The move marks the first time Katona, a former barrister who founded the Indian street food group back in 2014, has stepped away from the CEO role.
In a statement provided to MCA, Restaurant‘s sister site, Katona confirmed she would remain founder director of the group.
She said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be handing the reins of CEOship over to Lucy Worth who has been by my side in Mowgli for over six years as chief operating officer.
“She has proved herself to be the most perspicacious, able and intuitive guardian of all that Mowgli stands for.”
Mowgli, which has been backed by TriSpan since 2023, opened its first restaurant in Liverpool and has now grown its estate to 26 sites spread across the UK in locations including Brighton, London, Manchester, Leicester, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
As well as further national expansion, the group is currently preparing to open its first international location in Dublin, Ireland.
“I couldn’t wish for a better person at the helm as we push off into Mowgli’s next thrilling chapter,” Katona added.
Mowgli recently added to its leadership team with the appointment of Tom Hatcher as business development director, and Emily Weston as marketing director.
Prior to joining Mowgli, Worth spent nearly five years at Byron and three and a half years at Pizza Express in operations roles.
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