Pret’s marketing boss Barnaby Dawe departs after a year
Pret a Manger’s chief customer officer Barnaby Dawe has resigned after 13 months.
Pret's Barnaby Dawe
Dawe joined the coffee chain last October in what was a newly-created role. He oversaw all global marketing and communications activity as well as developing its e-commerce and catering business.
His arrival came at an important time as Pret looked to rebuild its reputation following a slew of negative headlines relating to deaths linked to inadequate labeling of allergens on its products.
It is understood a large part of Dawe's time at Pret was spent helping it recover from the damage done to the brand as well as implementing clearer guidelines for the rapidly expanding company.
Prior to joining Pret, Dawe spent three years leading the marketing at Just Eat. He led its rebrand, negotiated the prime-time sponsorships of The X Factor and also helped it push into new tech areas like augmented reality, voice and chatbots.
Dawe will leave Pret at the end of the year and is believed to be returning to a role in the media and e-commerce sector.
Discussing Dawe's resignation, Pano Christou, Pret's chief executive confirmed his departure with staff today. He said in a statement: “Barnaby has made an invaluable contribution over the last year and I’m personally grateful for this. He’s played an important role in the work we have done to win back trust with our customers and stakeholders, and he leaves Pret in a much stronger position than when he joined. On behalf of everyone at Pret, I want to wish him all the best for the future.”