Individual Restaurants has appointed Neve Rabbou as group sales and marketing director, bringing him to the management team. This appointment is part of a series of strategic senior hires made over the past 12 months.
The announcement follows the 32-person restaurant group’s report on record Christmas sales, when total sales increased by 14% during the four weeks of December. Sales peaked on December 13.
Rabbou has more than a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, including eight years in board-level roles where he led some of the industry’s most prominent brands through significant growth and transformation. His previous positions have included, among others, Busaba and Le Pain Quotidien, where he worked on the global markets of both companies.
As group sales and marketing director, Rabbou oversees the group’s current portfolio of restaurant brands, including Piccolino, Restaurant Bar & Grill and Riva Blu. His duties also include identifying new growth and franchising opportunities and launching new brand concepts. In addition, his role covers guest experience, loyalty and wider marketing.
The appointment comes at a time of growth for the restaurant group, when it plans to launch new brand propositions, expand its portfolio and enter new markets. Rabbou’s expertise in business transformation helps guide the group in its expansion and growth projects.
Commenting on his new role, Rabbou commented: “I am excited to be joining Individual Restaurants at a time of exciting growth and investment, following the business’ milestone year of 2024. I look forward to working closely with Andrew and the wider team to deliver on our goals to expand our portfolio of world-leading restaurant brands, grow into new markets and spark new brand concepts to life.”
Under the leadership of CEO Andrew Garton, the Company has continued to thrive and achieved a record turnover of £74 million in the financial year ending March 2024. The success is based on strategic investments in the entire portfolio and significant new openings in South America. English.
Rabbou’s appointment follows several strategic hires and promotions made by Garton in 2024 to strengthen the group’s executive board. These include the promotion of David Carroll to Chief Operating Officer, the promotion of Mark Window to Group Director and the promotion of Selena Green to Chief Commercial and Insights, reflecting Garton’s focus on transforming the business into a more data and insights-driven organization.
Garton said: “Neve brings an impressive background in expanding hospitality and moving into individual restaurants at an exciting time for the company.”
“We have ambitious plans to expand into new markets globally, introduce new dining concepts and invest in new locations, and Neve’s experience with a strong senior management team will support us to be a better and bigger business in 2025.”
David Carroll, Chief Business Officer, added; “We have grown and developed significantly in recent years and are investing in both our core area and our personnel. We’ve built a company that puts people at the heart of what we do, and because we’ve taken the time to build our culture and people proposition, we’ve developed a strong team that has led to us being recognized as one of the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work. . Welcoming Neve to our board as our newest member will help us continue to build the most talented hospitality team in the industry, and we look forward to continuing to invest in our business and team in 2025.
