Premier Inn owner appoints Severn Trent boss as new chairwoman
Christine Hodgson joins partway through a five-year growth plan at the company, which involves building thousands more hotel rooms.
Premier Inn owner Whitbread has named Christine Hodgson, who is also at the helm of Severn Trent, as its new chairwoman.
Ms Hodgson will join the FTSE 100 company on September 1, it said on Tuesday, replacing current chairman Adam Crozier, who has been in post since 2018.
She has been working as chairwoman of water giant Severn Trent since 2020, overseeing its recent decision to hike consumer bills by an average 47% over the next five years.
Ms Hodgson’s appointment comes after the hospitality giant revealed a drop in profits on the back of recent restaurant closures and softening demand for hotel rooms in the UK.
The company, which also owns Beefeater restaurants, said earlier in May that profits fell by 14% in the year to February, compared with the previous year.
It said this was partly driven by the impact of a growth strategy that Whitbread started last April, which includes an overhaul of its restaurant business.
The £500 million plan, which executives dubbed “Accelerating Growth”, involved converting 112 branded restaurants and selling 126 more.
Ms Hodgson said on Tuesday: “It’s an exciting time to be joining, as the company continues to deliver on its five-year plan, and Premier Inn’s expansion in Germany gathers pace.”
The company hopes this will help it build about 3,500 extra hotel rooms, eventually reaching 97,000 rooms in total.
Richard Gillingwater, a senior independent director who led the selection process, said her “experience working with high-profile consumer and technology businesses” would be valuable to Whitbread.
Mr Crozier said: “It has been a privilege to lead the Whitbread board through this period of growth and change.
“I’m proud that as I leave the business, we are on course for Premier Inn to become Europe’s number one budget hotel business.”