Introducing the Wonderfield Group leadership team.
Executive Leadership Team
Group CEO
Richard Hodgson
Richard has overseen the evolution of the Group from YO! to the Group that it is today, having led the acquisitions of Bento, Snowfox and Taiko before the sale of the Group to Zensho Holdings Co. Ltd for $621m and growing the business to one that generates over $3bn in gross revenue, making it one of the largest food companies in the world. Prior to this, he was the CEO of Pizza Express and held senior positions at a number of the leading grocers including Waitrose, Asda and Morrisons.
Group Chief Financial Officer
Tim Everitt
Having joined the business in 2022 as Group Financial Controller, Tim previously held senior finance positions at large international listed businesses, including SDL Plc and RWS Holdings Plc as well as spending 12 years in a leading accountancy practice. Tim helped to facilitate the sale of the Group to Zensho Holdings Co. Limited and is responsible for our Global Finance & IT functions, providing strategic support and accelerating the growth of the Group through the next phase of its journey.
Group Chief Development Officer
Christian Haas
Christian joined in 2021 as Group Development Director where he oversaw Food Safety, Procurement & Product Development. In 2022 he became UK Managing Director where he was responsible for the UK Kiosk & Restaurant business. Christian now oversees the Group HR and Sustainability functions, and manages the integration of the groups multiple divisions. Christian was previously Product & Channels Director for PizzaExpress and prior to this he spent 14 years at Waitrose.
Group COO, Commissaries
Derek Lewis
Derek was Commercial Manager at Taiko Foods since 2003 before YO! acquired the business in 2018. He then became Managing Director to oversee the incredible growth of Taiko to become the largest sushi factory in the world outside of Japan. Now he heads up growing pre-pack sushi across the globe notably in USA, Ireland, Australia, Canada & Spain by building new facilities and relationships with retailers with the aim of reaching £1 billion dollar sales in commissaries around the world.
Group Supply Chain Director
Sadamu Taniguchi
Sadamu has worked at Zensho for 16 years and been responsible for procurement and supply chain for Zensho group restaurants in Japan as well as Zensho restaurant overseas. He has worked at the China office for 5 years, in the US for 2 years, in the Netherlands for a year and then in Japan for 8 years to support opening restaurants and procurement of ingredients. He is now based in Los Angeles to help integrate the Group companies supply-chain.
Executive Team
Chief Information Officer
Adam Barlow
Adam joined us in 2016 as IT Director and quickly made his mark. Now serving as Group CIO, he shapes our technology vision and drives the strategic direction, ensuring IT initiatives are tightly aligned with the company’s goals. He oversees every aspect of our information technology and data management. Before Wonderfield Group, Adam honed his expertise in senior IT roles at Deltic Group and Luminar Leisure Plc, building a solid foundation for the leadership he brings to our team today.
CEO & President, Snowfox & Snowfruit
Emma Deabil
After graduating with a BSc Hons in Mathematics from St. Andrew’s University, Emma started her career with the Group in 2010 as a YO! Restaurant Manager and then over the next 11 years worked her way up to Managing Director for YO! UK & International restaurants. Emma moved to U.S. in 2022 where we created SNOWFRUIT and led the team with opening over 1000 stores before taking on the SNOWFOX sushi part of the business in 2024.
Managing Director Europe
David Hampton
David manages all operations and expansion in mainland Europe & Ireland and is responsible for global franchised restaurants. Having been in the group for 14 years, David was previously the Group Commercial Director where he was responsible for global purchasing, supply chain & business development. Prior to that, as UK Retail Managing Director he managed the expansion of the UK kiosk business and oversaw the growth of Taiko Foods to become a supplier to the majority of key UK retailers.
Group People Director
Alyson Hancock
Alyson has been involved in the hospitality industry for over 20 years and has lived and worked extensively across the Middle East, Asia and the UK, working with the likes of Jamie’s Italian, Emirates and Tesco. Alyson joined YO! in 2017 and now leads the People function for the Wonderfield Group, championing the culture of the Group. She is passionate about the development and wellbeing of our team members - of whom there are over 5,000 globally.
Managing Director UK
Will Human
Will is UK Managing Director, having initially joined in 2022 as UK CFO. He previously held senior international Finance and Operational roles at Gategroup, ISS Group and Finlays. Will is responsible for the management and implementation of our strategy across our UK business which consists of our restaurants, our kiosks trading in Tesco, ASDA and Waitrose, and our market leading commissaries business delivering fresh sushi daily to thousands of retail stores.
CEO & President, Bento
Dave Jones
With over 16 years of experience in the food service industry, Dave is a passionate, “inspire by example” leader who is committed to providing partners and customers with the highest quality sushi and globally inspired foods. In his role as Bento President, he is focused on cultivating an inclusive, win-win environment for all, and is committed to the continued expansion of Bento in North America.
CEO & President, AFC
Jeffery Seiler
Jeffery has led AFC as President & CEO since 2018. He joined in 2005 as Director of Legal and Compliance Division and became the sole Vice President in 2007. During his nearly 20-year tenure, AFC has expanded from 1,900 North American locations to over 5,000 globally. Known for enhancing company capabilities, delivering value, and effective team management, Jeffery is a charismatic leader dedicated to organisational development and strong partnerships.