Philadelphia, PA - April 27, 2010 – Debra Rodgers, ARAMARK’s Vice President of Global Risk Management, has been named Risk Manager of the Year by Business Insurance magazine.

Rodgers was selected by an independent panel of judges comprised of prior honorees, insurance industry leaders and the immediate past president of Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS).

Launched in 1978, the Risk Manager of the Year award is among the highest honors in the risk management industry. The awards were created to increase recognition of the profession and to recognize outstanding individual accomplishment in the field.

“As one of the world’s largest employers, our employees are our most valuable and important asset,” said Fred Sutherland, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Group Executive, ARAMARK. “We are very proud that Debbie has been recognized for her work to ensure the health and safety of our people as they work in businesses around the globe.  She has taken our approach to risk management to a new level, elevating its importance to our managers and demonstrating to employees how much we value their safety.” 

Rodgers leadership was a driving force behind ARAMARK’s holistic approach to employee safety and risk management, in which all elements of safety, workers’ compensation, disability management, risk management, and return-to-work are managed centrally. This award-winning approach emphasizes a continued commitment from the company’s leadership team to create and sustain a work environment in which “No One Gets Hurt.”

“I am honored to be recognized by this prestigious and talented group of risk management professionals,” said Rodgers. “Our profession is an important one and I am proud to work for an organization that invests in the safety and health of its employees.”

Rodgers joined ARAMARK in 2003 as Vice President, Corporate Risk Management, a role that has since expanded.  She is responsible for safety and risk control, claims management, and the traditional areas of risk management for the company’s global operations. 

Before joining ARAMARK, Rodgers was the Director, Risk Management for Saint-Gobain Corporation.  She currently serves on the Board of the Insurance Society of Philadelphia, and is the Vice Chair of the Student Advisory Council of the Risk and Insurance Management Society.  She is additionally a member of the Philadelphia Area Risk Managers Association, as well as several other professional organizations.

This recognition comes on the heels of ARAMARK’s receipt of the 2009 Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation and Disability Management Award.  The organization was recognized by Risk & Insurance magazine for its employee safety and claims management programs.

ARAMARK has also been recognized as an employer of choice by several organizations. It has been listed as one of the Best Places to Launch a Career by BusinessWeek, one of the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles by the National Business Group on Health, and as a top employer in many regions nationally. The company also ranked first in its industry on FORTUNE magazine's 2010 list of "World's Most Admired Companies," as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, and it is consistently on the Global Outsourcing 100, a list of the world’s most prestigious outsourcing service providers.

About ARAMARK
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. The company is recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, as the industry leader in FORTUNE magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies," and as one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 255,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.

Contacts:
Nicole Kennedy
215-238-8241
kennedy-nicole@aramark.com