Compass, the catering company accused of corruption, on Friday named Richard Cousins, former head of plasterboard maker BPB, as its new chief executive after a six-month search.

Mr Cousins could earn up to £3.4m in his first year, including a base salary of £750,000, a performance-related bonus of up to £1.1m in cash and £1.5m worth of shares under a long-term incentive plan. There are no share options.