9. John Hutson, chief executive, JD Wetherspoon
John Hutson, chief executive, JD Wetherspoon (8)
Why he is on the list: Tim Martin's right-hand man at Wetherspoon. Hutson has been with the company for almost two decades and takes much of the credit for turning Wetherspoon from a north London concern into the UK's pre-eminent pub brand. He modestly regards himself as team leader at Wetherspoon — but his survival at the operational helm flows from his appetite for challenge and innovation.
What the past year has held: It's been the usual mix of product and service innovation combined with margin defence. Back in the mix is managing an expanded openings programme, sifting through the detritus of failed pub companies to snaffle quality sites. There's also been the small matter of a 30th birthday in December last year. Beer festivals get bigger and better, while there's now a wine festival on the go. Oh, and on 28 April, the company started setting its morning alarm a few hours earlier to serve breakfasts to the masses.
Challenges ahead: Cranking up the property openings, while improving the Wetherspoon offer again. The Wetherspoon ethos is very much about perseverance and grinding out the small improvements to create incremental reasons to visit. Recruiting breakfast customers will be a slow-burn affair, by definition — but the company will want to show meaningful progress on this front.
