Lisa Gibbons appointed as MD of Las Iguanas

The Big Table Group (BTG), owner and operator of Las Iguanas. Bella Italia, Café Rouge, Banana Tree and Amalfi, has appointed Lisa Gibbons to the managing director (MD) position at Las Iguanas, following a review of internal and external candidates. 

With over two decades of experience in hospitality, Gibbons took on various operational roles at Mitchells & Butlers before joining the Café Rouge brand at BTG in 2011 as an operations manager. In 2016, she moved across to Bella Italia as operations director before being appointed brand director in 2019. 

Last September, BTG restructured its business to focus more on brand performance, with Gibbons taking on the role of MD (portfolio brands), responsible for Café Rouge, Amalfi and the group's concessions and franchise restaurants. Since the restructuring, BTG CEO Alan Morgan has also held the MD position at Las Iguanas. Morgan will now focus solely on his responsibilities as CEO. 

"I'm delighted to be promoting Lisa to the role of Las Iguanas MD," says Morgan. "She has overseen substantial performance improvement of the Center Parcs and franchise businesses over the last year, as well as steering Café Rouge through some challenging times and, more recently, supporting the conversion of some sites to Banana Tree. 

"As our business is now in a strong position to grow for the future, my time and focus are required to be fully in the CEO role to lead that, so now is the right time for Lisa to step into the role of MD at Las Iguanas."

Gibbons adds: "Las Iguanas is an amazing brand with a unique offering and I can't wait to get started. There's a huge appetite for the brand across the UK and I'm really excited to contribute to the continued growth of the business over the next few years."

Gibbons will officially claim her position on 31 July. As a result, Greg Gibbons will lead the Café Rouge team, John Baker will take the helm of Amalfi and franchised sites in addition to his role as MD of Bella Italia, and Anne Chow will continue to lead Banana Tree. 

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