New Leadership Role Reflects U.S. Expansion SilverChef USA has appointed Madeleine Hopkins as Director of Operations and Customer Experience, marking the first dedicated operations leadership position in the company's U.S. division. Hopkins will work alongside Jon Jacobs, President of U.S. Operations, to scale the business while maintaining disciplined risk and credit management. Hopkins brings more than 10 years of commercial kitchen equipment experience, with extensive background leading complex operations and departments across SilverChef's Australian and Canadian teams. Her roles have spanned analytics, collections, certified used equipment, and credit management.
Track Record of Operational Transformation As Analytics and Implementation Manager, Hopkins used data insights to improve processes and overall performance. In her role as Collections Manager, she overhauled departmental processes and approach, achieving the company's lowest arrears rates in years—work that earned her SilverChef Group's Global Leadership Award. As Vice President of Certified Used, she expanded operators' access to quality used equipment, lifting the inventory ready-for-sale share from roughly 20-30% to approximately 70%. In her new U.S. role, Hopkins will optimize and expand the operations department to strengthen support for the sales function as SilverChef expands nationally. "My time at SilverChef helped develop my understanding of making sound commercial decisions, supporting sales without blindly chasing growth at any cost, and never losing sight of risk or the customer experience," Hopkins said. "That matters especially now, when restaurant operators need more flexibility in how they invest in equipment and manage their cash flow. My goal is to give dealers and distributors stronger operational support and reduce friction in the processes. Increasing accessibility to flexible financing options is how we can help more operators equip their kitchens and keep moving their businesses forward." Jacobs added: "Madeleine has consistently taken on some of the most challenging areas of the business and left them stronger than she found them. She understands how credit, customer service, sales support and operational discipline need to work together. That breadth of experience makes her the right person to build out our U.S. operations strategy and help our dealer partners deliver the best possible experience to hospitality operators at a time when they need it most."
Why It Matters
SilverChef's core offering—Rent-Try-Buy—allows dealers to give hospitality operators flexible equipment access without depleting cash reserves, with the option to change, upgrade, return, or purchase at any time. As restaurants navigate continued volatility, structured dealer support and operational consistency become competitive advantages. Hopkins' appointment signals the company's commitment to dealer-centric growth in a fragmented equipment financing market where operational excellence can differentiate service quality.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
