The Barkby Group appoints new chief financial officer

The Barkby Group has confirmed the appointment of Douglas Benzie as its new chief financial officer. 

The group is the parent company of Barkby Hospitality, which itself is comprised of two separate growth businesses, Barkby Pubs and Workshop Coffee. 

Benzie will now join Barkby from Pure, a London based health food chain, where he acted as finance director for almost three years. 

Prior to this, he was group financial controller and chief accountant at Pret A Manger. He formed part of the team that helped Pret A Manger revenues grow from £300m to £800m, and increased EBITDA from £35m to £95m.

Benzie is now expected to join the Barkby Group in the second quarter of 2020, and will be appointed to the board as an executive director at that time. 

Barkby Pubs operates seven gastropubs across the Cotswolds and West Sussex, while Workshop Coffee operates a number of specialty coffee bars throughout Central London. The group also operates a “state of the art” roastery in Bethnal Green that is responsible for the roasting, serving and training of a growing number of wholesale customers in the UK and abroad.

Charles Dickson, executive chairman of the Barkby Group, said: “I am delighted that Doug has agreed to join Barkby as CFO. 

“Doug brings with him extensive experience of senior finance roles in the food and beverage sector and will be a fantastic addition to the board and senior management team. I look forward to working with him as we embark upon our journey as a listed business.”