Carol Welch, who stepped down as chief marketing officer at Costa last year, after three years with the coffee chain, has been appointed managing director for Odeon UK & Ireland.
Welch, who was also general manager of Costa’s innovation and digital division, previously held senior marketing and innovation roles at PepsiCo, Cadbury Schweppes, Green & Blacks and most recently, Associated British Foods, where she worked on both the Jordans Cereal and Ryvita brands.
Odeon, which was acquired by AMC Entertainment in July 2016, has also promoted former UK & Ireland managing director Duncan Reynolds to group development and real estate director. His role will involve building and improving cinemas across Europe.
Andy Alker is promoted to chief finance director, taking over from Mark Way, who was appointed managing director of Odeon Cinemas Group and president AMC Europe in December.
Way said: “The appointment of these skilled directors gives us an even stronger executive team in Europe, with the capabilities and experience that we’ll need to accelerate and evolve our strategy now that we’re part of the AMC family.
“Carol’s experience and skills at creating outstanding customer experiences, through an unrivalled focus on delivering the highest operational and brand standards, arrive at the perfect time for our evolution – and will bring additional strength to our leadership team.”
Welch said: “I’m delighted to be joining Odeon at such an exciting time in their development towards creating the best cinema experience in the UK and Europe.”
Odeon Cinemas Group was bought by AMC Entertainment, a US cinema chain owned by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, for $1.21bn.
