Name Andy Cosslett Role Businessman | ||
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Education University of Manchester | ||
Andrew Peter Cosslett (born 14 April 1955) is a British businessman and chairman of the Rugby Football Union, and Kingfisher plc.
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He is also an operating partner at Advent International, and a trustee of Shooting Star Chase, a children's hospice charity.
He resigned as chairman of Fitness First, the international operator of fitness facilities, in December 2015 having also previously held the role of chief executive officer. He was non-executive chairman of England Rugby 2015 - the organising committee for the 2015 Rugby World Cup which was played in England.
Previously he was the CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and was succeeded by Richard Solomons.
Early life
Andrew Peter Cosslett was born in April 1955, in Whalley Range, Manchester in 1955 and grew up in Withington. He gained a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in European Studies from the University of Manchester.
Career
He 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 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.
Cosslett joined InterContinental Hotels Group as CEO in 2005. 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. 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. During the late 2000s, he oversaw a $1bn (£603m), four-year relaunch of the Holiday Inn franchise.
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.
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.”
In June 2017, Cosslett succeeded Daniel Bernard as chairman of Kingfisher plc.
Personal life
He is married with two adult children.