Pret A Manger has today announced the appointment of one of the most established leaders in the hospitality industry as chairman of its Board of Directors.
José Cil most recently served as CEO of Restaurant Brands International [NYSE: QSR], one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies, which owns the Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs brands. In that role, José helped grow that business to more than $40 billion in system-wide sales and 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.
As Pret’s new chairman, José will work alongside the leadership team to help accelerate the growth of Pret A Manger, helping to create exceptional food and coffee experiences for Pret’s customers, while delivering strong financial results for Pret and its shareholders.
Over the past five years, Pret has significantly expanded its global business and now serves customers across 21 countries. £1 in every £4 spent at Pret is now in shops outside the UK. Cil will bring to Pret his extensive expertise in building winning teams with a guest-centric mindset that are focused on delivering exceptional experiences every day, while also strengthening the company’s developing franchise network and its profitability.
Cil succeeds Konrad Meyer, who will remain on Pret’s Board as a director, having served on the Board of Pret since JAB’s acquisition in 2018.
Joining Cil on the Pret board are industry veterans Elias Diaz Sese, co-founder of Popeyes UK, non-executive director at Domino’s Pizza Group plc and former senior executive at Kraft Heinz and RBI brands Tim Hortons and Burger King, and Andre Molinari, former head of global development and M&A at RBI and head of International development at Tim Hortons.
Pano Christou, CEO of Pret A Manger, said: “José’s vast experience in restaurants and franchising will play an invaluable role in making Pret a truly successful, fast-growing global business.
“I’m looking forward to working with José to help us deepen relationships with our franchise partners and drive sustainable profitable growth. I would also like to thank Konrad for his exceptional support these past seven years and we will continue to value his guidance as an ongoing member of the Pret Board.”
Cil said: “I have a huge amount of admiration for Pret A Manger and believe we have only scratched the surface when it comes to fulfilling Pret’s true potential. Elias and Andre are two exceptional leaders that will bring tremendous value to the Board, and I want to thank Konrad for helping Pret get back to what it does best. I’m looking forward to working with Pano and the wider management team to double down on Pret’s simple, winning recipe: delicious, freshly made food and coffee, served by friendly, high performing teams in shops and restaurants across the world.”
