Karen Browne, former William Murray Communications Chief Executive, announced as The Staff Canteen’s first Non-Executive Chairman.
Following the recent appointment of its new managing director Dan Newman, the UK’s number one* platform for professional chefs, The Staff Canteen, announces Karen Browne as its next significant appointment.
She joins with a wealth of industry experience, most recently at William Murray Communications, where she headed a team of top professionals, growing the business into the UK’s number one integrated communications agency for Hospitality, Food & Drink. Karen’s commercial success has also been acknowledged with her continued listing in the Who’s Who of Britain’s Business Elite, highlighting Britain’s fastest growing companies and her inclusion in the inaugural Top 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism and Shine Awards 2011.
Since leaving William Murray in August last year, Karen has remained an avid supporter of The Craft Guild of Chefs, The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and is a lifetime patron of the NRD annual dinner and a guardian member of Hospitality Action.
On her appointment she said: “I love this industry and I love working with chefs, so I’m both delighted and excited to be part of the continued investment in The Staff Canteen, a business that has seen a 77% increase in members in the last 12 months alone and is used by over 70% of professional chefs with annual purchasing power of £7bn+.”
Managing Director, Dan Newman explained: “Being the biggest chef brand is not enough. We need to constantly improve and scale the business. This means as well as putting chefs at the centre of everything we do, we continue to work closely with our partners, including suppliers, operators, agencies and charities to help them achieve their business objectives. I am delighted that Karen has agreed to come on board - her extensive experience and knowledge will be instrumental in supporting our ambitious growth plans.”
Karen’s appointment as Non-Executive Chairman following Dan’s as MD is just part of founder Mark Morris’s continued investment and vision for The Staff Canteen, he said: “After 10 years of outstanding growth which has seen us become the number one destination for professional chefs and by far the largest social media channel in the industry, we are now investing in the next exciting phase of our journey. Along with our fantastic existing team including our Editor Cara Houchen, both Dan and Karen will be key in ensuring our long term success.”
*The Staff Canteen key facts
- 360,000 social media followers
- 7 times bigger reach than all other professional trade social channels
- 77% growth in the last 12 months alone – 64,000 members
- Used by over 70% of professional chefs
- Over half of all professional chefs with purchasing power use it
- £7bn + purchasing power
- Over a million minutes of video viewed every month
- Chefs No. 1 Channel on YouTube
- 55,000 app downloads - 5 times engagement rate
