The Board of Directors of Chef Express, the company that manages all the catering activities of the Cremonini Group, has appointed Nicolas Bigard as the company's new CEO.

“I am grateful for the trust shown in entrusting me with this important role at the helm of Chef Express, the leading catering company in our country controlled by an entirely Italian property,” said Bigard . “The catering world is experiencing a phase of great change and the challenge will be to continue the development of the company by best interpreting the new trends and needs of consumers in all the channels where we are present. In the travel context, where Chef Express operates in a leadership position, we will continue the important development of recent years in the airport and railway channels, which are growing exponentially, and we will be ready to seize the opportunities that the motorway market will offer with the upcoming tenders. Furthermore, one of the main objectives will be to develop to the maximum the synergies between the two “souls” of Chef Express, which in addition to being a leader in travel retail, is one of the first operators in the other channels of structured commercial catering”.

Born in Laxou, in the Lorraine region (France) on February 14, 1974, Nicolas Bigard studied Law at the University of Nancy and then obtained a Master's degree (Bts) in catering and hotellerie at the University of Paris. After an initial experience in the Novotel hotel group, in 1999 he moved to Madrid to become CEO for Spain of the French steakhouse chain Buffalo Grill, managing the development of the chain in the Iberian country. In 2003 he returned to Paris as Country Supervisor, with responsibilities for human resources, management control and supervision of area managers. He subsequently took over the management of the franchising division, managing the managers of over 100 locations and developing new contracts, accelerating the growth of the chain by also developing it in the United States.

After his American experience, in 2006 he returned to Europe taking on the role of Chief Operations Officer at Roadhouse, based in Modena. He accompanied the company's development by taking on ever greater responsibilities and, in 2014, was appointed CEO.

Under his leadership, the company has experienced great expansion, developing several restaurant formats – Roadhouse Restaurant, Calavera Restaurant, Billy Tacos, Meatery, Ric-Chicken House – for a total of over 300 restaurants throughout Italy.