John Pratt, one of the franchise industry’s leading international legal experts, has been appointed by the Bardon Group as a non-executive director.Within the Bardon Group are the Recognition Express, ComputerXplorers and The ZipYard franchise brands, and Managing Director Nigel Toplis is delighted that John Pratt has agreed to bring his experience to the main board.

He takes over from Les Grey, the founder of Chemex who is retiring after nine years service to the board.

Within the Bardon Group are the Recognition Express, ComputerXplorers and The ZipYard franchise brands, and Managing Director Nigel Toplis is delighted that John Pratt has agreed to bring his experience to the main board.

The two men have known each other for many years and share professional standards and values.

Nigel Toplis said: “John joins us at an exciting phase of our development. He has a wealth of franchising and business experience and we are confident that he will bring real value to our business.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Les for the important contribution he had made to the growth of the Bardon Group and the support he has given to me over the past nine years. We wish him well in his retirement. “

Commenting on his appointment John Pratt said: “I am really looking forward to this new role, assisting a very experienced management team. The brands within the Bardon Group are among the most successful franchises in the UK, led by one of the leading experts in franchising.

“I hope to bring a broader business experience gained through working with large UK corporate and international organisations in addition to my many years working within franchising. I will be able to look at things from a completely different perspective – a fresh pair of eyes is always very valuable particularly in today’s challenging times.”

Before starting his own law firm – Hamilton Pratt – in 2004 John Pratt was managing partner at Pinsents, one of the largest law firms in the UK. Until recently he was the Legal Advisor to the British Franchise Association and is a past chair of the International Bar Association’s International Franchising Committee. He is currently the Director of the American Bar Association’s International Franchising and Distribution Division