Dame Karen Jones DBE

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

Karen is a successful entrepreneur and non-executive, with wide-ranging experience in the food, retail and leisure markets. In addition to her current roles below, Karen has built a number of businesses, including co-founding Café Rouge and The Pelican Group.

Karen has held non-executive roles at ASOS plc, Virgin Active and Booker Group plc. Between 2008 and 2017, she was a non-executive director for the global retail, real estate and investment company, COFRA Group, whose subsidiaries include the major international retailer, C&A, and where she remains an advisor on the family side.

Karen is Executive Chairman of Prezzo (which was bought by Cain International in December 2020). In addition, Karen chairs Hawksmoor (backed by Graphite Capital) and Mowgli (backed by Foresight Group), Frontier (a JV with Stonegate Pubs) and is an investor in various hospitality concepts in London, such as Good Life Eatery.

Karen is an Independent Director at Firmenich, Chair of the Board of National Theatre Enterprises Ltd, sits on the Imbiba Advisory Board and is a Patron of the NSPCC.

Key strengths

• Food, retail and leisure markets

• Digital and online retail

• Property and placemaking