Key operational figures leave Mitchells & Butlers

As a consequence of the restructure a whole layer of the group’s management – Amanda Coldrick, managing director of its Suburban division; Roger Moxham, managing director of its Value division; and Adam Martin, marketing & strategy director – will leave the company after a short handover period.

The departure of the experienced Moxham and Coldrick, who both joined the group in the 1980’s, along with the highly-thought of Martin, who many tipped as an internal chief executive in waiting, will raise further questions regarding the future direction and stability of the UK’s leading pub operator.

Moxham, Coldrick and Martin have all been viewed as key figures in keeping M&B moving forward operationally as it has weathered takeover approaches and numerous boardroom changes and conflicts over the last few years, the latest being leading shareholder Joe Lewis’s aborted £940m bid for the company earlier this year.

M&B said the restructuring will include the reshaping of its existing three-channel structure – City & Country, Suburban and Value – into nine “more focussed and accountable” brand groups, each led by brand operations directors reporting directly into new operations director Robin Young, who only joined the group as commercial director last June.

At the same time, Kevin Todd, who has been managing director of its City & Country division since September 2009, will assume the position of business development director and will work alongside Young to develop M&B’s customer service and food quality initiatives, in addition to taking responsibility for strategic marketing activities.

The operator of All Bar One, Harvester and Toby Carvery said the changes would “devolve responsibility and accountability within the business in order to enhance the guest experience and continue to grow its restaurants and pubs”.

Bob Ivell, executive chairman, said: “This change programme will build on our track record of delivering great hospitality to our guests by streamlining the back office structure into one that can more efficiently support our customer facing teams and respond to the ever changing eating and drinking out market.”

The appointment of an operations director will cast doubt on whether the company will continue to seek a new chief executive and instead further rely on Ivell, who has already taken on the duties of chief executive at the group.