Dame Karen Jones joins Whitbread board

Premier Inn owner Whitbread has appointed industry veteran Dame Karen Jones to its board as non-executive director.

Jones is currently senior independent director at Deliveroo and chair of both the Hawksmoor and Mowgli restaurant chains.

Whitbread said Jones, who will also join its renumeration committee, had a "wealth of experience" in the sector, having founded casual dining chain Café Rouge in 1989 and led the formation of the Spirit pub group as chief executive.

She also has strong experience in executive remuneration and previously chaired the remuneration committees at ASOS and Booker.

Whitbread chairman Adam Crozier said: "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Karen Jones as a non-executive director. Karen has had a stellar career in the hospitality sector and will be a great asset to the Whitbread board."

Jones stepped down as executive chair of Italian restaurant group Prezzo in 2022 after four years.

During the pandemic, she worked closely with ministers and was the only hospitality representative on the government's Build Back Better business council.

Jones was made a dame in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2022 for her services to business and the hospitality industry.