Hospitality company Whitbread PLC has announced the appointment of Jonathan Howell as an independent non-executive director of the company and chair of the audit committee with effect from 1 January 2026.

Horst Baier, who has been serving as interim chair of the audit committee, will continue to serve on the board and remain a member of the audit committee.

Howell is a seasoned executive and experienced public company director. He is group chief financial officer of The Sage Group plc, a position which he has held since 2018 and will step down from at the end of 2025. Prior to that, he was group CFO of Close Brothers plc for ten years, and before that, group CFO at The London Stock Exchange Group for nine years.

Howell is a non-executive director and chair of the audit committee at Experian plc and previously served as a non-executive director and as chair of the audit and risk committee at Sage from 2013 to 2018, before becoming its group CFO.

Commenting on the appointment, Christine Hodgson, chair of Whitbread, thanked Baier for his contribution as interim auditco chair and said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Jonathan Howell as a non-executive director. Jonathan has vast experience in both executive and non-executive roles in a variety of different companies. His international outlook and experience in technology and data-led businesses will be of great benefit to the Whitbread board as we continue to deliver on our key strategic priorities and five-year plan.”