Dame Karen Jones DBE

Karen was appointed to the Board on 1 January 2020 and reappointed on 1 January 2024. She was also appointed as Senior Independent Board Member on 9 June 2020.

Experience

Dame Karen Jones is a successful entrepreneur and non-executive Director, with wide-ranging experience in the food, retail and leisure markets together with online and property businesses. In addition to her current roles listed below, Karen co-founded Cafe Rouge and the Pelican Group plc (sold to Whitbread in 1996) and was one of the founding group of Punch and Spirit, acting as CEO of Punch Retail/Spirit Group from 2000 to 2006: Spirit Group was sold to Punch Pubs in January 2006.

Karen subsequently founded Food and Fuel Ltd which was sold to The Restaurant Group in 2018.

Karen has held non-executive roles at ASOS plc, Virgin Active and Booker Group plc where she was Senior Independent Director. Between 2008 - 2017, she was a non-executive director for the global retail, real estate and investment company, COFRA Group, whose subsidiaries include Redevco and the international retailer, C&A, and where she remains an advisor on the family side. Karen also served on the Board of Firmenich ag between 2011 – 2023.

External appointments

Karen is currently Senior non-executive director of both Deliveroo Plc and The Crown Estate. She is also non-executive director at Whitbread Plc and Mowgli. Karen is Chair of Hawksmoor Restaurant Group. Karen is also Chair of the Board of National Theatre Enterprises Ltd and co-Chairs the Hospitality Sector Council together with the Minister for Hospitality.

Key strengths

• Food, retail and leisure markets

• Digital and online retail

• Property and placemaking

• Brands and customers