Whitbread poaches new CEO Alison Brittain from Lloyds
Costa coffee shops and Premier Inns hotels owner Whitbread has appointed Alison Brittain, current head of Lloyds's high street banking division, as its new chief executive.
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Career banker Brittain, who has been at Lloyds since 2011 after previous roles at Santander and 20 years at Barclays, moves into the leisure sector after Whitbread's current chief, Andy Harrison, announced his retirement last month.
Although her executive experience is in the financial sector, Brittain has been a non executive director of Marks and Spencer since January 2014.
Whitbread chairman Richard Baker also cited her "vast experience in successfully managing multi-site operations with leading brands" and "a natural ability to inspire and motivate large customer-facing teams to deliver great service".
"We are delighted to have secured someone of Alison's calibre. We ran an extensive search and selection process and Alison was the standout candidate from a very strong field."
Baker also pointed to Brittain's experience in delivering digital online and mobile technology, business to business marketing, and managing property portfolios.
"Over the last five years, under Andy's leadership, Whitbread has generated substantial value by getting bigger and better. With the announcement of our 2020 milestones we have laid out clear plans to get bigger, and Alison's arrival will ensure Whitbread continues to get even better still."
Harrison will step down from full time executive life at the end of February 2016, with Brittain joining the company on 4 January 2016.
Brittain said: "Whitbread has a clear strategy and I am looking forward to leading the company as it grows and delivers for its customers, its people and its shareholders."
Her appointment means there are now six women holding the top job in the FTSE 100.