Adam Fowle

Adam Fowle acting chief executive, Mitchells & Butlers (17)

Why he is on the list:

Fowle has been catapulted to the top of the M&B tree after the shock resignation of Tim Clarke. He's already won the backing of chairman Drummond Hall to take the job on a permanent basis. Fowle is a M&B long-server, returning to the company having picked up all manner of retailing learnings from a very valuable stint at supermarket giant Sainbury's.

What the past year has held:

Fowle's main focus over the past 12 months has been on Mitchells & Butlers' diverse food-led outlets. At results last week it was clear that Fowle had achieved a resurgence in sales at Harvester, largely by extending its early-bird offer into the traditional dining out turkey shoot, Sunday. Also notable is the completion of 44 former Whitbread sites to M&B brands with an impressive 30% uplift in sales achieved.

April saw his elevation to a more prestigious role overseeing the entire Mitchells & Butlers retail operation, before his even more prestigious promotion of last week.

Challenges ahead:

Fowle will want to drive M&B's pubs and bars division, which includes O'Neills, Goose and Sizzling Pub Co. These are primarily wet-led concepts and the key is on-going diversification with ever-improving food offers. With M&B's joint venture swaps debacle behind it, Fowle will want to focus on what M&B does best — using its scale to grab market share.