Bar staff join JD Wetherspoon board as directors

JD Wetherspoon has appointed four pub staff members to its board (AFP via Getty Images)

JD Wetherspoon has appointed four front line staff members to its board.

Managers were asked to apply for the positions after shareholders and employees both decided the company "would benefit from having more pub experience at board level", the pubco said.

West Midlands regional manager Debbie Whittingham and Sheffield area manager Hudson Simmons were selected as employee directors with full PLC director status, while Manchester regional manager Will Fotheringham and Exeter pub manager Emma Gibson have been made associate employee directors.

All will act as directors from today, and will remain in place for three years.

The budget pubco's chairman, Tim Martin, said he hopes having staff voices in board meetings will "help to preserve the culture of the company for the future".

He said: "A successful pub company depends primarily on gradual improvements, based on suggestions from employees."

Wetherspoons crashed to a £155 million loss in the year to July after Covid hit. The company has only made a loss in three out of its 37 years: 1984, 2020 and 2021.