The appointment – which comes a week after Zenith Leasedrive Group announced its rebranding to Zenith – sees Thompson join Zenith’s board of directors and become directly accountable for Zenith’s existing customers, working alongside the commercial teams to further develop the company’s proposition.

He joins Zenith from Compass Group plc where he led significant growth in the international sports and leisure business, first as MD in the UK and then as group director for the sector.

Tim Buchan, chief executive officer at Zenith, commented: “Matthew brings with him a wealth of experience in customer management and will be leading our established teams as we launch a series of exciting initiatives and take our customer service proposition to the next level. His credentials are extremely impressive and we look forward to him applying his knowledge and experience from the customer-centric sports and leisure sector to his role here at Zenith.”

Thompson added: “I am truly thrilled to be joining Zenith at such an exciting time in the company’s development. I firmly believe that the experience I’ve gained in different industries, with some similar characteristics, will allow me to positively contribute to Zenith’s continued growth. I am very much looking forward to working with the board of directors and the whole Zenith team, as one of my main reasons for joining Zenith was its people driven ethos, shown by its continued position as one of the top 100 companies to work for, as well as its zealous focus on customer service.”