A Gong cha store in Soc Trang, Vietnam Photo credit: huanshi

Gong cha has bolstered its senior leadership with the appointment of experienced retail executive Marc Dench as Global Chief Financial Officer. 
 

Dench joins the bubble tea giant from UK-based premium fashion brand Ted Baker, where he was also Global CFO. He previously held leadership roles at British clothing company Joules and pharmaceutical firm Walgreens Boots Alliance. 

London-based Gong cha said Dench will bring ‘enormous value’ to the brand as it ramps up its ambitious growth plans. The bubble tea chain currently operates more than 2,000 stores across 23 markets and has its sights set on reaching 10,000 outlets by the end of the decade. 

Expansion will focus on the US and European growth markets, where it plans to open hundreds of stores across the UK and France. 

“With a strong track record of working with fast-growing, multi-national consumer brands, Marc brings enormous value to the group. His knowledge, expertise, and experience supporting international brands through key strategic periods will be important as we continue to execute the next phase of our ambitious expansion plans,” said Paul Reynish, Global CEO, Gong cha. 

“I’m very excited to join Gong cha at an incredibly dynamic period in the group’s development. With a market-leading customer proposition and already 2,000 stores across the globe, the business is well positioned to scale up significantly and become an international household name,” Dench added. 

Dench is the latest senior figure to join Gong cha this year as it seeks to strengthen its position in the increasingly lucrative global bubble tea market. 

In January 2023 the business appointed four new franchise experts to its Americas division to help the brand meet its growth targets across the US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. 

Gong cha also appointed Geoff Henry as Head of Gong cha Americas in March 2023, alongside new Chief Marketing Officer and General Counsel hires. 

More recently the bubble tea chain announced two senior management appointments to strengthen its human resources (HR) and marketing teams, with Tamera Campbell joining the business as Chief People Officer and Bahar Kiransa as Global Marketing Director.