Mon 14th Jan 2019 - Novus appoints new chief executive as Toby Smith steps down Novus appoints new chief executive as Toby Smith steps down: Toby Smith has stepped down as chief executive of Novus. He has been replaced by Sharon Badelek, who has been chief financial officer for the past two-and-a-half years. Smith is stepping down following four years with Novus and the sale of 15 sites to Stonegate Pub Company. Novus now comprises 21 “high-quality, profitable premium” bars and clubs, including Tiger Tiger in Haymarket, London, the Balls Brothers City bars, and the popular Tank & Paddle bars. Badelek has significant experience in multi-site leisure businesses having spent many years growing cinema operator Vue and, prior to that, Virgin Active. Her formative days were spent at ITV. Badelek said: “I am looking forward to working with all the team in my new capacity of chief executive to take the business on to the next stage. We have the strongest business we have had for a number of years and one that is more profitable than when it was double the number of sites. Our total focus will be to continue to deliver a great experience for our customers and provide a proposition they truly enjoy. On behalf of all at Novus, I would like to extend our thanks to Toby for his contribution to making Novus what it is today. We all wish him well for his future endeavours.” Smith added: “I have really enjoyed my time at Novus over the past four years. The business has some great bars and a very capable team. However, now is the right time for me to hand over the reins to Sharon for the next stage of Novus’ journey. I wish everyone at Novus the very best for the future.”