Upper Crust owner SSP Group has appointed Andrew Martin as chair.
From 1 June, Martin will also assume the role of chair of the Nomination Committee at the restaurant, bar and café operator.
He will succeed Carolyn Bradley, who has served as interim chair since the AGM on 23 January. She will remain on the board as senior independent director.
Martin brings extensive experience across the global consumer, travel, hospitality and support services sector to the role as chairman.
He is currently chair of Intertek Group, a FTSE 100 company, and is stepping down at the end of May after more than five years in his current role and 10 years in total as a non-executive director.
Martin was previously chair of Hays and has also served as a non-executive director of EasyJet and the John Lewis Partnership, where he chaired the audit and risk committee.
He also held board-level executive roles at Compass Group from 2004 to 2015, including group chief operating officer for Europe and Japan, and group finance director.
“After a thorough and rigorous recruitment and selection process, I am delighted to welcome Andrew as chair designate of SSP,” said Bradley. “He brings extensive experience in finance, execution, governance and corporate stewardship, along with a proven track record of board leadership.
“He also has deep sector knowledge underpinned by his tenure at Compass. The board believes his expertise will be invaluable as we pursue opportunities to accelerate performance and create shareholder value.”
Martin added: “The company operates in an attractive industry and has a strong business model with clear opportunities for value creation.
“I look forward to working with the board, Patrick [SSP Group CEO] and the broader leadership team to drive strong execution of the ‘Focus26’ agenda and to help shape strategy to deliver strengthened value for shareholders and other stakeholders.”
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