Hearst Connecticut Media
Centerplate, the $6 billion global catering company that serves sports, entertainment and other venues across North America and Europe, on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Chris Verros as president and CEO of the Stamford-based company after its former chief executive stepped down amid an animal abuse scandal.
Verros, who had been chief operating officer at Centerplate since 2010, has served as the acting president and CEO since September, following the departure of Des Hague, who resigned following public outcry over a video of Hague kicking and pulling a dog in the elevator of a Vancouver hotel.
“We are incredibly pleased to affirm Chris Verros as our choice to lead Centerplate in its next phase of growth,” Joe O’Donnell, the company’s chairman, said in a statement. “Through his leadership over the past two months as the acting president and chief executive officer of Centerplate as well as his extraordinary track record of integrity and success in all of his prior roles, Chris has demonstrated a remarkable ability to create positive and lasting growth while fostering an environment of trust and respect.”
As COO of Centerplate, Verros was responsible for overseeing the delivery of the company’s operations and 45,000 staff members.
The departure of Verros”™ predecessor in early September marked a sudden and unexpected ending to the career of a veteran executive who had risen steadily through the corporate ranks of the food service industry.
A September press release from Centerplate announcing the change in leadership said the decision had come about as “a result of Hague’s personal misconduct involving the mistreatment of an animal in his care.”
For those specializing in crisis management, the lesson from the episode was clear.
“Behave ethically no matter where you are,” said Andrea Obston, a public relations and marketing consultant who teaches at Quinnipiac University. “If you are an executive, you represent your company everywhere you go.”
A 2003 study by Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm, found that 48 percent of the overall reputation of a company is attributable to the reputation of its CEO.
Hearst Connecticut Media includes four daily newspapers: Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, The Advocate (Stamford) and The News Times (Danbury). See stamfordadvocate.com for more Stamford business news.
