Contract Catering Awards interview

“Our client is preparing for the opening of a completely refurbished Centre of Excellence tower in 2026. We were tasked with designing the workplace of the future.”

Nicolette Millward is discussing her incredibly impressive work as an account director for Restaurant Associates. She is based at a large financial institution in Canary Wharf – and you won’t be surprised to hear from the sheer scale of the above commission that this work ultimately led to Millward winning last year’s Business and Industry Award.

“We’ve got a really good relationship with our client, sharing insights and data to guide them through the journey of transforming contract catering in the workplace,” she continues. “They wanted us to design a future-proof building, which meant ensuring they had all the information, understood the requirements and felt confident in the decisions we made together.

“I’ve always championed the need for contract catering to evolve. As a team we pushed for a more modern tech-enabled and sustainable workplace. In the new place, you won't find a single till; everything will be kiosk- and app-based. We also made significant changes in terms of sustainability, like removing a huge percentage of disposables.”

The latter point is clearly of particular importance to Millward, as when asked why she thought she won, she immediately returns to the necessity to go green. “Environmental, social and governance and innovation are at the forefront of business priorities today,” she reasons. “We committed to doing the hard work, embedding technology and sustainability changes deeply and consistently. We created a culture where everyone operates as one team, the result being meaningful, lasting change.

“It felt like we truly delivered on our vision and had the courage to go all the way. Having said that, I know the Business and Industry Award is highly competitive and that many people in our industry are also driving change in the workplace.”

This view would have been reinforced further at the awards night itself, which Millward also came to with a completely fresh perspective. “I had a great evening,” she says. “I didn’t really know what to expect as I’ve never attended the Contract Catering Awards before. It is a big thing, and I did get quite nervous, however, I had a lot of support on the night.

“It was nice to be there with my peers and be recognised. I don’t really put myself out there, so I was certainly out of my comfort zone, but it was great. These events are important to give recognition to what our teams are achieving within the industry.”

Despite her prior reluctance and clear modesty, the win has certainly helped to boost Millward’s standing in the industry. “Winning the award has certainly raised my professional profile,” she reveals. “When I bump into people at events, they reference the win – it’s all been very positive.

“Everything that we do here, though, is a team effort, from both Restaurant Associates side and our client team. There was a huge sense of pride from everybody because it was a collective win – it really does take a small army of us to achieve these great things together.”

Most importantly of all, however, the victory went down particularly well with Millward’s aforementioned associates. “Our client was incredibly proud,” she concludes. “Winning was a big thank you message to the team for all their hard work and formal validation that we are doing the right thing. The award stands pride of place in the office and is a symbol to keep driving forward.”

To see the 2026 Contract Catering Awards shortlist, please click here.

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