Phil Urban appointed M&B chief operating officer
Urban, who has held a number of senior operational roles in both Whitbread’s pub and restaurant division and Scottish & Newcastle Retail, will become a member of the M&B Executive Committee.
Alistair Darby, chief executive at M&B, told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s sister title M&C Report : “I am delighted to announce that Phil Urban will be joining Mitchells & Butlers as chief operating officer in January 2015, assuming all operational responsibilities for the business. Phil brings with him a wealth of experience from the leisure sector and we look forward to welcoming him into the M&B team.
“Susan Martindale has done an excellent job running operations alongside her Group HR responsibilities while we undertook the recruitment process. Susan will retain responsibility for operations until Phil joins us in January.”
At the same time, Mark Jones, the former chief executive of Pizza Hut UK and Yates, has been named as Urban’s replacement at the Rank Group-owned Grosvenor Casinos.
Jones, who was also formerly executive chairman of Premium Bars and Restaurants PLC, is currently managing director of Rank’s Mecca Bingo.
