Roger Whiteside

Roger Whiteside managing director, Punch leased division, Mike Tye managing director, Spirit

Why they are on the list:

Whiteside and Tye are the new brooms at Punch's tenanted and managed divisions, facing more problems than you can shake a stick at. Whiteside has a retail background with experience at Marks & Spencer and Threshers. Tye, whose career includes a stint running pubs at Whitbread, plans a host of branded retail initiatives and changes, particularly at Spirit's Chef & Brewer pubs.

What the past year has held:

Both Whiteside and Tye have spent many hours and days visiting their new pubs and getting a feel for the business with a view to putting into place some fairly major changes.

Tye concedes Spirit has been under-performing, while Whiteside has worked hard to appreciate that as far as leased pubs go there are "two sides to every story".

Challenges ahead:

Moving Chef & Brewer forward

in the intensely competitive upmarket pub food sector after years of stagnation is top of Tye's list. There is a batch of new concepts to open and trial as Spirit seeks to plug major portfolio gaps.

In the leased sector Whiteside aims to work hard at ensuring struggling pubs have a real vision for the future. It's going to be as busy a year as you can imagine.