Appointment of Chair and Board Changes

Hotel Chocolat Group PLC

03 May 2023

 

3 May 2023

HOTEL CHOCOLAT GROUP PLC

("Hotel Chocolat", the "Company" or the "Group")

Appointment of Chair and Board Changes

Hotel Chocolat Group plc, a direct-to-consumer premium chocolate brand, is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Alexander as the Company's Non-Executive Chair, effective on 5 May 2023.

Stephen has held numerous Chair roles of public and private equity-backed companies, predominantly in the consumer sector, for more than 20 years, including Dairy Crest, Immediate Media, Rhubarb Foods, EMI Group, Odeon Cinemas, AWAS Aircraft Leasing and Meridien Hotels. Prior to this, Stephen was Chief Executive of Hillsdown Holdings, before which he spent 17 years at Allied Domecq, where he was Chief Executive of both the Food and Retailing Divisions including 4,500 pubs and 9,000 fast food restaurants. He has also chaired the charities Look Ahead and Employment Autism.

Stephen is currently an Operating Partner with private equity group OpCapita LLP.

In accordance with Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies, the names of all companies and partnerships of which Stephen Harold Alexander, aged 67, is or has been a director or partner at any time in the previous five years are set out below:

Current directorships and/or partnerships	Previous directorships and/or partnerships (in the last five years)
Employment Autism Trustee Limited	Westwick Fruit Farms Limited
Stemin Investments	Dairy Crest Group Limited
Immediate Investments	La Sirena Alimentacion Congelada SAU
Sebeto S.P.A.
Rosso Topco S.P.A.

Stephen does not currently hold any ordinary shares in Hotel Chocolat.

Save as set out in this announcement, there are no further details to be disclosed under Rule 17 or Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies in respect of Stephen.

In addition, as previously announced, Andrew Gerrie will step down as the Company's Chair and member of the Board with his resignation effective from 4 May 2023.

The Company also confirms that Jon Akehurst will join the Company as Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Board Director on 15 May 2023. Further to the announcement on 2 February 2023, Jon is a Chartered Accountant, and his career includes management and leadership roles with General Mills, Mars, Aggreko and most recently at Terumo Corporation as CFO of their Aortic division. He has extensive experience across branded goods, manufacturing and international development.

Angus Thirlwell, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hotel Chocolat, said:

"Stephen's significant experience chairing companies in the food manufacturing and retail space in the UK and overseas will be invaluable as we take the business through its next chapter of growth. With Jon joining our team too, we have materially boosted the leadership and Board firepower. I am looking forward to working closely with them both.

I would like to thank Andrew Gerrie, our outgoing Chair, for all he has brought to Hotel Chocolat during his tenure as we scaled from brand revenues of £80m to £200m." 

Enquiries:

Hotel Chocolat Group PLC	Tel: [phone]
Angus Thirlwell, Co-Founder and CEO
Peter Harris, Co-Founder, and Interim CFO
Liberum (Nominated Adviser and Sole Broker)	Tel: [phone]
Clayton Bush
Edward Thomas
Miquela Bezuidenhoudt
Citigate Dewe Rogerson	Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7638 9571
Angharad Couch
Ellen Wilton
Alex Winch

Notes to Editors:

Hotel Chocolat is a premium British chocolate maker with a strong and distinctive D2C brand. The business was founded by Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris, who are still executives within the business, and has traded under the Hotel Chocolat brand since 2003. The Group is unusual in being a grower (organic cacao farm in Saint Lucia), a manufacturer (Cambridgeshire) and owning its extensive direct to consumer channels (branded stores, websites). The Group was admitted to trading on AIM in 2016.

 

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