Jamie Oliver Group names new chief executive

Kevin Styles has been appointed chief executive of the Jamie Oliver Group and will take up the role in early July.

He joins from cinema chain Vue International, where he was group managing director, and has previously worked as chief executive of American Golf in Europe and the UK and group marketing director at Thomas Cook.

Working alongside Jamie Oliver and the senior team, Styles will be responsible for driving growth across all areas of the business, including the chef’s media, product, and licensing arm as well as his international restaurant business, which includes more than 60 sites worldwide and a Jamie Oliver Cookery School in London.

The chef has continued to expand his international restaurant group since the collapse of his UK restaurant arm in 2019.

Oliver said: “Kevin brings a wealth of experience from many industries to the role, and I really look forward to working with him to lead the business and our amazingly talented teams into our next important phase.”

Jamie Oliver Group has been a B Corp, a company which voluntarily meets certain standards on its environmental and social purpose, since 2020.

Styles said: “I’m honoured and excited to be joining the business and am very much looking forward to working alongside Jamie and the whole team to lead the commercial development and further build on the success the group has had to date.”

Oliver called on the hospitality industry to back anti-obesity measures during a protest at Downing Street last month.