The UK-based travel food and beverage operator says Daniels has the experience and knowledge to successfully lead its continued pandemic recovery and accelerate growth across the country
.jpg.aspx?lang=en-GB)
Daniels is tasked with accelerating SSP Group’s growth and profit in the UK | Photo credit: via Shutterstock
SSP Group has appointed Kari Daniels as the new CEO of its UK & Ireland division, where she will be responsible for innovating the company’s brands and concepts for a post-pandemic trading environment.
Daniels, who previously served as CEO of Tesco Ireland, is tasked with accelerating SSP Group’s growth and profit in the UK, following its ongoing recovery from the pandemic.
The UK-based travel food and beverage operator generated £2.2bn revenues ($2.7bn) in 2022 – 162% higher than for same period in 2021 and reaching 78% of 2019 levels.
Daniels, who will also lead SSP UK & Ireland’s sustainability agenda, succeeds Richard Lewis who will step down from the role at the end January 2023.
Lewis will continue working in a consultative capacity for SSP Group until the end of April 2023 while Daniels completes her induction.
“We are delighted to welcome Kari to SSP. Her extensive knowledge and experience of both retail and food industries make her an ideal successor to Richard in the role, and I’m confident she will accelerate growth in our UK business by putting a clear focus on developing our customer offer and innovating our brands and concepts to cater for the changed world we now operate in. Kari joins at an exciting time for the Group as we continue to make strong progress in our recovery and deliver our growth strategy to further strengthen our market-leading positions in food travel markets globally,” said Patrick Coveney, CEO, SSP Group.
On Lewis’ departure, Coveney highlighted his adept management of SSP UK, Ireland and the Netherlands during the ‘volatile’ pandemic period, as well as ' steering the business through the recovery'.