Burger King UK has announced that Lance Batchelor will join the board and be appointed chair from 1 December 2023.
Batchelor replaces Martin Robinson, who is stepping down from the board and his role as chair after six years.
Batchelor has extensive leadership experience with a background in hospitality, brand marketing, and retail, as well as franchising expertise.
He is currently chair of AI-powered marketing platform Ometria and digital health monitoring business Appello. He is also a non-executive director of the Royal Navy.
Previously, Batchelor was chief executive of Domino’s Pizza Group from 2011 to 2014, where he steered the business’ franchise model, oversaw its digitalization strategy, and enhanced its customer proposition.
Following this, he was CEO of Saga from 2014 to 2020. Earlier in his career, he was CEO of Tesco Mobile from 2007 to 2011 and held leadership positions at companies including Vodafone Group, Amazon.com, and Proctor & Gamble.
Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK, said: “We look forward to welcoming Lance to Burger King UK as we continue to deliver against our ambitious growth plans. Lance brings with him extensive experience in the consumer and hospitality sector as well as a strong background in digital and marketing. We are excited about how these experiences and perspectives will help the business continue to grow and improve.
“I would also like to express our gratitude to Martin for his exceptional service to BKUK over the past six years. He has been an invaluable source of strategic counsel to myself and the Board, and his contributions leave BKUK in a position of strength as we focus on delivering continued sustainable growth.”
Lance Batchelor said: “Burger King UK is a fantastic and well-established brand with a dynamic and diversified business model, strong product offering and clear strategy for growth. I am fully committed to supporting Alasdair and the BKUK team to deliver against its strategy and am excited about the opportunities across the business.”
Martin Robinson said: “Burger King UK is an excellent business with a fantastic team, and it has been an honour to serve as Chair for the last six years. My time with the business has been extremely rewarding and I wish Lance and the business all the best in the future.”
