By Laura McGuire
Wagamama’s owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) is waving goodbye to its chief financial officer, Kirk Davis, as part of a shake up of its top team.
The hospitality group, which also owns high street eateries such as Frankie & Bennys, said that Davis will step down after the publication of its interim results in September – but will remain available to the group until the end of October.
Davis served as CFO for over five years and has previously held senior roles at budget boozer Wetherspoons and Greene King.
He will be replaced by the group’s chief executive officer for leisure and concessions, Mark Chambers, a finance and retail veteran, who has been with the company for over three years.
Chambers will be replaced by Jonathan Knight, the current managing director of leisure and concessions.
“These management changes are the result of carefully managed succession planning. I would particularly like to thank Kirk for his huge efforts over the past five years,” chief Andy Honrby.
“TRG is a very different business from when he joined in 2018. He was instrumental both in the acquisition and successful integration of Wagamama and in supporting the business as it successfully navigated the Covid pandemic. We wish him all the very best for the future.”
It comes as the group was recently stung by shareholders after 46 per cent voted against the company’s pay report for last year at the firm’s annual general meeting in London.
It followed a public brawl between TRG and its investors after a number of shareholders called for an overhaul of the company, including calls for a change of governance and plans sell off its star brand Wagamama.
