Rooney Anand appointed chairman of Casual Dining Group

Greene King CEO Rooney Anand has been appointed chairman of Casual Dining Group after announcing he would leave the brewer in April 2019 after 14 years at the helm.

The operator of casual dining brands including Las Iguanas, Café Rouge and Bella Italia announced that Anand will take up the appointment this month, replacing Martin Robinson who steps down after four years with the business.

Anand has been credited with transforming Greene King from a regional brewer and pub business to one of the UK's leading pub companies.

Steve Richards, CEO of Casual Dining Group, said: "We are delighted to welcome Rooney to CDG as our new Chairman. Rooney brings with him exceptional sector experience and everyone at CDG is looking forward to working with him."

"On behalf of the board, I'd like to thank Martin for his contribution to CDG over the past four years and we wish him well."

Anand added: "I'm very much looking forward to supporting Steve and the management team, helping them to build on the solid foundations they've established at CDG as they continue to grow and develop the business in the fast moving and competitive casual dining market."

In July it was announced that Casual Dining Group had agreed a £30m refinancing deal with American private equity company KKR to "fund growth opportunities".

Matthieu Boulanger, member and global head of private credit at KKR, commented: "We are very pleased to have Rooney join the CDG leadership team. He brings a wealth of experience and we believe he is uniquely placed to identify growth opportunities whilst steering the company through the challenges ahead."

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