SSP Group Regulatory News (SSPG)

LEI: 213800QGNIWTXFMENJ24

12 November 2024

SSP GROUP PLC

Board Appointment

SSP Group plc ("SSP" or the "Group"), a leading operator of restaurants, bars, cafes and other food and beverage outlets in travel locations across 36 countries, is pleased to announce the appointment of Karina Deacon as independent Non-Executive Director of the Company with effect from 1 January 2025. Karina will be a member of both the Audit and Nomination Committees.

Karina is an experienced business leader with a strong financial background and significant experience in industries aligned with SSP's markets. Having started her career as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers, she has held various management positions at large, Danish-listed companies, spending 13 years with the facilities management company ISS A/S, four years as Group CFO of the cleaning equipment manufacturer Nilfisk A/S, as well as four years as CFO of Saxo Bank A/S. From early 2020 to May 2024, Karina served as Group CFO and member of the Executive Management of the shipping and logistics company DFDS A/S.

Having worked in leadership roles within complex, international companies, Karina brings valuable industry experience across numerous areas including finance, business transformation, capital markets, M&A, strategy planning and risk management.

Karina currently serves as Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, an airline company listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. In addition, she is a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of VELUX A/S, a Danish-based manufacturer of roof windows, and a Non-Executive Director of Maersk Training A/S. She holds a Master of Economics and Business Administration from the Aarhus Business School in Denmark.

Commenting on the appointment, Mike Clasper, Chair of the SSP Board, said: "We are delighted to welcome Karina to the Board of SSP. She has strong financial experience having worked as a CFO in several listed companies and will bring relevant travel and services industry insight, alongside additional breadth and diversity, to the Board as it focuses on delivering SSP's strategic priorities. "

Each Director of SSP is subject to annual re-election by shareholders, and accordingly this appointment will be the subject of a separate resolution at the Group's 2025 Annual General Meeting.

This announcement is made pursuant to Listing Rule 6.4.6. In accordance with Listing Rule 6.4.8, SSP confirms that there is no information to be disclosed in terms of Listing Rule 6.4.8R (2) to (6) inclusive in respect of Karina Deacon.

For further information, please contact:

SSP Group plc

Fiona Scattergood, Group General Counsel & Company Secretary

+44 (0)20 7543 3305

Investor and analyst enquiries:

Sarah John, Director of Corporate Affairs, SSP Group plc

+44 (0) 7736 089218; E-mail: sarah.john@ssp-intl.com

Media enquiries

Rob Greening / Russ Lynch

Sodali & Co

+44 (0) 207 250 1446

E-mail: ssp@sodali.com

About SSP

SSP is a leading operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, with c.43,000 colleagues in over 600 locations across 36 countries. We operate sit-down and quick service restaurants, cafes, lounges and food-led convenience stores, principally in airports and train stations, with a portfolio of more than 550 international, national and local brands. These include our own brands (such as Urban Crave, which brought the first "street eats" concept to airports in the US and Nippon Ramen, a noodle and dumpling concept in the APAC region) as well as franchise brands (such as M&S Simply Foods, Starbucks and Burger King). 

Our purpose is to be the best part of the journey, and this is underpinned by our aim to bring leading brands and innovative concepts to our clients and customers around the world, with an emphasis on great value, taste, quality and service - using digital technology to boost efficiency. 

www.foodtravelexperts.com