The chief executive of hospitality group Artfarm, Ewan Venters, is to step down in January, or sooner if a suitable replacement is found.
Venters is the former boss of the historic retailer Fortnum & Mason and joined Artfarm in 2021.
Owned by the Swiss art gallery investors Iwan and Manuela Wirth, the group bought the Groucho Club for £40 million in 2022.
Artfarm also owns Mount Street restaurant, the Fife Arms in Scotland, and Durslade Farm Shop in Somerset, among others, having stepped up operations significantly since Venters joined the company.
His departure was announced by Iwan Wirth in an email to staff which, the Sunday Times first reported, said the hospitality man “has decided to move on to fresh new challenges”.
Wirth went on to say he was “sad to see him go” and added: “Artfarm has benefited enormously from Ewan’s vision and expertise which has touched so many areas of the business.”
In an email to the Standard, a spokeswoman for Artfarm said there were “no issues” leading to Venters’ resignation.
“After four years as CEO, Ewan has decided it is the right time to leave to pursue other projects,” a statement said.
While Venters, who has long rubbed shoulders with celebrities, told the Standard: “It has been an incredible experience to work with the teams at Artfarm and Hauser & Wirth during a period of considerable growth for both businesses. As I step down to pursue new opportunities, I look forward to seeing their future achievements.”
Elsewhere at Hauser & Wirth, which owns Artfarm, gallery veteran Mirella Roma has been named its new CEO.
“As Hauser & Wirth’s new dedicated CEO, [Roma] brings an invaluable depth of knowledge both of our history and our current business combined with an exceptional understanding of our artists, our team and the wider landscape of the art world,” said Iwan Wirth.
“Mirella’s leadership skills will be invaluable as we continue to evolve and create new avenues for our vision of what a gallery can do and be in the future.”
