Gareth Lloyd-Jones is a seasoned professional with over 22 years of experience in the leisure sector. His career began with Tie Rack in 1985, where he quickly became the youngest franchisee and expanded his network to 14 Central London shops within a year. During his time at Tie Rack, he met city advisors who introduced him to Howard Schultz of Starbucks. He then co-purchased and rebranded two London coffee shops as Madisons Coffee, growing the business to 45 locations across the UK. Madisons Coffee was listed on the AIM stock market and included brands such as Richoux Coffee and Restaurants and Rendezvous Coffee shops, which sold to Starbucks Coffee and Out of Town Restaurants. Gareth then went onto build a chain of five gastro pubs and four individual restaurants, which were subsequently sold into the trade. Currently, he co-runs the High Road Restaurant Group, which operates nine Argentinian steakhouses and four Thai restaurants, supported by private equity investment.