Greggs has announced the appointment of Richard Smothers as an independent non-executive director, effective from 1 February 2026.

He will take on the role of chair of the audit committee from 6 March 2026 and will join the audit, nominations and remuneration committees.

Smothers previously worked at Tesco supermarket in various leadership positions and served as the retailer’s finance director between 2003 and 2006. He spent 14 years working in various roles at the supermarket retailer.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

Matt Davies, chair of Greggs, said: “We are delighted that Richard has accepted our invitation to join the board.

“He has extensive financial expertise in a listed company environment and great experience in retail, which will be of significant benefit to our business.”

Smothers also served as chief financial officer of Greene King until early 2025 and has held the role of CFO at Mothercare.

Greggs’ current non-executive director and chair of the audit committee, Kate Ferry, is set to depart from the role effective on 6 March 2026.