Compass CEO Cousins, 5 Others Killed in Sydney Plane Crash

(Bloomberg) -- Compass Group Plc Chief Executive Officer Richard Cousins and four members of his family were killed Sunday when their chartered sightseeing flight crashed north of Sydney.

The seaplane plunged into the Hawkesbury River near Jerusalem Bay shortly after 3 p.m., killing all six people on board, including the pilot, police said in a statement.

Dominic Blakemore, formerly the company's chief operating officer for Europe, will succeed him effective today, Compass said in an emailed statement. Cousins was due to step down as CEO of the world's largest caterer on March 31. The stock has rallied about 500 percent during his more than 11 years at the helm.

“Richard was known and respected for his great humanity and a no-nonsense style that transformed Compass into one of Britain's leading companies,” Paul Walsh, chairman of the U.K.-based catering company, said in a statement. “We are deeply shocked and saddened.”

Police are working with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to determine the cause of the crash. Sydney Seaplanes, which runs the flights, said it suspended operations until further notice, local media reported.

Cousins, 58, died along with sons William, 25, and Edward, 23, his fiancee Emma Bowden, 48, and her 11-year-old daughter, Heather, the Daily Telegraph in Sydney reported. The 44-year-old pilot, Gareth Morgan, was also killed.

Tourists typically charter seaplanes for a 20-minute flight from Sydney to dine at an exclusive restaurant on the river and to take in views of iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and harbor bridge.

To contact the reporter on this story: Edward Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stanley James at sjames8@bloomberg.net, Jeff Kearns

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