The Wagamama boss, Emma Woods, stepping down

Wagamama revealed on Monday that the seasoned manager, who took the top job in 2018 when the noodle-delivered business was bought by The Restaurant Group (TRG), is leaving Emma Woods after almost three years in the role.

Woods will be replaced by Wagamama's Chief Experience Officer Thomas Heier but will remain in place as the first member of the new brand management board to act as consultant.

Woods joined Wagamama as a customer director in early 2017 and was later promoted to chief development officer and then CEO at the time of the Restaurant Group's takeover in 2018.

The move comes as Woods will take on additional responsibilities in May as the executive independent director and chair of the remuneration committee at health club chain The Gym Group, where she has been non-executive director since 2016.

Heier has since assumed his current role during the last year, with the results that he has assumed additional responsibility for marketing, vision and customer experience functions of the brand.

Andy Hornby, president of Wagamama owner TRG, said: "The excellent performance of Wagamama under Emma's leadership speaks for itself.