REG - Tortilla Mexcn.Grill - Directorate change

Tortilla Mexican GrillAnnouncement

Today 07:00

For best results when printing this announcement, please click on link below:
https://newsfile.refinitiv.com/getnewsfile/v1/story?guid=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20260206:nRSF9631Ra&default-theme=true

RNS Number : 9631R  Tortilla Mexican Grill PLC  06 February 2026

Tortilla Mexican Grill plc

("Tortilla", the "Group" or the "Company")

Leadership Transition and Strategic Priorities

 

 

6 February 2026

Tortilla Mexican Grill PLC, the largest and most successful fast-casual
Mexican restaurant group in the UK and Europe, announces a series of Board and
management changes, effective immediately, as the Group enters its next phase
of development.

Highlights

 

·      Brandon Stephens, Founder, appointed as Group CEO to lead the
next phase of Tortilla's development

·      Mac Plumpton, former Managing Director of LEON, joins the senior
leadership team as UK CEO

·      Marta Pogroszewska, former Managing Director of Bread Holdings
Ltd (parent company of Gail's), joins the Board as Non-Executive Director

·      Edson Diaz-Fuentes, one of the UK's leading Mexican chefs, joins
the senior leadership team as Food Ambassador

·      Francesca Tiritiello, former CFO of YUM! Europe, steps down from
the Board and role as Non-Executive Director and assumes a more active role as
Board Advisor, leading UK and European franchise development

·      Andy Naylor steps down as CEO after eight years with the Company

·      Keith Down steps down as Non-Executive Director and Audit
Committee Chair; recruitment of his replacement is underway

·      Board and management changes position Tortilla to execute on its
vision of becoming the leading pan-European fast-casual Mexican brand

 

These changes position Tortilla to execute on its vision of becoming the
leading pan-European fast-casual Mexican brand. The strengthened leadership
team brings together concept development expertise, fast-casual operational
experience, Mexican cuisine expertise, and international franchise development
capability.

As previously announced, the Company ended 2025 with strong like-for-like
sales performance in the UK and significant uplifts in sales from its
converted French stores, providing a solid foundation for the next phase of
growth.

Leadership Changes

Brandon Stephens, Founder & Group CEO: Brandon founded Tortilla in 2007
and served as CEO until 2014. Currently a Non-Executive Director, Brandon
returns as Group CEO to lead the next phase of development. He will focus on
long-term strategy, concept and brand innovation, food development, technology
roadmap, property selection, business development, and investor relations.

Mac Plumpton, UK CEO: Mac joins as UK CEO to lead the UK business. He most
recently served as Managing Director of LEON and previously co-founded Tapas
Revolution. Mac brings deep operational experience from senior roles at Rosa's
Thai, Belgo, Strada, and Planet Hollywood.

Marta Pogroszewska, Non-Executive Director: Marta joins the Board as
Non-Executive Director. As former Managing Director of Bread Holdings Ltd
(parent company of leading bakery business Gail's), she oversaw growth from 27
to 180 sites. Marta was awarded the Industry Leader Award at the 2024 Peach
Awards and brings direct experience at Tortilla's stage of development.

Edson Diaz-Fuentes, Food Ambassador: Edson joins the senior leadership team as
Food Ambassador. A Mexico City native with culinary training throughout
Mexico, Edson is one of the UK's leading Mexican chefs. He previously worked
at fast-casual Mexican chain Benito's Hat, served as Head of Menu Innovation
at Wahaca, and founded Mexican restaurant chain Santo Remedio. A prominent
advocate for Mexican food and culture in the UK, his cookbook Ciudad de Mexico
was published in 2021. Edson will work alongside the Tortilla Food Team to
enhance the core offering and extend the menu.

Francesca Tiritiello, Board Advisor: Francesca, former CFO of YUM! Europe,
steps down from the Board and assumes a more active role as Board Advisor,
leading UK and European franchise development through her franchise advisory
firm Kikkirossi. Having led the Fresh Burritos acquisition, Francesca is
ideally positioned to execute on the Company's pan-European expansion plans.

Andy Naylor: Andy Naylor steps down as CEO after eight years with the Company.
The Board thanks Andy for his significant contribution to Tortilla and wishes
him well in his future endeavours.

Keith Down: Keith Down, Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair, has
decided to step down from the Board to pursue other business
interests/opportunities. Recruitment for a new Audit Committee Chair is
underway, and a further announcement will be made in due course.

Strategic Priorities

Under the refreshed leadership team, the Company will focus on five key
strategic initiatives:

1.  Product Enhancements: Enhance and broaden the food offering over the next
18 months to achieve parity with global best-in-class offerings

2.  France Conversion: Convert the remaining corporate-owned Fresh Burritos
stores in France to Tortilla-branded stores by end of 2026

3.  UK Estate Optimisation: Address the short tail of underperforming UK
stores to eliminate loss-making stores and drive UK 4-wall EBITDA margin
toward 20% as a longer-term goal.

4.  Franchise Model Validation: Prove the European franchise rollout model in
France, accounting for scale improvements over time, to set the stage for a
first territory-wide or regional franchise deal on the continent by end of
2026

5. Technology & AI: Deploy AI-enabled tools and a data-driven approach
across the organisation to streamline operations, strengthen unit economics,
and enable faster, data-driven decision-making

The Company intends to host a Capital Markets Day in the coming months to
provide investors with further detail on these strategic initiatives and
introduce the refreshed leadership team.

Commenting on the announcement:

Duncan Garrood, Non-Executive Chair, said: "These appointments represent a
significant strengthening of Tortilla's leadership as we enter a pivotal phase
in the Company's development. Brandon's return as Group CEO, combined with
Mac's operational expertise, Marta's scaling experience, Edson's Mexican
cuisine expertise, and Francesca's European franchising knowledge, gives us
the right team to deliver on our ambition of becoming a pan-European
fast-casual Mexican brand. We have clear priorities, a credible plan, and the
people to execute it. I would like to thank Andy for his contribution to
Tortilla. He has led the business through significant growth, and I would like
to thank him warmly for his dedication and contribution and wish him every
success in his future career."

Brandon Stephens, Founder & Group CEO, said: "I'm pleased to be returning
to lead Tortilla through its next chapter. We have built something meaningful,
but there is significant work ahead. The experienced leadership team we have
assembled are fully aligned on putting the customer first, investing in our
product, and building a sustainable, pan-European business. I would like to
thank Duncan and Auctor for their support."

Mac Plumpton, UK CEO, said: "I'm delighted to be joining Tortilla at such an
important time. Fast-casual success depends on getting the balance right
between product quality, value for money, and operational efficiency, and I
look forward to supporting our teams to achieve those critical objectives. I'm
excited to work alongside Brandon and the team to realise Tortilla's
potential."

Marta Pogroszewska, Non-Executive Director, said: "I have long admired the
Tortilla brand and am pleased to join the Board at this pivotal moment. Having
scaled Gail's through a similar stage of growth, I understand the challenges
and opportunities that Tortilla faces. I look forward to contributing my
experience to support the leadership team as they execute on the Company's
strategic priorities."

Andy Naylor, outgoing CEO, said: "It has been a privilege to serve as CEO of
Tortilla. I am proud of what we have achieved together, most recently
delivering a record year of profitability in the UK and making the first steps
of our journey of European expansion. I believe now is the right time for new
leadership to take the business forward. I leave Tortilla in capable hands and
wish Brandon, Mac, and the entire team every success."

AIM Rule 17 Disclosures

The following information is provided in accordance with Rule 17 and Schedule
2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies:

Marta Pogroszewska (aged 47 years) holds/has held the following
directorships/partnerships in the last 5 years:

 

Current Directorships/partnerships

·      Grain Bidco Limited

·      Directim Ltd

 

Directorships/partnerships within the last five years:

·      Bread Limited

·      Bread Holdings Limited

·      Gail's Limited

·      Bread Acquisitions Limited

·      Well Grounded Jobs C.I.C.

·      Pan Pek

 

Marta Pogroszewska does not currently own any securities in the Company. There
are no further disclosures required in accordance with Rule 17 or Schedule
2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of
the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law
by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR"), and is
disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of
MAR.

 

 

ENQUIRIES:

 

 Tortilla Mexican Grill PLC                                Via Eggmedia
 Brandon Stephens, Chief Executive Officer
 Richard Haley, Chief Financial Officer

 Panmure Liberum Limited (Nominated Adviser, Sole Broker)  Tel: 020 3100 2222
 Andrew Godber
 Edward Thomas
 Gaya Bhatt

 Eggmedia Ltd (Public Relations)                           Tel: 07710 571452
 Ian Edmondson                                               egg@eggmediapr.com
 Ross Gow                                                    ian@eggmediapr.com

 

About Tortilla Mexican Grill plc

 

Founded in 2007, Tortilla is Europe's largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant
brand. With 81 UK locations (of which 15 are franchise stores), 22 in France
(of which 9 are franchise stores) and 13 franchise stores in the Middle East,
Tortilla offers authentic California-style burritos, tacos and salads.

 

Through the acquisition of Chilango in the UK in 2022 and Fresh Burritos in
France in 2024, as well as franchise partnerships with SSP Group plc, Compass
UK & Ireland and Eathos, the brand continues to expand globally.

 

Tortilla breaks the mould of typical takeaways, combining quick service with
quality ingredients to serve affordable, made-to-order meals in under 90
seconds, in cosy environments fitting for lunch or dinner and a beer with
friends. The menu is fully customisable - there are thousands of flavour
combinations to try - with produce that's fresh, never frozen, 70% plant-based
and vegan-friendly, higher welfare meats and free from artificial flavours or
preservatives.

Emphasising sustainability, Tortilla only uses recycled and recyclable
packaging, 100% renewable electricity and sends zero waste to landfill.

Headquartered in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: MEX),
Tortilla employs over 1,200 people.

More details at tortillagroup.co.uk

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact
rns@lseg.com (mailto:rns@lseg.com)
 or visit
www.rns.com (http://www.rns.com/)
.

RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our
Privacy Policy (https://www.lseg.com/privacy-and-cookie-policy)
.   END  BOAUPUWWPUPQGRA



            Copyright 2019 Regulatory News Service, all rights reserved