– UK, London – SSP Group (LON: SSP), the leading dedicated operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations, is pleased to announce that it has appointed Kate Swann as CEO effective from September 4, succeeding Andrew Lynch who will stand down after nine years in the role.
Kate Swann has had a 23-year career in the retail industry and was CEO of WHSmith for ten years until July 1.
“I very much look forward to working with Kate to continue developing SSP in the years to come. SSP will benefit from Kate’s vast retail experience from WHSmith in accelerating growth and working with business partners, while continuously improving the customer experience.” said Board Chairman, Vagn Soerensen.
He added: “Andrew has done a great job in building SSP into an international market leader in its sector. The strength of both the management team and brand portfolio leaves the business very well-positioned for further growth. We wish him every success in the future.”
Andrew Lynch commented, “I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to lead SSP for a long and exciting period and I am proud to leave it in good shape, with a strong track record of sales and profit growth, an exciting pipeline, and an excellent management team.”
About Kate Swann
Kate Swann was Group Chief Executive of WHSmith from November 2003 until June 2013. She started her early career at Tesco before moving to positions at Homepride Foods, Coca-Cola Schweppes and Dixons. She then worked for Homebase, ultimately as Managing Director, before becoming Managing Director of Argos in 2000. She is also a non-executive director of Babcock International Group PLC.
Kate Swann said, “I am delighted to be joining SSP and look forward to working with the team as we continue to grow the business and deliver for our customers.”
About SSP
SSP is the leading dedicated provider of food and beverage brands in travel locations, operating restaurants, bars, cafés, food courts, lounges and convenience stores in airports, train stations, motorway service stations and other leisure locations. With a heritage stretching back over 60 years, today SSP has 30,000 employees, serving over a million customers every day. It has business at over 140 airports and over 250 rail stations and operates more than 2,100 units in 30 countries around the world.
SSP operates an extensive portfolio of over 200 international, national, local and speciality brands. These include Upper Crust, Starbucks, Caffè Ritazza, Burger King, M&S Simply Food, Millie’s Cookies, O’Learys, Caviar House & Prunier, and leading Asian brands Ajisen Ramen and Saboten, as well as stunning bespoke concepts such as the Montreux Jazz Café in Geneva and the award-winning Center Bar at Zurich.
Its brand portfolio is tailored for each specific location, depending on variables such as passenger profile, consumer need states, location type, size and design.
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