Wetherspoons has bolstered its board with four directors from inside its pubs.
It brought in three regional managers and one publican to give it more experience from the front line at board level.
Putting workers on the board is rare in Britain but Wetherspoons founder and chairman Tim Martin said ‘a successful pub company depends primarily on gradual improvements, based on suggestions from employees’.
Internal recruitment: Wetherspoons founder Tim Martin (pictured with Boris Johnson) said ‘a successful pub company depends primarily on gradual improvements’
The pub chain had faced calls from employees and shareholders to make the change so invited applications from staff.
Over 100 managers applied for board positions and after ‘a thorough selection process’ four were appointed to three-year terms.
They include West Midlands regional manager Debbie Whittingham and Sheffield area manager Hudson Simmons, who are employee directors.
Exeter’s Imperial pub manager Emma Gibson and Manchester regional manager Will Fotheringham will be associate employee directors.
