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                                                                    Exhibit 4.17

THIS AGREEMENT is made the 14 day of February 2002 and sets out the terms and
conditions of employment between ENODIS plc ("the Company") whose registered
office is at Washington House, 40-41 Conduit Street, London W1S 2YQ and ANDREW
ALLNER of 9 The Crescent, Barnes, London SW13 0NN ("you" or "the Employee")

IT IS HEREBY AGREED AS FOLLOWS:-

1.   COMMENCEMENT DATE AND DURATION

     (a)  As from 2 November 2001 ("the Commencement Date") you will be employed
          by the Company under the terms of this Agreement and your employment
          will continue (subject to the provisions for early termination) unless
          terminated by the Company giving you 12 months' notice in writing or
          by your giving to the Company 3 months' notice in writing. Your
          previous employment with the Company will count towards your
          continuity of service with the Company which commenced on 30 October
          2000.

     (b)  During any period of notice of termination (whether given by the
          Company or you) the Company shall be under no obligation to assign any
          duties to you, or to provide any work for you and shall be entitled to
          exclude you from its premises, provided that this will not affect your
          entitlement to receive your normal salary and other benefits including
          your entitlement to continue existing participation in bonus and other
          incentive schemes including share option schemes, (except that you
          will cease to accrue holiday during any such period), provided always
          that this Clause 1 (b) will not be utilised by the Company for any
          period in excess of 6 months.

     (c)  Notwithstanding Clause 1 (a) above, your employment will automatically
          terminate when you reach the normal retiring age applicable to
          employees of the Company.

     (d)  In the event that the Company terminates your employment (including
          circumstances in which you are constructively dismissed) otherwise
          than upon a Change of Control (in which event clause 10 of this
          Agreement shall apply) without "cause" (i.e. without a reason or
          reasons entitling the Company to terminate your employment immediately
          as set out in Clause 10 of this Agreement) the Company shall forthwith
          upon termination:

          (i)    pay you a sum equivalent to 95% of the value as at the date of
                 termination of 12 months' basic salary;

          (ii)   pay you a sum equivalent to 95% of the value at the date of
                 termination of 12 months' additional salary as calculated in
                 accordance with Clause 7(a) hereof;

          (iii)  procure that maximum discretions are exercised in your favour
                 under the Company's bonus schemes, the Company's Executive
                 Share Option Scheme, and schemes or plans referred to in Clause
                 7(g) and any successor schemes;

          (iv)   continue to provide your medical insurance and life assurance
                 for a period of 12 months following the date of termination of
                 employment on the terms applicable immediately prior thereto
                 or, if it is not reasonably practicable, to continue to provide
                 such benefits, make a payment to you to enable you to purchase
                 similar benefits on broadly comparable terms;

          (v)    pay you a sum equivalent to your annual car allowance (as set
                 out at clause 7(f) below);

          (vi)   arrange outplacement counselling for you at a level appropriate
                 to your status and position as reasonably determined by the
                 Company; and

          (vii)  additionally you will be entitled to a sum in respect of bonus
                 due (if any) payable at the same time as bonuses to other
                 participants in the relevant bonus scheme are paid in respect
                 of the financial year in which termination of employment
                 occurs, for the period worked up to the date of termination
                 and, if your employment is terminated on or prior to 31 May
                 2003, you will be entitled to a sum equal to 95% of the target
                 bonus payment you would have received (in accordance with the
                 rules of the relevant bonus year) had you worked your period of
                 notice with the

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               Company forthwith upon termination and for the purposes of the
               bonus due for the period worked up to the date of termination,
               you shall be treated no less favourably than other executives of
               your status in respect of the level of bonus paid to you and
               shall be paid on the normal bonus payment dates of the applicable
               bonus scheme. For the avoidance of doubt insofar as the bonus
               provisions of this sub-clause conflict with the provisions of any
               applicable bonus scheme, the terms of this sub-clause shall
               prevail.

     (e)  It is recognised that the provisions set out at sub-Clauses 1(d)(i) to
          (vii) above represent pre-agreed liquidated damages and reflect a
          genuine pre-estimate of the loss that would otherwise be suffered by
          you.

     (f)  The payments made under sub-Clause 1(d) shall be payable less tax and
          other statutory deductions which the Company is obliged to deduct from
          such payments and you hereby agree that you will not be entitled to
          any further or additional compensation or payment of any kind
          whatsoever in respect of this Agreement, its termination or
          repudiation and the termination of your employment and waive release
          and discharge any and all such claims, and undertake to sign such
          documentation and do such things as the Company may reasonably require
          to give effect to this.

2.   DUTIES

     (a)  You shall hold the office and serve the Company as Chief Executive
          Officer. You shall during the course of your employment perform such
          duties and exercise such powers (consistent with such office and which
          are reasonably within your skill and competence) in respect of the
          Company and any subsidiary and associated companies (together called
          the "Group") as may from time to time be reasonably assigned to or
          reasonably vested in you by the Board and shall from time to time give
          to the Board all such information regarding such matters as it shall
          reasonably require and implement and apply the policy of the Company
          as set forth by the Board from time to time. You shall report to the
          Board of the Company for the time being.

     (b)  During your employment with the Company, unless prevented by ill
          health or authorised holidays, you will well and faithfully serve and
          promote the interest of the Company and the Group subject to any
          commitment you have in respect of the non-executive directorship
          referred to below. You are also required to give the whole of your
          time and attention to the service of the Company, and not (without the
          Company's written consent, which will not be unreasonably withheld) to
          engage or become interested in any other gainful trade, business or
          occupation, either independently or as an employee, or to accept any
          directorships or other positions outside the Group, but this does not
          preclude you from:

          (i)  holding not more than 5% of any class of issued shares or other
               securities which are listed or dealt with on any recognised stock
               exchange by way of bona fide investment; or

          (ii) serving as a non-executive director of one other company at any
               time during your employment under this Agreement. For the
               avoidance of doubt, you shall be entitled to retain any fees paid
               in respect of any such non-executive directorship.

     (c)  During your employment under this Agreement, and for 6 months after
          its termination howsoever arising, you will comply (and procure that
          any spouse and minor children shall comply) with all rules of law,
          stock exchange regulations and any proper code of conduct of the
          Company of which you have been notified in writing for the time being
          in force in relation to your dealing in shares, debentures or other
          securities.

     (d)  The Company shall ensure that you shall have available such authority
          from the Board, such access to information and Company and Group
          records and such assistance from other administrative and managerial
          employees of the Company and Group, consultants and professional
          advisers, as are necessary for the proper performance of your duties.

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     (e)  The Company and you hereby confirm that for the purpose of Working
          Time Regulations 1998 ("WTR") (which provide (save for certain
          exceptions) that average working time should not exceed 48 hours for
          each 7 day period) you will be regarded as a Managing Executive as
          referred to in Regulation 20(1)(a) WTR. Notwithstanding this
          acknowledgement, in the event that you are found not to be a Managing
          Executive, you hereby agree that as from the Commencement Date the
          above mentioned limit shall not apply to you. This agreement by you
          shall remain in force indefinitely provided always that you may
          withdraw your agreement by giving not less than three months' written
          notice to the Company.

3.   LOCATION AND TRAVEL

     (a)  You will work at the current Head Office of the Company or in any
          place within reasonable daily commuting distance from Barnes, South
          West London, which the Company may from time to time reasonably
          require, for the proper performance and exercise of your duties. The
          Company may reasonably require you to work for limited periods at
          other Company premises.

     (b)  You will also be required on a reasonable basis to travel on the
          business of the Company or Group, both within the United Kingdom and
          abroad.

4.   EXPENSES

     (a)  The Company will reimburse you the amount of all hotel, travelling and
          other expenses reasonably and properly incurred by you in the
          discharge of your duties for the Company on production of the
          appropriate receipts of evidence of expenditure.

     (b)  The Company also undertakes to reimburse the cost of your membership
          of relevant professional bodies.

5.   HOURS OF WORK

     The office hours are between 9.00 am and 5.15 pm Monday to Friday, with
     one-hour break for lunch - a total of 36.25 hours. These hours are flexible
     and you will be expected to work such hours as are reasonably necessary to
     enable you to fulfil the requirements of this position.

6.   REMUNERATION

     (a)  Your basic salary is (pound)350,000 per annum ("basic salary"). Salary
          will accrue from day to day and is payable in equal monthly
          instalments in arrears by credit transfer to your bank account. Your
          salary will be reviewed (upwards only) on the third anniversary of the
          commencement of your employment hereunder, and annually thereafter,
          save if there are external circumstances which the Company decides
          occasion a review.

     (b)  You will participate in such discretionary bonus schemes as the
          Company may operate from time to time for employees of your status.
          Notwithstanding the terms of any such bonus scheme, if you are
          employed by the Company under this Agreement for part only of any
          bonus year, you shall be entitled to a pro rated proportion of the
          bonus. On termination of employment, payment of such pro rated
          proportion of bonus will be made at the time other participants in the
          relevant bonus scheme are paid bonuses in respect of the financial
          year in which termination occurs.

7.   BENEFITS

     (a)  As you have indicated that you do not wish to join the Company's
          pension schemes, the Company agrees to make a payment to you
          equivalent to 27% of your base annual salary from time to time instead
          of making pension contributions into the schemes on your behalf. This
          payment will accrue from day to day and is payable in respect of each
          of the

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          Company's financial years as a lump sum on or before 4 April by credit
          transfer to your bank account. In the event that your employment
          terminates during the course of a financial year the Company will,
          upon termination of your employment, pay you a pro rata portion of the
          pension contribution in respect of the relevant financial year up to
          the date of termination where this occurs before the payment of the
          lump sum contribution is made in respect of that year, and you
          undertake to repay the Company upon termination of your employment the
          gross amount of the excess pension contribution made by the Company
          calculated on a pro rata basis where such termination occurs after the
          lump sum pension contribution has been paid by the Company.

     (b)  The Company shall provide you with life assurance cover of four times
          your basic salary provided that in the event of a material increase in
          the cost to the Company of providing this benefit its continuation
          will be conditional on the parties agreeing arrangements satisfactory
          to both to share the cost of the continued provision of such cover.

     (c)  You shall be entitled to membership for yourself and your immediate
          family of the Company's medical insurance scheme, to membership for
          yourself of the prolonged disability scheme for the time being in
          force applicable to full-time employees of equivalent status of the
          Company in accordance with the rules applicable thereto subject to all
          underwriting conditions and Inland Revenue rules being met. The
          Company shall bear the subscriptions of such cover.

     (d)  You shall be entitled to participate in the Company's Executive Share
          Option Scheme.

     (e)  Holidays

          The Company's holiday year is from April 1 to March 31 and your
          entitlement to paid holidays within that period is 25 days in addition
          to recognised English public and bank holidays. The entitlement to
          holiday accrues pro rata throughout each holiday year. The holidays
          are subject to prior approval of the Company and holidays may not be
          carried over into a subsequent year without permission, such
          permission not to be unreasonably withheld. On leaving the employment
          of the Company, you will be paid for any holidays outstanding.
          However, the Company reserves the right to recover any overpayment of
          holiday pay in excess of your entitlement.

     (f)  Company Car

          The Company shall pay you a car allowance of (pound)20,000 per annum
          payable in monthly instalments (subject to statutory deductions) with
          your salary. The car allowance shall be reviewed annually in October
          (upwards only) but shall be increased by not less than the increase in
          the Retail Price Index.

     (g)  In addition to the bonus and benefits referred to in this Agreement,
          you shall be entitled to participate in such cash incentive plans,
          long-term incentive plans, share option schemes, bonus schemes and
          profit share schemes as are operated by the Company from time to time
          for employees of your status.

8.   ILLNESS

     (a)  Under the provision of Statutory Sick Pay Scheme, should you be absent
          from work due to sickness or injury, you are required to:

          -    inform the Company by telephone or in writing as soon as possible
               during the morning of the first day of absence.

          -    complete a Self-Certification Form for all periods of absence.

          -    produce a Doctor's Certificate for periods of absence exceeding
               seven days, including weekends and statutory holiday and for each
               week after the first week of absence.

     (b)  Unless disqualified, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be paid to the
          Company for the normal working days absence (i.e. Monday to Friday
          inclusive - the qualifying days) up to a maximum of twenty-eight weeks
          in a single period of entitlement.

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     (c)  Disqualification from SSP would be on statutory grounds, late
          notification without good cause, or in cases where the Company has not
          been satisfied on reasonable grounds that you are genuinely sick or
          incapacitated.

     (d)  Subject to compliance with the above, you will be entitled to sick pay
          at your normal rate of salary together with all benefits for a period
          not exceeding, in the aggregate, twenty-six weeks in the twelve months
          calculated back from the current illness.

     (e)  Should you be absent from work due to sickness for a period or periods
          in the aggregate in excess of twenty-six weeks in any twelve months,
          or be subject to persistent or recurring absence due to illness, the
          Company may require you to undergo an examination by a doctor, the
          expense of such examination to be borne by the Company.

     (f)  In the event of sickness or injury continuing for longer than
          twenty-six weeks, you will be retained on the Company's payroll for
          the purpose of receiving any Prolonged Disability Benefits which may
          be payable. Such continued employment is conditional upon your being
          and continuing to be entitled to receive the said disability benefit
          and if you are not so entitled or cease to be so entitled for any
          reason, the Company may treat your employment as terminated. The
          Company shall not terminate your employment by reason of
          illness-related absence if such termination would deprive you of the
          actual or potential benefit of payments made under any prolonged
          disability benefits scheme.

9.   HEALTH AND SAFETY

     The Company attaches great importance to the health and safety of its
     employees, and recognises a duty to prevent, where possible, personal
     injury by ensuring that the design, construction, operation and maintenance
     of all equipment, facilities and systems are in accordance with Health and
     Safety Requirements. In order to achieve this aim, you must ensure not only
     that you comply with all the requirements of the Company, but also that
     appropriate training and instruction is given to all employees whom you
     control in order to prevent injury to themselves and others. The Company
     has designated the Company Secretary as responsible for the co-ordination
     of Health and Safety within the Head Office of the Company, and any queries
     regarding Health and Safety should be directed to him in the first
     instance.

10.  CHANGE OF CONTROL

     (a)  Not less than three months after and not more than 12 months after a
          Change of Control you shall be entitled to serve 7 days' written
          notice of termination of your employment (whether or not the company
          has served notice of termination on you) and to receive the payments
          provided for in clause 1(d)(i) and (ii). In addition, you will be
          entitled to:-

          (i)   receive a sum equivalent to the value of your contractual
                benefits under clause 7(b), (c) and (f) for a period of 12
                months; and

          (ii)  receive a sum in respect of bonus due (if any) for the period
                worked up to the date of termination (payable at the same time
                as bonuses to other participants in the relevant bonus scheme
                are paid in respect of the financial year in which termination
                of employment occurs) and a sum equal to 95% of the target bonus
                payment you would have received (in accordance with the rules of
                the relevant bonus scheme) had you worked your period of notice
                with the Company forthwith upon termination and for the purposes
                of the bonus due for the period worked up to the date of
                termination, you shall be treated no less favourably than other
                executives of your status in respect of the level of bonus paid
                to you. For the avoidance of doubt insofar as the provisions of
                this sub-clause conflict with the provisions of any applicable
                bonus scheme the terms of this sub-clause shall prevail:

          (iii) receive outplacement counselling at a level appropriate to your
                status and position as reasonably determined by the Company;

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          (iv) benefit from the exercise of maximum discretions in your favour
               under the Company's bonus schemes, the Company's Executive Share
               Option Scheme, and the schemes or plans referred to in clause
               7(g) and any successor schemes.

     (b)  For the purposes of this Clause 10 "Change of Control" means
          circumstances in which any person (or persons acting in concert)
          obtains "control" (as defined in Section 840 of the Income and
          Corporation Taxes Act 1988) of the Company.

     (c)  The payments made under this Clause 10 shall be payable less tax and
          other statutory deductions which the Company is obliged to deduct from
          such payments and you hereby agree that you will not be entitled to
          any further or additional compensation or payment of any kind
          whatsoever in respect of this Agreement, its termination or
          repudiation and the termination of your employment and waive release
          and discharge any and all such claims, and undertake to sign such
          documentation and do such things as the Company may reasonably require
          to give effect to this.

11.  SUMMARY TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

     Your employment may be terminated by the Company without notice or payment
     in lieu of notice:

     (a)  If you are guilty of any gross default or gross misconduct in
          connection with or affecting the business of the Company or any
          company in the Group for which you are required by this Agreement to
          render services; or

     (b)  In the event of any serious or repeated breach or serious or repeated
          non-observance by you of any of the stipulations contained in this
          Agreement; provided that if such breach or non-observance is capable
          of remedy, you shall have failed to remedy it within such reasonable
          period being not less than 30 days, as is specified in a written
          notice from the Company specifying the breach or non-observance and
          requiring it to be remedied; or

     (c)  If you have an interim receiving order made against you, become
          bankrupt or make any composition or enter into any deed of arrangement
          with your creditors; or

     (d)  If you are convicted of any arrestable criminal offence (other than an
          offence under road traffic legislation in the United Kingdom or
          elsewhere for which a fine or non-custodial penalty is imposed); or

     (e)  If you are disqualified from holding office in another company in
          which you are concerned or interested because of wrongful trading
          under the Insolvency Act 1986; or

     (f)  If you become of unsound mind or become a patient under the Mental
          Health Act 1983; or

     (g)  If you are convicted of any offence under the Companies Securities
          (Insider Dealing) Act 1985 or under any other present or future
          statutory enactment or regulations relating to insider dealings; or

     (h)  If you voluntarily resign as a Director of the Company.

12.  RESIGNATION AND RETURN OF COMPANY PROPERTY

     (a)  Upon the termination, by whatever means, of this Agreement, you will
          forthwith deliver to the Company all credit cards, keys and other
          property of, or relating to the business of the Company and the Group,
          wherever held, including all computer generated material, whether on
          disk or otherwise, which may be in your possession or under your
          control, save that this Clause 12(a) does not apply to Board minutes
          of the Company or any company in the Group and any documentation
          referred to therein relating to any period during which you were a
          director of the Company or such Group company which shall nevertheless
          remain confidential.

     (b)  If, for any reason and with the consent of the Company, you retain the
          use of a motor car, or other Company property, for a period following
          the termination of this Agreement, the Company shall be entitled to
          hold a reasonable sum of money as surety against the return of such
          property in fit and proper condition at an agreed time and place.

     (c)  Upon the termination of your employment, you will immediately resign
          from any office held as a Director or Secretary of companies in the
          Group as may be so requested,

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          without claim for compensation and shall immediately repay all
          outstanding debts or monies due to the Company and the Company is
          hereby authorised to deduct from any wages (as defined by Section 27
          of the Employment Rights Act 1996) or monies due to you from the
          Company a sum in repayment of all or any part of any such debts or
          monies due from you to the Company.

13.  CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

     (a)  Unless ordered to do so by a court of competent jurisdiction you will
          not, either during the continuance of this employment, except so far
          as is necessary in the performance of your duties, or thereafter,
          without first having the consent in writing of the Company, divulge to
          any third party whatsoever any confidential information concerning the
          business, accounts, finances, materials, machinery, processes,
          secrets, dealings, transactions or affairs of the Company or any other
          company in the Group which has or may come to your knowledge during
          the course of this employment. For the purposes of this clause
          "confidential information" shall include but not be limited to the
          following (whether recorded in writing, on computer disk or in any
          other manner); internal management accounts; customer data; investment
          and pricing policies; product performance data; documents disclosing
          names and addresses of customers and suppliers of the Company and/or
          the Group; the contact name at such customer or supplier; the
          requirements of such customer or supplier; discounts offered by the
          Company and/or the Group; computer passwords. This duty remains
          binding on you even after your employment with the Company has
          terminated. The restrictions contained in this Clause 13(a) shall
          cease to apply with respect to any information which comes into the
          public domain otherwise than through unauthorised disclosure by you.

     (b)  You will not, except in the normal course of business, publish any
          literature, deliver any lectures of make any communication with the
          Press or Media except with the prior permission of the Company.

14.  INVENTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS

     Any invention, improvement, modification, discovery or design made by you
     solely, or jointly with any other person, arising out of or during the
     course of your employment shall be the sole property of the Company unless
     it determines otherwise.

15.  POST EMPLOYMENT RESTRICTIONS

     (a)  For a period 12 months following the termination of your employment,
          you will not without the prior written consent of the Company, on your
          own behalf or on behalf of any person, firm or company directly or
          indirectly:

          (i)  Endeavour to solicit or entice away from the Group any person who
               at any time during the period of 12 months immediately preceding
               the termination of your employment was employed or engaged by the
               Group at Senior Management level or above and with whom you had
               material contact during the course of your employment with the
               Company, or

          (ii) Be associated with any bid for or purchase of any business within
               the United Kingdom, which the Company had, at any time during the
               12 months immediately prior to the termination of your employment
               entered into negotiations or discussions with, or had
               investigated, in each case with a view to the purchase of, or to
               bid for that business, and in which proposed bid or purchase you
               were personally involved.

     (b)  For a period of 12 months following the termination of your employment
          with the Company, you will not without the prior written consent of
          the Company, be employed by, have interest in, act as advisor or
          consultant to, any other person firm or company which at the time of
          your ceasing to be employed by the Company is engaged in the same or a
          similar business to that of the Company or any Associated Company
          carried on by

                                      -7-

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          the Company or any Associated Company at the date of termination of
          your employment and with which you are materially involved in the
          period of 12 months immediately prior to the termination of your
          employment and which is in competition with the Company or any
          Associated Company and which is in competition with the Company or any
          Associated Company.

     (c)  The period of the restrictions set out in Clauses 15(a)(i) and (ii)
          and 15(b) above shall be reduced pro rata by any period during which
          the Company exercises its rights under Clause 1 (b) above.

16.  DATA PROTECTION

     You acknowledge that the Company will hold the information contained within
     this Agreement on your personal file. You are entitled under statute to
     have access to this file and to other information the Company holds about
     you pursuant to your employment hereunder (whether in computerised or
     manual record form) subject to certain restrictions imposed by law.

17.  GRIEVANCE AND DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

     (a)  If you wish to seek redress of any grievance relating to your
          employment (other than one relating to a disciplinary decision) you
          should refer such grievance to the Chairman and if the grievance is
          not resolved by discussion with him, it will be referred to the Board
          for resolution.

     (b)  The Company's disciplinary procedures from time to time in force will
          be provided to you for information purposes only and do not form part
          of the contractual provisions of this Agreement.

18.  DEFINITIONS

     In this Agreement, "associated companies" shall mean companies which are
     from time to time subsidiaries or holding companies of the Company or
     subsidiaries (other than the Company) of holding companies of the Company
     and "subsidiary" and "holding company" shall have the meanings respectively
     ascribed thereto by Section 736 of the Companies Act 1985.

19.  GOVERNING LAW

     This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the
     Law of England and the parties agree to submit to the non-exclusive
     jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any claim or matter arising
     in respect of this Agreement.

DATE:  February 14, 2002


SIGNED by: Peter M. Brooks
For and on behalf of ENODIS plc


SIGNED by the said ANDREW ALLNER:   /s/ Andrew Allner
                                 ------------------------

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