Tenzo appoints Jane O’Riordan as Chair of the Board

Tenzo has appointed Jane O’Riordan as Chair of the Board, adding a senior hospitality executive to its leadership team.

O’Riordan brings more than 25 years of industry experience, including roles at Nando’s, Pizza Express and Gourmet Burger Kitchen. She currently chairs Caravan Restaurants and Red Engine, the parent company of Flight Club Darts and Electric Shuffle, and previously served as Chair of Turtle Bay.

Her appointment comes as hospitality operators face sustained pressure on margins and staffing. Tenzo sells a data and analytics platform that helps multi-site restaurant and hospitality groups track live sales, labour, inventory, reservations and guest information in one system.

The role will focus on supporting long-term strategy and governance as Tenzo looks to expand further in the UK and overseas. Founded in 2016 by Christian Mouysset and Adam Taylor, the company aims to give restaurant operators a real-time view of performance rather than relying on historical reporting.

Sector experience

O’Riordan also chairs the UK Hospitality Sector Council’s Innovation Working Group, giving her a broader role in industry discussions on change and modernisation. Her career has spanned board and operating positions across restaurant and leisure brands, making her a well-known figure in the UK’s casual dining market.

That background is likely to be relevant for a company serving a sector grappling with rising costs, labour shortages and weaker consumer spending. Operators are under pressure to improve decision-making at site level while managing wage bills, stock levels and customer demand more precisely.

In comments released alongside the appointment, O’Riordan linked those pressures to the need for real-time information in restaurant operations.

“I have always believed data should empower operators, not overwhelm them. This is what excites me about Tenzo. The team has built a platform with real impact, helping hospitality businesses become smarter, more resilient and more profitable at a time when the industry needs it most.

“With margins under pressure and labour challenges continuing, Tenzo is giving operators an opportunity to turn real-time data into confident, decisive action. I am excited to help scale Tenzo’s vision responsibly, both in the UK and internationally,” O’Riordan said.

Company focus

Tenzo operates in a crowded hospitality software market, where restaurants increasingly rely on a mix of point-of-sale systems, labour scheduling tools, booking platforms and customer feedback products. Companies in this market are trying to reduce the fragmentation that leaves operators switching between separate systems to understand daily trading.

Tenzo’s approach is to combine those data sources into a single operational view, allowing managers to respond more quickly to issues such as staffing levels, sales trends and cost control.

Mouysset said O’Riordan’s experience as a chair and her understanding of the restaurant market were key factors in the appointment.

“Jane’s appointment marks an exciting time for the business. As Tenzo approaches its next stage of growth, Jane will be influential not only because of her outstanding Chair experience leading fast-growth brands, but also because of her deep, hands-on understanding of the hospitality industry today.”

“Jane is aligned with our customer-obsessed mindset and belief in constant experimentation, as well as our view of Tenzo. Like us, she sees Tenzo as the glue that holds together the hospitality technology stack, helping orchestrate and democratise access to data for all operators,” Mouysset said.

The appointment also reflects a wider trend of hospitality technology companies seeking board members with direct operating experience in restaurants and leisure. As cost pressures persist across the sector, software vendors are increasingly expected to show not just technical expertise but also a clear understanding of how site managers and senior operators make day-to-day decisions.

For Tenzo, bringing in a chair with experience across both established restaurant chains and newer leisure formats gives the board exposure to different operating models across the market.