Andrew Peter Cosslett, CBE (born 14 April 1955) is a British businessman and chairman of the Rugby Football Union,[1] and Kingfisher plc.

Andy Cosslett

Born
Andrew Peter Cosslett

(1955-04-14) 14 April 1955 (age 68)
EducationUniversity of Manchester
OccupationBusinessman
Known forChairman, Rugby Football Union
TitleChairman, Kingfisher plc
TermJune 2017-
SpouseMarried
Children2

He is also an operating partner at Advent International,[2] and a trustee of Shooting Star Chase,[3] a children's hospice charity. Previously he was the CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and was succeeded by Richard Solomons.[4]

Early life edit

Andrew Peter Cosslett was born in April 1955[5] in Whalley Range, Manchester and grew up in Withington.[6] He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in European Studies from the University of Manchester.[7]

Career edit

Cosslet began his business career in 1979 as a graduate trainee selling Wall's ice cream and spent 11 years with Unilever becoming a marketing director, before joining Cadbury Schweppes[8] in 1990. He then spent 14 years at Cadbury Schweppes in a number of senior roles, including chairman, Cadbury Schweppes Australia; CEO of the Asia Pacific confectionery business; managing director, Great Britain & Ireland; and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa.[9]

Cosslett joined InterContinental Hotels Group as CEO in 2005.[10] As CEO of IHG, he oversaw the launching of the midmarket boutique hotel brand Hotel Indigo, and a focus on further expansion into the Chinese market.[11] An additional change includes IHG selling most of the hotels the company owned and reaffirming their business model as mainly a manager and franchisor of hotels.[12] During the late 2000s, he oversaw a $1bn (£603m), four-year relaunch of the Holiday Inn franchise.[10]

Between 2005 and 2011, Cosslett was a board member of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), a member of the presidents council of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and a board member of the International Tourism Partnership.[13]

Cosslett stood down as the CEO on 30 June 2011 stating that he has been considering his situation for quite a while: “I’m into my seventh year, but it does feel like the right time to hand over the reins. ... The business is in great shape, and that really helps my exit.”[14]

In June 2017, Cosslett succeeded Daniel Bernard as chairman of Kingfisher plc.[15][16]

Rugby Football Union edit

Coslett became chair of the RFU in October 2016, succeeding Bill Beaumont. He himself played rugby for 25 years.[17][18] He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to the Rugby Football Union.[19]

Personal life edit

Cosslett is married with two adult children.[20][21]

References edit

  1. ^ "Cosslett new Chairman of the RFU Board". England Rugby.
  2. ^ "Andrew Cosslett joins Advent International's Operating Partner Program". Private Equity Wire.
  3. ^ "Shooting Star Chase Trustees". Shooting Star Chase.
  4. ^ Gee, Powla (16 March 2011). "Cosslett stands down as InterContinental's CEO". Hotel Management. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Andrew Peter COSSLETT - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Andy Cosslett steps down as CEO of InterContinental Hotels". Manchester Evening News. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  7. ^ "2008 Speaker Biographies: ANDY COSSLETT, CEO, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)". Leaders in London 2008. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  8. ^ "A fresh health kick for Fitness First boss Andy Cosslett who's flexing". Evening Standard. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  9. ^ "IHG: Our main board: Andrew Cosslett". InterContinental Hotels Group. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  10. ^ a b Arnott, Sarah (26 November 2009). "Andrew Cosslett: Suite dreams for the future". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  11. ^ Townsend, Abigail (5 March 2006). "Andrew Cosslett: 'Emotional contracts': at his hotels, the shareholders aren't disturbed". The Independent On Sunday. Archived from the original on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  12. ^ Capell, Kerry (21 May 2007). "How Andy Cosslett Restyled IHG". BusinessWeek. McGraw-Hill. Archived from the original on 17 September 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  13. ^ Bokaie, Jemima (9 September 2008). "The Marketing Profile: Andrew Cosslett, chief executive, InterContinental Hotels Group". Marketing. Haymarket. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  14. ^ Higgins, Stacey Mieyal; Freed, Jason Q. (16 March 2011). "IHG chief resigns, CFO to step up". Hotel News Now. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  15. ^ "Kingfisher chairman Daniel Bernard to step down and be succeeded by Andy Cosslett". The Retail Bulletin. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  16. ^ The Sunday Times (26 March 2017). "Cosslett to scrum down at Kingfisher | Business | The Times & The Sunday Times". Thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  17. ^ "Cosslett new Chairman of the RFU board". RFU. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Cosslett proposed as next RFU Board Chairman". RFU. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  19. ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N9.
  20. ^ Sibun, Jonathan. "Andy Cosslett steps down at IHG". Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  21. ^ "Andrew Cosslett". Shooting Star Chase. Retrieved 16 June 2017.

External links edit