The pubco that operates 191 freehold community, wet-led pubs, across the south of England said Lewis will start in his new role on 14 September 2026.
Described as a highly experienced operator, Amber Taverns said Lewis has a long and extensive career in retail, hospitality and pub retailing, in particular.
Amber Taverns founder and chairman James Baer said: “I am delighted to welcome Richard as Amber’s CEO. After an extensive and thorough process, with several excellent nominees, we felt Richard was the outstanding candidate to lead Amber through its next phase of growth.
Wealth of knowledge
“Richard brings a wealth of knowledge and experience having held senior positions at Greene King, SSP and most recently, at RedCat.
“Richard joins a business in rude good health following an excellent World Cup, a strong first half year’s trading, successful openings in the south of England and a growing pipeline of exciting opportunities.”
Lewis added: “I am delighted to join James and the wider Amber Taverns team who have pioneered the operator-managed model and built a compelling pub business of nearly 200 sites, with the potential to more than double that.
“I look forward to joining the team in September, getting started and helping to continue the clear momentum underway within the business.”
Business in excellent health
Lewis joined Greene King in 2011 as managing director for Local Pubs, he was appointed group chief operating officer in 2017. He was subsequently UK & Ireland CEO for SSP (2019 to 2023) and joined RedCat Hospitality, owned by Oaktree Capital, as group CEO in 2023, during which time he also led the successful growth of Coaching Inn Group to a 43-site, £100m turnover business within the wider Redcat portfolio.
Amber Taverns said: “Richard joins a business in excellent health with good momentum following another strong trading performance with H1 like-for-likes for the six months to 2 August 2026 up 3.7%.
“During this period, Amber delivered an impressive like-for-like sales uplift of 70% over the key World Cup five-week trading period, evidencing its strong sports entertainment prowess.”
Amber Taverns is a value-driven pub group that focuses on the hybrid ‘operator-managed’ business model and its pubs are wet-led with a strong sport and live entertainment offering.
