Freddie Quartey

Area Manager

Where do you work?

I look after 17 of Caterplus's welfare sites in the South of England

How long have you been at the company?

Three years

What are your roles/responsibilities?

I'm responsible for Caterplus's welfare division, working with organisations like the YMCA, Centrepoint and St Mungos providing catering for their Hostels, emergency accommodation and day centres

What did you do before joining Caterplus?

I had a rather different role - I worked for a high street chain of restaurants

What have been your career highlights whilst at the company?�

On a day-to-day basis, our welfare division works with some of society's most vulnerable people with very complex dietary needs so I get real job satisfaction from helping them and making sure their food needs are met. If I had to pick a specific highlight though I'd say being promoted from group manager to area manager, it was great to know that the company had confidence in my ability and wanted me to progress.

What keeps you busy outside of work?

Away from work, I have my own restaurant in Finsbury Park, which I launched to raise funds for an orphanage I set up in Ghana. I first set up the orphanage, which is in a mining city called Obuasi, after seeing a documentary which showed children in the city picking grains of rice off the floor, and that was all they'd eat that day. It started with sponsoring two children, but now I have converted a five-bedroom house and employed someone to look after eight children who had been living on the streets, who I'm sponsoring to complete their education so they can help other vulnerable children. Closer to home, I enjoy hiking, listening to music and looking after my own three children, Frederick (16), Denzel (10) and Maximus (5)