8. Rooney Anand, chief executive, Greene King
Rooney Anand, chief executive, Greene King (5)
Why he is on the list: Anand is boss of the other "super regional", Greene King. Anand spent 13 years in the food industry before joining the Suffolk-based company. Since becoming chief executive in 2005, Anand has impressed with acquisitions such as Hardys & Hansons and Belhaven. Across managed pub, tenanted pub and brewing divisions, Greene King has out-performed the marketplace. He drops a few places in our list this year because his industry-wide influence is diminished by the conscious decision at Greene King to concentrate on the knitting; it leaves the British Beer & Pub Association later this year.
What the past year has held: Anand was among the first in the sector to warn of the recession. In the event, Greene King has had a good war, few better. Its managed division has marched along in like-for-like and margin terms — Hungry Horse expanded by 50 sites in two years and his Local Pubs transformed food sales. Belhaven has proven a wonder buy, with Greene King using its experience to conduct a Scottish market-share turkey shoot. Brewing has been buoyant. Its tenanted division seems to be reaching stabilisation point faster than anyone else thanks to price-support activity.
Challenges ahead: Anand sees Greene King as having an increasingly retail focus. Few were surprised to hear him say that, should the tie be broken, his company would look to transfer pubs back to managed — or even sell-up. It's very unlikely to happen, of course, but it speaks volumes about the company's confidence in its retailing skills.
