English joins Ignite Group after previously working as commercial director of Paramount Restaurants and group marketing director of Restaurant Group when it was known as City Centre Restaurants.
Ignite Group
Matt Hermer, Ignite Group chief executive welcomed English to the company. "I am delighted to welcome Tina to the board. Tina brings an enormous wealth of knowledge and relevant experience in the F&B arena and we look forward to helping her expand the Bumpkin sensibility of locally sourced, great British food, in a friendly and informal environment," he said.
Hermer founded Ignite with Paul Deeming while working as a banker. Together they purchased a Chelsea bar which became cocktail bar Eclipse. Ignite also operates the private members club Boujis and Wyld and W Lounge at the Starwood Hotels W London hotel in Leicester Square. Japanese restaurant Senkai was also part of the Ignite Group until it closed earlier this year.
Bumpkin
Bumpkin, which currently has three sites in London, specialises in British food and works with farmers and suppliers to cook with 'ethically sourced, sustainable' produce. Each restaurant also serves sustainable, bio-dynamic or organic wine and contains a retail range of products for diners to buy and take home.
After operating sites in South Kensington and Notting Hill Bumpkin announced last year it was to open a new restaurant at Westfield Stratford; its first new opening for almost two years.
At the time Jason Myers, former managing director of Bumpkin who was appointed in July 2010, said Ignite Group was investing in the food business and other sites were being looked at including in the City but there would not be a rush to announce further new openings.
"I’m massively protective that we’re not seen to be a roll out brand. We’ve got a very serious intent that we put all our own money into Bumpkin to take sites but we’ll only grow it if we find the right sites, and in essence that’s probably why it hasn’t grown as quickly as people might have expected,” Myers said.