Sodexo appoints new chief to strengthen health and care operations

Sodexo has appointed Rob Jepson as Chief Executive of its Health & Care business across the UK and Ireland, reinforcing leadership capacity across hospital and care environments spanning public and privately operated facilities. Philip Leigh will transition into a role focused on strategic projects across the region.

According to a report by Hospitality and Catering News, Jepson joins Sodexo from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, where he served as group director of estates and facilities. The trust is one of the UK’s largest acute providers, operating 10 hospitals across seven sites, and has been a long-standing client partner of Sodexo. 

Jepson’s background spans large-scale estates leadership, multi-site service delivery and facilities management across both public and commercial healthcare settings.

Jean Renton, CEO of Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “I am pleased to welcome Rob as our new CEO for Health & Care. With his experience in leading NHS estates, multi-site operational delivery and commercial experience, Rob is well positioned to lead our Health & Care business and support our clients’ priorities for safe, reliable, and responsive services.”

Sodexo’s Health & Care division employs more than 7,500 people, delivering a broad range of non-clinical services that underpin patient care and operational continuity. These include patient nutrition, retail and catering services, environmental care and infection prevention, technical and estate services, property management, hotel services, security and portering.

Jepson brings a strong focus on people development, with a particular emphasis on apprenticeships and skills progression across all levels of the workforce. 

His appointment comes at a time when providers are under pressure to balance service quality, workforce retention and cost control across increasingly complex care pathways.

Explore the full article for more detail on the leadership transition and its operational impact.