Individual Restaurants has appointed Neve Rabbou as Group Sales and Marketing Director, bringing her onto the Executive Board. This appointment is part of a series of strategic senior hires made over the past 12 months.
The announcement follows the 32-strong restaurant group's report of record-breaking sales during the Christmas period, with a 14% increase in total sales over the four weeks of December. Sales reached a milestone peak on December 13th.
Rabbou brings more than a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, including eight years in Board-level roles, where she led some of the sector's most prominent brands through significant growth and transformation. Her previous roles include positions at Busaba and Le Pain Quotidien, where she worked across global markets for both companies.
As Group Sales and Marketing Director, Rabbou will oversee the Group's current portfolio of restaurant brands, including Piccolino, Restaurant Bar & Grill, and Riva Blu. Her responsibilities will also include identifying new growth and franchising opportunities, as well as launching new brand concepts. Additionally, her role will cover guest experience, loyalty, and the broader marketing function.
This appointment comes at a time of growth for the restaurant group, as it plans to launch new brand propositions, expand its portfolio, and enter new markets. Rabbou’s expertise in business transformation will help guide the group through its expansion and growth initiatives.
On her new role, Rabbou commented: “I am thrilled to join Individual Restaurants during an exciting period of growth and investment, following a milestone year for the business in 2024. I look forward to working closely with Andrew and the wider team on realising ambitions to expand the portfolio of world-leading restaurant brands, grow into new markets and bring new brand concepts to life.”
Under the leadership of CEO Andrew Garton, the Company has continued to thrive, achieving a record turnover of £74 million for the financial year ending March 2024. This success has been driven by strategic investments across its portfolio and notable new openings in the South of England.
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 Business Officer, Mark Window to Group Executive Chef, and Selena Green to Commercial and Insights Director, reflecting Garton’s focus on transforming the business into a more data and insight-driven organisation.
Garton said: “Neve brings an impressive background in hospitality expansion and transformation to Individual Restaurants at an exciting time for the business.'
'We have ambitious plans to expand into new markets globally, introduce new dining concepts to our portfolio and invest in new locations and Neve’s experience, complemented by a strong senior leadership team, will support us being a better and a bigger business in 2025.”
David Carroll, Chief Business Officer, added; “In recent years, we have grown and developed significantly, prioritising investment in both our core estate and our people. We’ve built a business that puts people at the heart of what we do and through taking the time to build our culture and people proposition, we have developed a strong team that has led to us being recognised as a Sunday Times Best Places to Work. Welcoming Neve as the latest addition to our executive board will only 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.”
