Winning hearts and minds: Lorraine’s leadership through Sodexo’s first year at ESNEFT 

When Lorraine Thomas looks back on the first year of Sodexo’s partnership with East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), she sees more than a major contract mobilisation. She sees people. Their fears, their resilience, their growth – and the trust they’ve placed in her team. As Business Director for ESNEFT, Lorraine has led one of the most complex and high-profile mobilisations in Health & Care. Over 1,000 colleagues transferred into Sodexo across two acute hospitals and numerous community sites – each group with its own history, culture and challenges. It has been, as she describes, “quite a journey.” But for Lorraine, the journey began long before ESNEFT.

Early responsibility and foundations that shaped her

Lorraine grew up in a small family of three: her parents separated when she was 10 years-old, and her dad – working long shifts at Ford Motor Company – raised her and her sister alone. 

With her dad out of the house from 6am to 6pm, Lorraine learned to run the home, cook meals, and care for her younger sibling: “I grew up very quickly… those experiences shaped my values and work ethic.”

Leaving school at 16, she worked Saturday jobs and became a trainee loss adjuster before taking a temporary role in the staff canteen at Ford. That job, meant to fill a gap, kickstarted her entire career in facilities management. 

Recognised early for her potential, she moved from food service assistant to chef manager, then into significant vending projects. Over 15 years with Sutcliffe/Compass, she worked nationally across Ford sites, gaining experience without ever losing her people-focused approach.

Her move to Sodexo came via a colleague who had already transitioned. A new General Services Manager role opened on the Carpetright contract in 2007, when Lorraine’s son was just six months old and her daughter was four. 

Balancing national travel, nursery drop-offs, and the challenges of single parenting became part of her story: “sometimes it felt like being on a Grand Prix track without a pit stop.”

The mobilisation: complex, emotional, and full of camaraderie

Few mobilisations are as culturally diverse as ESNEFT. Lorraine’s contract involved first-generation NHS outsourcing at Colchester, NHS staff from community sites with long-built independent resilience, and an already outsourced workforce moving over to Sodexo. There were more than 1,000 people in total, each group with different expectations, behaviours, and experiences.

She attended every single welcome meeting, introducing herself, explaining the TUPE journey, answering difficult questions openly, and sharing her own background so colleagues could see her as a person, not just a director. 

Honesty became her anchor: “I told them I can’t promise nothing will ever change. Things change in any organisation. But I can promise we’ll be honest.” 

The impact was clear: trust slowly former, barriers eased, and colleagues leaned in.

Driving cultural change and raising standards

Lorraine is most proud of the people journey. New systems, new behaviours, and new expectations – especially around the existing safety culture, which demanded a reset. She recalls moments that showed the scale of change: “Colleagues were taking radiator covers off and using scissors to unscrew curtain rails… Things they felt were acceptable.” 

Through one-to-one support, newsletters, clear processes, and open communication, behaviours changed; not by force, but through shared understanding. 

Teams also gained a range of new opportunities that helped strengthen collaboration and growth across the contract. Colleagues were able to work across Ipswich, Colchester and the community sites, widening their experience and supporting each other when services were stretched. They had access to apprenticeships and development programmes that hadn’t been available before, opening doors for learning and progression. Support from aligned site directors helped bring consistency, while more structured management interaction created clearer expectations, better communication, and a stronger sense of shared purpose. 

She believes visibility matters and makes a point of walking the sites, knowing people by name and taking time to talk: “I’m not a business director nobody knows.” 

Her leadership style is grounded in honesty, empathy, and approachability. Having experienced difficult personal moments, she brings compassion into every conversation: “You don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors… 5–10 minutes with someone can tell you so much.” 

The first Health & Wellbeing Day at ESNEFT reflected this philosophy. Co-ordinated by Donna Hawkhead, Social Value Manager, and supported by the dietetics lead, retail teams, counsellors, health & safety and learning & development specialists, the event showcased Sodexo’s commitment to people. A second event is already planned, with more to follow, and Lorraine is hoping to see engagement continue to build.

One year on: the summit of a very steep mountain

A year into the contract, Lorraine feels proud, but remains realistic: “we’ve climbed a massive mountain and we’re starting to stabilise.”

 Operationally, the team is stronger, colleagues are more confident, and the management team – a blend of Sodexo, employees who transferred from the NHS Trust and previous outsourced provider, and new recruits – is finding its rhythm. 

A key part of that is building strong, sustainable processes that will allow the team to operate confidently and consistently. She is focused on ensuring there is no single point of failure anywhere across the contract, nurturing and developing the management team so they can step in, support one another, and grow into future leaders. 

Succession planning is at the forefront of her mind, and she also sees the potential to reengage with bid work alongside her ESNEFT responsibilities when the time is right

A leader shaped by life, defined by people

From a 16 year-old leaving school without college opportunities, to leading one of Sodexo UK’s largest healthcare mobilisations, Lorraine’s story is one of resilience, honesty, and human connection. 

Her first year at ESNEFT has been transformational: for her, for her teams, and for the thousands of people Sodexo supports across the trust every day.

 Her biggest win? “Bringing people on the journey.” And in many ways, the journey is only just beginning.

 Lorraine is incredibly proud of what Sodexo has achieved so far, and she remains open to whatever opportunities the future may bring. “I’ve never gone looking – opportunities have found me. You never know what’s around the corner.”