Mick Shaddock: Winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the Catering Equipment Industry Award 2016
18 November 2016: Mick Shaddock, former CESA chair and recently retired managing director of Victor Manufacturing, was named the winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the Catering Equipment Industry Award for 2016. The announcement was made on 18 November at the gala dinner at this year’s CESA Conference, in association with Cedabond, ENSE and the FCSI UK & Ireland.
Glenn Roberts, chair of CESA, presented Mick with his award. “It’s a great honour and privilege to present this year’s award to such a worthy and distinguished person,” Glenn said. “He is known to every one of us and is absolutely one of those who we are all proud to work with.”
Having spent a career working with many of the leading British catering equipment manufacturers, Mick joined Victor in 2001 as managing director, leaving in 2016. After making a variety of observations about Mick’s character and history, not all of them entirely complimentary, Glenn noted the huge contribution he had made to CESA and the whole catering equipment industry. Mick became a CESA council member in 2005 and chair in 2012. “Over the years his calm, thoughtful but decisive approach has been key to many of the important development decisions that we have taken within CESA,” said Glenn.
The text of the speech given by Glenn is in the editor’s notes below.
Editor’s notes
Here is the text of the speech that Glenn gave to commemorate Mick’s Award:
Growing up in the north of England this person attended Abbeydale Grange School in the southern outskirts of Sheffield, which at that stage had an enviable academic record. Famous alumni include Lord Seb Coe.
Unfortunately since this person left it has gone rapidly downhill and closed in 2010 due to lack of academic achievement.
This we cannot say of our recipient this year!
Over his adolescent years he developed a liking for seventies music, and in the intervening period has been to many concerts.
Like many children of the seventies I am sure all manner of ‘prog and heavy rock’ vinyl would have been purchased and listened to in the adolescent bedroom.
Long hair, cheesecloth and afghan coats have a lot to answer for… when he gets really excited he listens to Leonard Cohen!
Apparently, when at home he also likes to be seen as a bit of a bohemian character where he loves wearing his leather sandals – with the ubiquitous socks!!
He attended a BA in Business Studies between 74 and 78 – in the land of Lady Godiva at Lanchester Polytechnic in Coventry, where he started work as an Undergraduate Trainee at Thorn Electrical Industries Ltd in 1974.
From there he went on to become a Graduate Trainee with Tube Investments Group Services Ltd, Birmingham. And then a Training Officer at TI New World Ltd, Warrington.
From there he entered the great world of foodservice equipment in 1982 to become Personnel Manager at Jackson Catering Equipment in Leeds.
When working at Jackson Catering/Boilers during the early to mid-1980s he produced an article for Caterer and Hotelkeeper about the average length of the workers’ tea break in the UK.
The average worker thinks about his break 10 minutes before and ten minutes after the break making the break much longer than it needs to be!
His sales pitch was, ‘if they purchase a Jackson Boiler with its high water output the length of the workers’ tea break could be reduced…….. or even done away with in some cases.’
This was picked up on by the local press in South Yorkshire and a letter was sent asking him to explain his thinking and if this really was the end of the tea break as we know it!!
But then the lure of sales, a car and an expense account became too much and he joined Moorwood Vulcan Ltd, Sheffield, in Jan 86 – Mar 88 as Sales and Marketing Executive, from there he rapidly progressed to Commercial Manager.
And then on to Viscount Catering Ltd, Sheffield, as Commercial Manager, Commercial Director, and then ultimately its Managing Director.
Following a short spell as the Sales Director, Contracts, at Enodis Food Equipment our recipient was then appointed Managing Director of Victor Manufacturing in 2001, finally standing down from the role this summer when he announced his retirement.
This year’s recipient’s pride and joy is his old red car, a Spitfire.
He enjoys eating out, hill walking with his wife and travelling, with many booze trips to France, and he has been used to driving everywhere because his daughter didn’t like flying.
He also has a reputation of a reluctance to embrace technology. Only recently and very reluctantly he got a car with inbuilt sat nav. He’s always been happy and proud of his navigational skills, and his SHADNAV (a 1974 Road Atlas) always sits on his back seat.
One of the very first pieces of technology he ever purchased was a video player, from Graham Harrison of ABM Catering. He never knew if it was stolen or not. Graham recently asked for it back because he had seen one of the same on the Antiques Road Show and he thought it might be worth a few bob!
You will by now have recognised from the clues that the recipient this year is MICK SHADDOCK.
In addition to his business role Mick has been a firm, steadfast and important part of CESA’s life. As part of the succession plan, Leslie Graham, when he retired, strongly encouraged Mick to join the CESA Council. Over the years CESA has been grateful for Leslie’s foresight and effective succession planning as Mick soon became a Council member in 2005 and then CESA Chairman in 2012.
Over the years his calm, thoughtful but decisive approach has been key to many of the important development decisions that we have taken within CESA.
His commitment has been unstinting, one example of this was in the joint editing of the CFSP Study Guide. This involved extensive proof reading over the Christmas period so that it could be printed immediately after the break.
Mick was also a stalwart member of the exhibition liaison committee and the CESA marketing committee
Mick likes to try and play golf and he is dedicated to his favourite sporting challenge. He played at ABM’s Golf Day for 20 consecutive years, never missing one……….. and only won the prize raffle once!
But finally, Mick’s biggest let down has been that which has arisen from being a lifelong Sheffield United supporter and season ticket holder. Both he and his wife Elaine resolutely go to watch their team through thin and thinner. Every home game. Many of us non ‘glory hunters’ in the room know that feeling well but it takes a certain character where hope overcomes experience every time.
However rumour has it that he has always wanted to emulate one of his heroes: the maverick Tony Currie. The well know 70s playboy, original wild child and ‘man about town’ – 66 goals in 375 games, 17 games and 3 goals for England – perhaps he saw something of himself in the swashbuckling Currie?
Living where he does in the beautiful Yorkshire Pennines he also thoroughly enjoys the outdoor life and can often be found out walking the fells and enjoying the occasional drop of real ale.
Married to Elaine, they have two daughters Helen and Gill.
Mick retired from Victor Manufacturing and also from CESA Council this August in order to spend more time with his wife, family, the Blades …and golf courses.
And of course we all wish him well in a long and happy retirement
It is my great honour and privilege to invite Mick Shaddock on to the stage to collect the trophy for the 2016 Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Catering Equipment Industry.