McGinty has been with Enterprise since October 2010 after joining the company from JD Wetherspoon , where he was head of commercial operations and LloydsNo.1.
Hawthorn Leisure, which acquired 275 tenanted pubs from Greene King earlier this month, is led by ex-Enterprise managing director Gerry Carroll and is believed to be looking for an operations director.
The company, which is backed by May Capital, is looking at making further acquisitions in the sector and plans to “unlock the potential” in wet-led pubs currently considered non-core by the established pub companies. The group aims to have an area manager for every 35 pubs it operated, one of lowest ratios in the tenanted sector.
Noah Bulkin, founder of May Capital, said the group had the backing of Avenue Capital, which is a US-based c$14bn fund and shareholder in Punch Taverns, to further increase its tenanted estate and also invest in each pub on an individual basis.
It is thought the new company is close to securing a c70-strong package of pubs previously part of Robert Tchenguiz’s R&L Properties vehicle and is already working on a third portfolio deal.