, say, a Head Chef in contract catering is competitive against the market, this gives a comparison point without needing a formal survey.

For a company such as CATRION, we can speak with authority on pay benchmarks specific to airline catering and Gulf markets, not just generic hospitality. Here are some examples:

Middle East

Saudi Arabia Airline Catering Cruise Ships

& Far East

Restaurants

CASE STUDY: SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, sky-high culinary operations

Introduction

This case study focuses on the private & confidential recruitment process for a global airline catering company in their search of a Vice-President of Culinary Operations in the Middle East.

Company profile

A world leading airline catering and events company operating globally, preparing, delivering, and serving a wide range of meals (over 10 million), beverages, and other amenities to be served onboard flights. The company has a large-scale production facility, storage areas, and a team of skilled chefs, food technicians, and service personnel.

Why did they choose us

Our client had used a few Middle East based agencies to help them recruit for this specific position. However, after failing to hire anyone following a succession of interviews, they decided to select an agency which would allow them to interview a broader range of candidates with international exposure and attract global profiles. Our services were introduced to them, due to our good reputation and our ability to source the right sort of talent they were seeking.

Recruitment objectives

• Attract highly skilled and experienced senior candidates in the food and beverage industry.

• Identify candidates with a strong understanding of food safety regulations, airline catering industry standards but also gastronomy and haute cuisine.

• Find candidates who can handle the fast-paced and highpressure nature of the airline catering industry.

• Ensure diversity and inclusion in the workforce.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Job analysis and description: the first step is to conduct a thorough job analysis to understand the key responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required for this exceptional position within the airline catering company. A full job brief was then created, outlining the specific requirements for the role.

Sourcing and advertising: as an international recruitment company, we utilise multiple channels to attract the best potential candidates. These include online job portals, professional networks, industry-specific forums, and social media platforms. The job advertisement highlights the company's reputation, benefits, career growth opportunities, and the exciting nature of working in this specific industry.

Screening and shortlisting: our team of skilled recruitment specialists screened the pre-selected applications and CVs, looking for candidates who meet the qualifications and experience outlined during the briefing call with the company’s HR team. Those who met the initial criteria were shortlisted for further evaluation.

Interviews: all shortlisted candidates were invited for interviews, which included multiple stages to assess their technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and interpersonal skills. Behavioural-based interview questions were used to gauge their adaptability, teamwork, and ability to handle high-pressure situations.

Reference checks: before making final hiring decisions, our recruitment team contacts the provided references to verify the candidates' professional backgrounds and performance in previous roles. These checks helped ensure the credibility and reliability of potential employees.

Offer and onboarding: once the final candidate was selected, a job offer was extended, including details about compensation, benefits, and the terms of employment. The onboarding process involved providing necessary training, familiarising new hires with the company's policies and procedures.

Conclusion: recruiting for a senior position with a world-wide airline catering company required identifying candidates with relevant skills, experience, and a commitment to maintaining high-quality food services. Our tailored and through recruitment process emphasised on the candidates’ background, experiences, adaptability, and ability to handle the challenges of the position.

By engaging with a comprehensive recruitment strategy, we built a skilled and diverse process delivering exceptional services to our client.

CASE STUDY: Global recruitment - Luxury cruise liners

Our approach:

THE CLIENT

Luxury International Cruise Liners with a substantial fleet of award-winning experiences.

THE PROJECT

Global recruitment across multiple departments.

2022- 2023 saw the final effects of COVID lift from the sector resulting in a highly competitive market with lots of new brand names & ships in the mix!

With emphasis on competitive our client required both a high level of experience & volume of candidates within multiple departments from culinary, cruise directors, food and beverage management, engineering, HR through to finance..

With several international COREcruitment offices we set up group client briefings with our designated specialist key account managers across the globe.

As industry specialists we were able to quickly identify targeted candidates across our databases, networks, preferred advertising portals & industry referrals.

Secondly, with time restraints in place we advised the client on holding a recruitment day for preselected short-listed candidates based in South Africa, which was arranged within a two-week period.

The success of the open day was a culmination of understanding the brief & requirements unique to the client, a quick call to action across our global industry networks, careful candidate selection & screening processes including candidate application preparation, ensuring that only the best suited profiles were put forward to the client.

Results

85% of shortlisted candidates invited for in person interviews, of which 85% were offered positions.

Our international teams continue to support with ongoing recruitment with great success, supporting all parties with administration & onboarding process to speed up ship placements.