Firmenich Appoints Board Member

Firmenich appointed Karen E.D. Jones, C.B.E. to its board of directors at a Shareholders Meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 20.

“The election of Ms. Jones reinforces our strategy of ensuring a broad diversity of knowledge on our Board, together with a mix of Firmenich family and outside members”, said Vernon Sankey, chairman of the board. “In particular, Ms. Jones brings an exceptional entrepreneurial track record, coupled with comprehensive experiences in M&A, operations and marketing.”

Jones, 54, is currently the founder and chairman of Food and Fuel Ltd, a hospitality company in London that specializes in high end “gastropub” restaurants. Prior to Food and Fuel, Ms. Jones was CEO of the Spirit Group Ltd, a private equity backed pub and restaurant group in the U.K. built up by acquisitions, where she served from 1999 until January 2006. Jones also co-founded the Pelican Group plc, owner of a number of successful and rapidly expanding restaurant chains, including Café Rouge, which was acquired by Whitbread in 1996.

She is currently a non-executive director of Booker Group plc, Virgin Active Group Ltd, ASOS plc, COFRA AG and of Royal National Theatre Enterprises Ltd. She is a governor of the Ashridge Business School and a member of the Rebuilding Childhoods Board of the NSPCC.