Whitbread Appoints New Director

By: Whitbread | 0 Shares 175 Reads

December 15, 2008 // Franchising.com // Whitbread PLC, UK's largest hotel and restaurants company, has today announced the appointment of Patrick Dempsey, managing director of Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, as an executive director. He will join the Board with effect from 1st January 2009.

Patrick (49) joined Whitbread in 2004 and took over the running of Whitbread's budget hotels business in 2005. Since that time Premier Inn has grown by nearly 10,000 rooms, undertaken a major rebranding and Patrick led the integration with the Whitbread restaurants business. Patrick spent 20 years at Forte and has worked in hotel and restaurant businesses throughout his working life.

Anthony Habgood, Chairman Whitbread PLC commented: "I am delighted that Patrick is to join the Whitbread Board where we will benefit from his strong operational experience. Patrick has been extremely successful in growing Premier Inn and improving our restaurants performance."

Notes to Editors

Whitbread PLC

Whitbread PLC is the UK's largest hotel and restaurant company operating market-leading businesses in the budget hotels and restaurant sectors. Its brands include Premier Inn, Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns and Costa Coffee.

Whitbread PLC employs over 33,000 people and serves 8.5 million customers every month in its 1,500 outlets across the UK.

In the first half of the financial year ended 28th August 2008, Whitbread PLC reported a 12.6% increase in Group Revenue to £682.2 million and 24% increase in Pre-tax Profit to £123.3 million.

Whitbread PLC is a FTSE 100 company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is also a member of the FTSE4Good Index.

Patrick Dempsey

Patrick joined Whitbread in September 2004 as Managing Director of Whitbread Hotel Company. Following the sale of Marriott hotels he was appointed Managing Director for Premier Inn, which has since grown to become the UK's largest hotel chain operating some 40,000 rooms in the budget sector.

In February 2008 it was announced by Whitbread that Premier Inn and the Restaurants Division, including Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table and Taybarns would merge to form Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants, of which Patrick was appointed Managing Director.

Prior to Whitbread, Patrick was Chief Executive of Macdonald Hotels and Managing Director of Forte Hotels UK and CEO of Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group.