Elior North America Promotes Keith Cullinan to Chief Operations Officer

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 18, 2020 -- Elior North America announced the promotion of Keith Cullinan to the Charlotte-based culinary management company's chief operations officer.

Cullinan brings more than 40 years of experience within the foodservice management industry to the new role, in which he will develop and expand operational efficiencies across Elior North America’s family of brands to drive client satisfaction and retention. He served most recently as president of Contract Food Services at Elior North America, leading strategy and operations for the company’s culinary management solutions for higher education, independent schools, healthcare, and senior living.

“Since he joined Elior North America in 2016, Keith has exemplified operations excellence in its every form,” said Olivier Poirot, president & CEO at Elior North America. “Our operations across the business will benefit immensely from his proven leadership and best practices which have garnered tangible results, including top retention rates, consistent margin growth, leadership development of his team, and happy clients.”

Before joining Elior North America, Cullinan was senior vice president, Strategic Relations, for Chartwells Schools where he launched an extensive training and accountability system to establish a retention culture focused on cultivating, enhancing and promoting client relationships. From 1997 to 2013, he was president of Chartwells, where he expanded the business from $65M to $900M in managed volume through acquisitions and organic growth to become the market leader.

“Our teams are full of passionate and talented professionals who thrive on serving our clients with a heart for service and great food,” said Cullinan. “My job is to give them the proven tools to help them lead from the front while meeting and exceeding the expectations of our clients and customers.”

Cullinan is a native of Boston, Mass. and currently resides in Cedarville, Mass. He holds a certificate of advanced graduate study from Babson College, an MBA from Anna Maria College, and a bachelor’s degree in management from Boston College.