Mark Derry appointed Wright Brothers chair

Mark Derry has been appointed chairman of restaurant group and seafood wholesaler Wright Brothers.

Derry, who led Loch Fyne's expansion before its sale to Green King in 2007 for £68m, is also currently chairman of Heartwood Collection, which includes Brasserie Blanc and Heartwood Inns.

Wright Brothers was founded by Ben Wright and Robin Hancock as a wholesale business in 2002. The pair opened their first site in Borough Market in 2005, followed by sites in South Kensington and Battersea Power Station to accompany wholesale depots in London’s Billingsgate market and Brixham, Devon.

Wright and Hancock said: "Mark has opened almost as many restaurants as we have opened oysters over the years, but more importantly, he is as passionate about great seafood and great teams as we are. Celebrating our £30m turnover milestone seemed like a great time to get Mark on board and it's a privilege to be sharing the next stage of our seafood journey with him."

Mark Derry added: “I remain fascinated by the seafood market and was delighted to discover the team at Wright Brothers share common values. It is a unique business with a great following, and I am hugely looking forward to getting involved.”