Whitbread PLC

29 June 2022

APPOINTMENT OF DOMINIC PAUL AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The Board of Whitbread PLC ('Whitbread') today announces that Dominic Paul has been appointed as its next Chief Executive.  Dominic will succeed Alison Brittain, who has decided to retire from full time executive life at the end of the financial year 2023.  Dominic will join the Company early in January 2023.

Dominic is an experienced senior executive, with a very strong operational and commercial record in the travel, leisure, and hospitality sector, and most recently served as CEO of Domino's Pizza Group plc.  He led the business through the COVID pandemic and has delivered a strong period of sales growth and value creation and aligned all stakeholders behind a growth strategy for the future.

Dominic is well known to Whitbread and joins with a good understanding of the business having been a member of the Whitbread Executive Committee and Managing Director of Costa Coffee for three years, overseeing its significant growth in both the UK and internationally ahead of the sale of the business to Coca-Cola.  Prior to this, Dominic was Senior Vice President of International with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line where he led the business through a period of strong growth. His extensive experience in the travel and leisure industry also includes senior roles at easyJet, British Midland and British Airways. 

Adam Crozier, Chairman, said: "We are delighted to welcome back Dominic to the Group as our new Chief Executive.  Following an extensive search and thorough evaluation of high-quality candidates we are confident Dominic's great track record of growing and transforming consumer brands in the UK and internationally will help to lead Whitbread in the next stage of the Group's development.

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Board and the Whitbread team to thank Alison for her leadership over the last seven years.  She has guided the company brilliantly over that time: developing and then selling Costa for £3.9bn, growing and innovating our award-winning UK customer proposition, firmly establishing Germany to be a substantial engine of future growth, and latterly ably steering the Group and leading our 35,000 colleagues through the pandemic.  The strong recovery under Alison's leadership leaves Whitbread very well positioned as a strategic winner in the industry."

Dominic Paul said: "I am delighted to have been selected to return and lead Whitbread, a business with a fantastic heritage and an exciting future both in the UK and internationally. Whitbread has a well-founded strategy, a very strong customer proposition, and significant opportunities for future growth.  I am looking forward to working with Adam and the whole Whitbread team to deliver for our customers, teams, and shareholders." 

Alison Brittain, CEO, said: "It has been an enormous privilege to lead Whitbread during a period of significant expansion for our well-loved brands, in both the UK and in Germany.  The business has recovered from the pandemic well ahead of expectations and is continuing to trade strongly and gain market share. We are well positioned for continued outperformance and future growth, and we have a clear strategy and a strong management team to deliver it.  For the last seven years I have been consistently impressed and humbled by the hard work and commitment of our very talented teams and their passion for providing brilliant experiences for our guests every day and I'm immensely grateful to them for everything that they do.  I will continue to be fully committed to the business over the next few months until it's time to hand over the baton and I wish Dominic and the whole Whitbread team every success for the future"

Dominic Paul has advised that there are no details to disclose in accordance with paragraph 9.6.13(2) - (6) of the Listing Rules.

For more information please contact:

Investor Relations -  Whitbread                                                                 investorrelations@whitbread.com

Peter Reynolds, Director of Investor Relations                                               peter.reynolds@whitbread.com

Abigail Cammack, Investor Relations Manager                                            abigail.cammack@whitbread.com

Sophie Nottage, Investor Relations Manager                                                     sophie.nottage@whitbread.com

Media - Tulchan                                                                                             whitbread@tulchangroup.com

Jessica Reid / Alison Lygo                                                                                           +44 (0) 20 7353 4200