Lee Nixon will take responsibility for the South East, while Jo Hall will oversee operations in the South West.
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Both have joined Marston’s senior leadership team and will report to chief operating officer Neil Campbell.
The changes come as Marston’s, which has an estate of more than 1,300 pubs, bars and inns, looks to increase its focus on growth opportunities in the South of England and Wales.
Under the new structure, the group’s operations will be divided into five regions – North, Midlands, East, South East and South West.
Exciting time
Nixon joins Marston’s with more than 25 years’ experience in the UK hospitality industry, having previously held senior operational leadership roles at Honest Burgers, Ole & Steen, Costa Coffee and Le Pain Quotidien.
“Pubs play an essential role in communities across the country and Marston’s has some fantastic teams and operators,” he said.
“I’m excited to be joining at such an exciting time for the business and look forward to getting out into our pubs, understanding what makes each one successful and supporting continued growth across the South East.”
Meanwhile, Hall was formerly head of retail operations for convenience at the Co-op and brings more than 20 years’ experience leading large-scale retail operations to the role. Her previous employers include BP, Sainsbury’s and Lidl.
Hall added she was “looking forward to working closely with our pub teams and partners across the South West, to help them build on their success and deliver great experiences for our guests.”
Important role
The pair will work alongside Marston’s three existing operations directors, with John Green continuing to lead the North division.
Elsewhere, Claire Robertson will spearhead the group’s Midlands arm, while Jared Sedgwick will lead the newly created East division.
Marston’s, which is based in Wolverhampton, said the restructure was designed to bring its senior operational leaders closer to pubs in their respective regions and enable quicker responses to both issues and opportunities.
Commenting on the new appointments, Campbell said: “Jo and Lee bring a wealth of operational leadership experience to Marston’s, along with fresh perspectives and a shared passion for pubs, people and performance.
“They will play an important role in helping bring our new operational model to life while going after new opportunities in the South of England and Wales, supporting our ambition to deliver everyday excellence across every part of our business.”
