Shereen Ritchie named CEO of investment platform Kuvi Hospitality 

Shereen Ritchie has been named chief executive of Kuvi Hospitality, the investment platform designed to help bring US restaurant brands to the UK market.

Ritchie was managing director of Leon from 2017-21 and chief executive of Buns from Home from 2023-2025, overseeing the expansion of the Instagram-born bakery brand from six to 21 sites across London.

As group chief executive at Kuvi Hospitality, she will lead brand selection and franchise partnerships while developing a playbook of bringing concepts to market.

Kuvi Hospitality said it already had a pipeline of premium brand partnerships lined up, with its first franchise set to be announced in the coming weeks.

The investment platform was founded by Kuvi Capital, the family office of hedge fund manager Vikram Kumar, to build a bridge between US dining brands and international markets.

“We know hospitality is a challenging sector,” said Richard Sears, co-founder of Kuvi Hospitality.

“But we believe the fundamentals are strong. People will always seek out experiences, connection and great food. The ‘human element’ can’t be replicated by AI or social media – which makes world-class hospitality brands uniquely resilient.”

Ritchie said she was looking forward to developing “a portfolio of brands with genuine heritage and global potential”.

A sought-after industry advisor and speaker, Ritchie is also co-founder of Boardwalk, a mentoring programme created with leading hospitality figures Ann Elliott and Christine Martin, which launched in May to help women in hospitality into their first board positions.