Nigel Pinegar, former director of operations at Paramount Restaurants, has joined Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) as an operations development manager for its 135-strong Ember Inns estate.
Pinegar joins M&B after more than two years at Paramount, which operates the Chez Gérard, Brasserie Gérard and Livebait brands.
While at Paramount, Pinegar oversaw the strategic development of the Brasserie Gérard brand.
Pinegar has also held operational roles at The Restaurant Group and Loch Fyne, and was a general manager at Greene King.
It was recently revealed that M&B is to convert most of its Ember Inns pubs to a more premium format, which is known as Ember Pub & Dining, offering high-quality food at affordable prices.
Twenty of Ember Inns' sites have so far been converted, with 60 planned by July. The new format aims to offer "gastro quality food and drink".