Australia - CEO of Compass Group plc killed in seaplane crash in Sydney - 31 Dec 2017

[MelmothTheLost]

[h=1]British chief executive and family killed in Australian seaplane crash[/h]

Richard Cousins, the highly-regarded head of catering giant Compass, was among five British passengers killed in a sea plane crash north of Sydney, along with his two sons, aged 23 and 25, his 48-year-old fiancée and her 11-year-old daughter.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ce-name-british-family-killed-seaplane-crash/

Cousins had been responsible for the turnaround of Compass following earlier scandals, building it into the largest contract catering company in the world, and was due to retire shortly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass_Group

 

[Whirring]

So tragic. Not one of them managed to escape. So, so sad.

 

[Meryl12]

There were lots of witnesses --because it was new years eve there was people everywhere including in boats near to where the seaplane went down. Some very brave young men tried to open the planes doors but it sank too quickly. The tail of the plane was still on the surface. One young man had a hold of the planes window and was working his way to the door "freediving" but the plane was dragging him too far underwater as well. He said it broke his heart having to let go and swim to the surface knowing that was their last hope.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

This is the RNS (Regulatory News Service) message issued by Compass Group at 7am this morning:

https://tools.eurolandir.com/tools/.../?ID=3417579&lang=en-GB&companycode=uk-cpg&v=

This is the one about his successor taking office a few months early:

https://tools.eurolandir.com/tools/.../?ID=3417583&lang=en-GB&companycode=uk-cpg&v=

Cousins was due to retire on 31st March.

RNS announcements are required to be issued for many kinds of company news by all companies listed on the London SE or AIM. In my line of work I've had to put these sorts of announcements out myself, including one concerning a director who died very suddenly.