ODEON Cinemas Group is further strengthening its Executive Committee with the appointment of three senior executives to drive its transformation programme across Europe, as the Group starts to confirm its exciting plans as part of AMC Theatres, the largest theatre exhibitor in the world.

Carol Welch joins as Managing Director, ODEON UK & Ireland. Carol joins from Costa, where she has been Global Chief Marketing Officer (responsible for Brand and Innovation) for the last four years. Before Whitbread, Carol held roles at Cadbury Schweppes, Associated British Foods, and PepsiCo.

As the leading cinema business in UK & Ireland, ODEON have significantly improved the cinema and retail experience in recent years, including 60 successful Costa outlets. Now part of the AMC family, there are exciting plans to further upgrade the guest experience, driving continued growth.

Former UK & Ireland MD Duncan Reynolds is promoted to a new Group-wide role: Group Development and Real Estate Director, to lead a team that will coordinate and support the management of future capital investment across the Group. This team will be at the forefront of plans to build the very best cinema environments and experiences in Europe.

Andy Alker is promoted to Chief Finance Director, taking over the finance responsibilities for the Group from Mark Way, who was appointed Managing Director of ODEON Cinemas Group and President AMC Europe on 1 December 2016.

Mark Way said: “The appointment of these skilled directors gives us an even stronger executive team in Europe, with the capabilities and experience that we’ll need to accelerate and evolve our strategy now that we’re part of the AMC family.

“Carol’s experience and skills at creating outstanding customer experiences, through an unrivalled focus on delivering the highest operational and brand standards, arrive at the perfect time for our evolution – and will bring additional strength to our leadership team.”

Carol Welch commented “I’m delighted to be joining ODEON at such an exciting time in their development towards creating the best cinema experience in the UK and Europe.”

Mark Way continued: “Duncan and Andy have both made enormous contributions to our Group over the last two decades, with Duncan delivering record financial results in the UK & Ireland businesses over the last two years; and Andy playing a pivotal role in the sale of our business last year. I know that their continued contribution in these new positions will be invaluable in delivering the best cinema experience in Europe.”

About ODEON
With 86 years of cinema experience, ODEON® Cinemas Group is Europe’s leading international cinema operator. It operates 2,245 screens at 244 sites across Europe, including 121 cinemas in the UK and Ireland. In 2016 the company was acquired by AMC Theatres, creating the largest movie exhibition company in the world.