People: Pub giant welcomes former Littlewoods CEO and Smirnoff chief to board; New chair of BCO Midlands committee announced; and more

Pub giant Mitchells & Butlers has welcomed two directors to its board, including the former CEO of Smirnoff’s vodka business and the ex-boss of Littlewoods.

Susan Murray will join next month and will also join the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees and as a senior independent director on the board.

Murray has served on the boards of Compass Group, Pernod Ricard SA, Imperial Brands and EI Group and is a former council member of the Advertising Standards Authority.

She is currently a non-executive director of Hays, Grafton Group and Boparan Holdings and
was also director of international marketing of Grand Metropolitan’s IDV business, worldwide president and CEO of Smirnoff’s vodka business and subsequently chief executive of Littlewoods.

Meanwhile, Jane Moriarty will join the board with immediate effect and she will also join the Audit Remuneration and Nomination Committees on appointment.

Moriarty is currently a director of NG Bailey Group, Quarto Group, and Martin’s Properties Holdings and was previously a senior advisory partner with KPMG.

Bob Ivell, chairman of Mitchells & Butlers said: “At our Annual General Meeting I reported that we were well advanced in the process of identifying and appointing two new independent non-executive directors and I am pleased that those discussions have now been concluded with the appointment of two excellent people who bring a wealth of further experience and expertise to our Board.

“I am delighted to welcome Jane and Susan to the Board and we look forward to working with them to continue to drive the performance of the business forward.”

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A leading Midlands-based property professional with more than 36 years’ experience in the commercial property sector has been appointed as the chairman of the British Council for Offices (BCO) Midlands and East Anglia chapter.

Danny Parmar, business development manager at office fit out and refurbishment specialist Overbury, takes over from former chair, regional director of Argent, Rob Groves.

Parmar will lead the BCO in the Midlands as it focuses on promoting best practice in the industry.

He will also be responsible for championing BCO-led and other topical research in the region, as well as engaging new and existing members to help promote the creation of a better office environment for occupiers.

He said: “I’m delighted to take over as the new chairman of the BCO Midlands and East Anglia chapter and would like to thank my predecessor, Rob Groves, for doing an outstanding job of representing the BCO in the region.

“It’s an exciting time for the commercial property industry in the Midlands, with continued investment in office space and major new developments in the pipeline. We are also seeing advances in building design and refurbishment, creating better working environments capable of making a huge impact on every aspect of people’s lives.

“The BCO produces industry-leading research to promote best practice throughout the sector and help improve workplaces. As this work is funded entirely through membership fees, I’m looking forward to working with the committee to bring the BCO’s work to a wider audience of industry professionals in both the Midlands and East Anglia.”

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Birmingham-based property consultants and chartered surveyors Pennycuick Collins has added to its residential management team.

Andrew Winstanley joins as a senior property manager working alongside director Lyndsey Cannon-Leach and associate director Dale Jones to meet growing demand from existing and new accounts.

He held a number of senior roles with First Port and before that SDL Group prior to joining Pennycuick Collins.

Chloe Ross has been recruited to the team as a property administrator dedicated to supporting the firm’s residential management portfolio.

Cannon-Leach said: “These are important appointments for our business as we have experienced a rapid period of growth in the last 18 months.  Andrew and Chloe share the firm’s passion for building strong client relationships and we know that our clients will benefit greatly from these new roles.”