gas-station-1161870_1920-Article-201607260643Forecourt operator Euro Garages has appointed Orange Mobile lawyer Imraan Patel as the group's first general counsel and company secretary.

Patel joins Euro Garages from Orange Mobile Enterprise, a unit of Paris-based Orange Group, where he was head of legal and a member of the leadership team.

Before spending nearly 10 years at Orange, Patel was a deal leader and legal counsel in the major deals and projects division of BT.

His responsibilities at Euro Garages will include all legal, regulatory and compliance matters for the group, along with being the company secretary.

Patel said: "It is already an impressive business that has seen huge growth since it was established."

Co-CEOs Mohsin Issa and Zuber Issa added: "He understands our vision and will play a pivotal role in helping us achieve our ambitions of becoming Europe's leading forecourt retailer."

Euro Garages was founded in 2001 by brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa when the pair bought a petrol station in Bury. Euro Garages now owns 341 freehold-owned sites located throughout the UK.

Its annual turnover in the year to the end of July 2015 was £816m. The group has brand partnerships with BP, ESSO, Shell, SPAR, Starbucks, Subway, Greggs and Burger King.

In October 2015, London-based investment firm TDR Capital bought a minority stake in Euro Garages for £1.3bn. Eversheds advised Euro Garages on the deal.