Popeyes UK appoints new chief marketing officer

Popeyes UK has announced the appointment of Jo Vaughton as its new chief marketing officer.

Vaughton will join the company in June, bringing more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and brand development for high profile consumer brands, both in house and within agencies.

Her previous experience includes senior positions at InterContinental Hotels Group and Celebrity Cruises, and most recently at Pizza Express, where she helped lead the evolution of the brand’s proposition and refresh over recent years.

Vaughton said: I’m thrilled to be joining Popeyes UK as chief marketing officer at such a pivotal time for the business. Popeyes is a fantastic brand that is known and loved internationally, and I’m excited to be part of team Popeyes as the company delivers against its ambitious growth over the coming years.”

Tom Crowley, Popeyes UK CEO, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Jo to Popeyes in our newly created role of chief marketing officer. Working alongside our well-established marketing team, Jo’s wealth of experience with large hospitality brands will be invaluable to Popeyes as we accelerate our growth strategy to bring the brand to more customers across the UK.”

This appointment comes after Popeyes revealed ambitious plans for 2025 to almost double its footprint in the UK, creating approximately 2,500 new jobs and targeting sales of more than £200m.

Last month, the company also launched a strategic partnership with SPP Group to open a pipeline of Popeyes restaurants across UK travel hubs, starting at Birmingham Airport this summer.

Popeyes entered the UK market in November 2021 and today operates more than 70 restaurants across the UK across eat-in restaurants, drive thru sites, and delivery kitchens, employing approximately 3,000 people.

After initially investing in July 2023, last year TDR Capital took a majority stake in the business to support its mission of nationwide expansion.