SSP Group has confirmed that chair and director Mike Clasper will step down after the company’s 2026 AGM, kicking off a formal search for his successor as the business positions itself for the next phase of growth across travel hubs worldwide.
The announcement lands as travel demand continues to rebound and the group sharpens its long-term strategy. Management framed the change as a planned transition designed to bring in new leadership to accelerate delivery and shareholder value.
SSP group CEO Patrick Coveney stated: “I’d like to personally thank Mike for his considerable service to SSP and for his commitment, insight and support.
“He has chaired the business through a time of considerable change, helping to recover the business from the Covid travel shutdown and strengthen our customer, client and partner footprint across the world.” That praise highlights a period of heavy lifting for a company tied closely to international passenger flows. Leadership credits Clasper with steadying the helm while teams rebuilt operations and relaunched formats across airports and stations.
The board has initiated a search for a new chair, with senior independent director Carolyn Bradley leading the process. If the search doesn’t conclude before the AGM on 23 January 2026, Bradley will step in as interim chair to ensure continuity at the top.
She stated: “The thorough chair search will focus on candidates with the experience to lead the board and work with management to drive strategy and execution as we enter the next phase of delivery. During this interim period, we will be taking steps to ensure strong governance and oversight.” That emphasis on experience and governance suggests the board is looking for someone who can both steer strategy and keep oversight tight during execution.
Clasper joined SSP as a non-executive director and chair designate in November 2019 and took on the chair role in February 2020, right as the pandemic struck global travel. His tenure thus tracks with one of the most turbulent stretches in modern travel retail history, when entire business models were tested by sudden drops in passenger numbers.
He stated: “It has been a privilege to serve as chair of SSP. As a board, we are finalising SSP’s multi-year strategic and operational roadmap to build on its strong foundations and accelerate the delivery of shareholder value. “In order to enable the appointment of a new chair who can help realise the full scale of these ambitions in the years ahead, I believe that now is the right time to announce that I will step down from SSP, bringing forward my planned retirement by one year.” Those comments frame his decision as a deliberate handover timed to the company’s next chapter.
The scale of SSP’s operations gives context to why board succession matters: the group runs more than 3,000 outlets across 38 countries, predominantly in airports, railway stations and other travel hubs. Its portfolio spans sit-down and quick-service restaurants, bars, cafés, lounges and food-led convenience stores, with brands such as Upper Crust and Ritazza among its concepts.
Investors and partners will be watching the chair search closely for signals about strategic priorities and board composition going forward. Finding someone with travel retail experience, operational know-how and the ability to partner with management will be important if SSP wants to convert post-pandemic momentum into sustained, long-term growth.
The planned timeline gives the board time to run a rigorous process while keeping leadership stable through the transition period. With the AGM as the firm deadline, stakeholders can expect updates as candidates are assessed and the board lines up the person they believe is best placed to guide SSP into its next phase of delivery.
