Whitbread hires Severn Trent Chair Christine Hodgson to lead board
Whitbread PLC on Tuesday said it has appointed Severn Trent PLC Chair Christine Hodgson to join its own board as chair.
The Bedfordshire, England-based hotel and restaurant company and owner of brands including Premier Inn said Hodgson will join the company on September 1, replacing its current chair, Adam Crozier.
Crozier will step down as chair and retire from the board on the same date, following seven years in post.
Hodgson has been chair of Coventry, England-based water utility Severn Trent since 2020. Both Whitbread and Severn Trent are FTSE 100 index constituents.
‘It’s an exciting time to be joining, as the company continues to deliver on its five-year plan, and Premier Inn’s expansion in Germany gathers pace,’ Hodgson said.
Earlier in May, Whitbread said pretax profit was down 19% to £367.8 million in the year to the end of February from £451.7 million a year ago.
Senior Independent Director Richard Gillingwater, who led the selection process, said: ‘Christine’s experience working with high-profile consumer and technology businesses will be hugely valuable over the coming years.’
Shares in Whitbread were up 1.3% to 2,834.00 pence in London on Tuesday morning, while Severn Trent was down 0.1% to 2,736.00 pence.
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