Pano Christou, the CEO of Pret A Manger, has had a remarkable rise to the top. He grew up in Tooting, South London, where his father was a mini-cab driver and his mother worked as a nurse and cleaner.
He took on a job at McDonald’s when he was 16, despite his parent’s displeasure, and started his career at Pret two years later.
Christou became the company’s third CEO in 2019, taking over from Julian Metcalfe and his mentor Clive Schlee, and his salary is now £400,000.
He has also been awarded long-term share options, taking his total earnings for last year to £4 million.
Christou has ambitions of making Pret a global powerhouse but is also committed to ensuring that staff are paid what they deserve.
In April, thousands of UK shop staff will get a 3% pay rise, and the average base pay at the company will have increased by 19% over 12 months.
Christou has also introduced a range of cheaper products in response to the cost of living crisis, and he wants to pay his workers more than the competition.
Christou has faced many challenges since taking the helm at Pret, including dealing with the pandemic and rising fuel bills and ingredient costs.
However, he remains optimistic about the company’s future and wants to make it a force to be reckoned with globally.
»Pano Christou’s humble beginning«
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