2 Feb 2016 07:00
PRESS RELEASE 2 February 2016
GREENE KING plc
RETIREMENT OF GREENE KING CHAIRMAN TIM BRIDGE
AND APPOINTMENT OF NEW CHAIRMAN, PHILIP YEA.
The board of Greene King plc announces that Tim Bridge, chairman of the company, will be retiring from the board on 1 May 2016, after 11 years as chairman and over 45 years' service with the company. The board is pleased to announce that Philip Yea is joining the board on 2 February 2016 as a non-executive director, and then will take over as chairman on 2 May 2016.
Philip Yea will initially be appointed as a member of the nomination and remuneration committees. He will take over as chairman of the nomination committee, and resign from the remuneration committee, when he becomes chairman in May.
Tim Bridge commented:
"I joined Greene King in 1970 and have been the chairman since 2005, following more than ten years as the chief executive. I feel very fortunate to have spent my whole career working for a great company which has grown from being a regional brewer to one of the UK's leading pub hospitality companies. We have achieved this with an outstanding team of people and I feel confident that, through them, and with Philip Yea replacing me as chairman, the company will continue to prosper in the future."
Rob Rowley, senior independent non-executive director, commented:
"We would like to thank Tim Bridge for his excellent and extensive contribution to the group, spanning over 45 years. He has done an outstanding job as chairman and it has been a real pleasure working with him. His experience and advice, coupled with his deep commitment to the success of the business have been invaluable and the Board and I wish him a happy and healthy retirement.
"We are also very pleased that Philip Yea has agreed to join the board and to take over from Tim as chairman from May. He has a wealth of industry knowledge and I am sure that his wide expertise, business experience and personal qualities will contribute greatly to the future and continued success of the group."
Philip Yea commented:
"I am delighted to be joining Greene King and it will be an honour to succeed Tim Bridge when he retires as chairman. Greene King is admired for its brands and people, and I am looking forward to working closely with Rooney and the rest of the board in the next stage of its progress as a leading pub hospitality company."
Philip Yea is currently senior independent director at both Vodafone Group Plc and Computacenter PLC and also a non-executive director of Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc. He is also an independent director and trustee of the Francis Crick Institute.
He has recently stepped down as chairman of bwin.party digital entertainment plc following the successful completion of its acquisition by GVC Holdings. From September 2014 to June 2015 he was a member of the supervisory board of Rocket Internet SE, a German company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
He has considerable executive experience in both the quoted and private equity sectors, having been chief executive of 3i Group plc from 2004 to 2009. He is a former finance director of Diageo plc and, as finance director of Guinness PLC, was closely involved in the creation of Diageo through Guinness's merger with GrandMet in 1997.
No further details remain to be disclosed as required under Listing Rule 9.6.13.
For further information
Greene King plc | Tim Bridge, chairman Lindsay Keswick, company secretary | Tel: 01284 763222 |
Finsbury | James Leviton Roland Rudd | Tel: 0207 251 3801 |
Information on Greene King plc is available at www.greeneking.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @greeneking
NOTES FOR EDITORS
• Greene King was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. It currently employs around 42,000 people across its main trading businesses; Retail, Pub Partners and Brewing & Brands.
• It operates over 3,000 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland, of which around 1,800 are retail pubs, restaurants and hotels, and around 1,200 are tenanted, leased and franchised pubs. Its leading retail brands and formats include Hungry Horse, Old English Inns, Farmhouse Inns, Metropolitan, Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill and Loch Fyne Seafood & Grill. 83% of the estate is either freehold or long leasehold.
• Greene King also brews quality ale brands from its Bury St. Edmunds and Dunbar breweries, and is the UK's leading cask ale brewer and premium ale brewer. Its industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale and Belhaven Best.