Liberation Group has announced the appointment of Simon Griffiths as operations director, after he joined the pub company at the end of 2022.

Griffiths will be responsible for overseeing operations for Butcombe Pubs & Inns in England and Liberation Pubs & Bars on the Channel Islands.

Having started in hopsitality in 1999, he worked his way up through the ranks of Loch Fyne, and in 2012 moved to an operations manager role where he was solely responsible for the group’s hotels, increasing occupancy and ADR to record levels.

Simon moved into pubs in 2018, looking after sites in Kensington, Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Bayswater. He joined Premium & Urban Pubs South as an operations manager in 2020, responsible for pubs on the South Coast.

Simon Griffiths

Jayson Perfect, group managing director, Pubs & Inns, Liberation Group says, “Simon’s operational and leadership expertise alongside his wealth of knowledge and experience of our industry, will bring a huge amount of value to our senior management team.

“This is an exciting time for Liberation Group as a business and I wish Simon all the very best as he takes on this new challenge with us”, he adds. 

Earlier this year the group also announced the appointment of David Kelly as its new chair with immediate effect.

He replaced former chairman Richard Grainger, who announced his intention to step down in May 2023 after seven years with the pub operator and brewer.