De Vere Group Plc, the hotels and health & fitness operator, today announces the appointment of Carl Leaver as Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Paul Dermody who, as was announced at the interim results, is retiring.

Carl Leaver, 35, joins De Vere from Whitbread Plc, where he has been Managing Director of Travel Inn for the past three years. Prior to this he was Operations Director, Marriott Country Clubs and has held various other positions with companies including Nomura, Forte and Mars. He joins De Vere on 1st September 2003.

Peter Daresbury, Chairman, commented:
“We are delighted that an executive of Carl Leaver`s quality and background is joining De Vere. He is highly regarded in our industry, and with his background in managing golf resort hotels and driving a rapid rollout of the largest hotel brand in the UK, brings the right blend of experience and dynamism to take the Group forward to the next level.

“On behalf of the Board I would like to take this opportunity to thank Paul Dermody for his significant contribution to the Group over the past 40 years, in particular during his three and a half years as Chief Executive, overseeing the transformation of the group, during which time De Vere has consistently outperformed the hotel market.”

Carl Leaver commented:

“Having long admired De Vere for its strong brands and committed team, I am extremely excited by this opportunity. The company`s performance has been at the very top of the industry, providing a stable platform from which to drive shareholder value.”

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