Pret A Manger appoints Anita McDonnell as International President

London, 28 July – Pret A Manger has today announced the appointment of Anita McDonnell as President, International, effective from late August.

Anita will lead Pret's business across Europe, Asia and Africa, working alongside Felipe Athayde, President, North America, and Ross Warnes, President, UK & Ireland. Together, they will help accelerate Pret's growth strategy across its 21 international markets.

Anita brings two decades of global leadership experience across franchised food and beverage businesses. She joins Pret from Taco Bell, where she most recently served as Managing Director for Asia Pacific and the Middle East, having previously held the role of Chief Growth Officer for the region. Before joining Taco Bell, Anita held leadership roles at Domino's and Costa Coffee, where she built extensive experience working with franchise partners and leading businesses across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Europe.

Anita succeeds Eira Jarvis, who will leave Pret at the end of the year after 13 years with the business. Having spent more than a decade building Pret's business across Asia and beyond, Eira has decided to remain in the region, rather than relocate to the UK where the President, International role will be based. Eira will continue in her role through the end of the year to support a smooth transition.

Pano Christou, Chief Executive Officer of Pret A Manger, said:

"We're delighted to welcome Anita to Pret. She brings extensive global experience and a deep understanding of franchised businesses, with a strong track record of leading teams across multiple markets. It's rare to find someone with such deep expertise in food, coffee and hospitality across such a wide range of Asian markets, and we are really lucky Anita has decided to join Pret. I'm looking forward to working with her as we continue to strengthen our international business and support our franchise partners around the world.

“I would also like to thank Eira for everything she has contributed over the past 13 years. She has helped build the foundations of Pret's international business, supporting teams and franchise partners across many of our markets. Just as importantly, she has been a mentor to so many colleagues across Pret, generously sharing her experience and helping develop the next generation of leaders. We fully understand her decision to remain in Asia, we wish her every success for the future.”

Notes to editors:

About Pret A Manger

Pret A Manger is a beloved sandwich and organic coffee chain, commonly referred to as Pret and based in the United Kingdom. The first shop opened in London in 1986, where the company remains headquartered today. Pret’s sandwiches, salads, and wraps are freshly handmade each day in shop kitchens using quality ingredients.

There are more than 750 Pret shops worldwide with 12,500 team members in 21 international markets (United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Hong Kong, France, UAE, Kuwait, India, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Portugal, Belgium, Singapore, Germany, Canada, Italy, Greece, Spain, South Africa and Qatar).