The Board wishes to advise that after sixteen years of service with Famous Brands, Group Chief Executive (CE), Kevin Hedderwick, has tendered notice of his decision to retire on 29 February 2016. The Board is furthermore pleased to announce that Kevin has accepted a position as Strategic Advisor to the Group from 1 March 2016, for a 12-month period concluding in March 2017.
Kevin’s Strategic Advisory role will include mentoring the new CE and executive management team as required, pursuing and evaluating new growth opportunities for the Group, overseeing execution of new acquisitions, and managing the investor relations portfolio.
The Board is delighted to announce that Darren Hele, currently Chief Executive: Food Services, will be appointed Group CE upon Kevin’s retirement.
The Group has in place a robust executive management succession programme, and accordingly, the matter of Kevin’s impending retirement and his successor has been the subject of intensive consideration over the past year.
Darren Hele joined Famous Brands in 2003. He served as Managing Director of Wimpy South Africa and later the United Kingdom. In 2011 he was appointed Chief Operating Officer: Franchising, and in 2013 assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer for the Group. With effect from 1 March 2014, Darren was promoted to Chief Executive Officer: Food Services.
Reference: Famous Brands website www.famousbrands.co.za