His appointment takes effect on April 1 and Mr Crozier, who worked as chief executive of the Football Association and Royal Mail before joining ITV in 2010, will also become a member of Whitbread’s remuneration committee.
Whitbread plc chairman Richard Baker said: "Adam is a very high quality business leader, with a strong background in business transformations, brands, communication and marketing and his expertise will be of great value to the Whitbread board as we continue to expand our successful Premier Inn and Costa brands."
Mr Crozier has been chief executive of a number of public and private sector organisations over the last 21 years, in the media, logistics and retail sectors.
He began his career in sales and marketing, initially at Mars and then at the Telegraph, before joining Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising in 1988 where he held a number of roles before being appointed joint chief executive in 1995.
He has also held non-executive positions at Debenhams plc, Camelot Group plc and G4S plc.
