Power List 2012: Graham Mackay to Michael Clarke

11 (20) Graham Mackay, CEO, SAB Miller
Not afraid of flexing his muscles, last August Mackay (pictured) said he’d take his offer to buy Foster’s direct to shareholders after talks broke down. A month later SAB Miller secured a £6.53bn deal. Meanwhile JV Snow increased its lead in the Chinese market by buying a number of smaller regional rivals. He stands down next year to become chairman of the London-based group.

12 (12) Richard Cousins, group CEO, Compass Group
Joining after four profit warnings in six years, Cousins continues to please analysts and investors post-turnaround, with a strongly balanced international portfolio, diversification into new services and some telling acquisitions. The dark days of Turkey Twizzlers are also long gone. Compass is the only foodservice company fully signed up to Responsibility Deal.

13 (16) Martin Glenn, CEO, Birds Eye Iglo
With Permira ready to sell off Birds Eye Iglo, Glenn’s pledge to continue at the helm will be critical. Under Glenn’s stewardship, first-rate NPD and shrewd marketing have been combined with strong category management and acquisition integration skills to successfully pay down its massive debts - and run rings round rivals. Glenn will now be tasked with consolidating the frozen food market further by buying them.

14 (15) Malcolm Walker, CEO, Iceland Foods
It dragged on for two years, but at last, after splashing out £1.5bn, Walker is finally in full control of Iceland Foods. OK, so he paid out at least 50% more than he hoped to. And as a result, his personal stake is only 43%. But Walker has rid himself of the Vikings. And having made a fortune since his return to the business he founded, you wouldn’t bet against him making another killing.

15 (13) Hubert Patricot, president, CCE Euro Group
Having served as GB general manager and vice president until taking on this role in July 2008, London-based Patricot is no stranger to the front line and still takes CCE board members into the field to inspect the sales team in action. However, the Frenchman is currently more preoccupied with Germany operations at the moment, clearing the stage for Simon Baldry (qv) as the greatest show on earth comes to town.

16 (11) Marc Bolland, CEO, Marks & Spencer
Two years into the job, the jury is still out on Bolland. There was a decent showing for food in the full-year results, out this week, with like-for-like sales up 2.1% and quality and innovation remaining strong, enhanced further this month by a new budget range, Simply M&S. But there are concerns over the wider performance of M&S, particularly in the all-important clothing business.

17 (19) George Weston, CEO, Associated British Foods
Weston took a pay cut of 37.7% to £1.34m last year despite many reasons for cheer at the food and clothing giant. The Primark owner’s grocery profits took a hit this year thanks to restructuring at Kingsmill-owner Allied Bakeries and deep promotions in bread. But profits from the business’s sugar division are on track to be ahead of last year, thanks to high yields in Spain and an increase in UK production.

18 (37) Roman Heini/Matthew Barnes, joint MDs, Aldi
If last year was good for Aldi, this one has been great. Aldi is out in front of everyone, with Kantar showing almost 30% sales growth year-on-year, despite barely any store expansion. And though its share is limited, it’s proving a real thorn in the side for the big four under its dual leadership. It’s even become quite a hip brand, thanks to an above-the-line campaign that created a real buzz, and won it numerous awards.

19 (New Entry) Simon Baldry, MD, Coca-ColaEnterprises
All eyes will be on Baldry this year. For Coca-Cola - which has spent £50m sponsoring London 2012 - and its third biggest independent bottler, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And there’s also the Euros. Baldry will lead the considerable circus off the track, from the Coke-sponsored torch relay and music events to helping deliver a waste-free Games. Luckily, as a former modern pentathlete, he’s a multitasker.

20 (49) Akeel Sachak, MD, global head of consumer, Rothschild
The softly spoken Sachak has played a leading role in some of the biggest fmcg mergers and acquisitions for a number of years. The past 12 months have been no exception. Rothschild’s consumer goods division succeeded where so many others failed, in helping China’s Bright Food bag its first major western grocery prize with the £1.2bn acquisition of Weetabix last month.

Add to this its advisory role to Müller as it snapped up Robert Wiseman in one of the most significant dairy M&A plays in recent years and Nestlé’s acquisition of Pfizer Nutrition, and Rothschild’s pre-eminence in getting deals done remains largely unrivalled. Indeed, in grocery, none can hold a candle to Rothschild: the bank also played a key role in helping Malcolm Walker recapture Iceland.

21 (New Entry) Sir Richard Broadbent, chairman, Tesco
Not a retailer, and unproven as a chairman, Broadbent is a dark horse in this year’s Power List. In swapping Barclays for Tesco (a frying pan/fire transition of legendary proportions), he is at least notionally Philip Clarke’s boss. Strangely absent from this year’s results presentation, if Clarke fails, it will be Broadbent’s job to fire him - or join the CEO down the escape slide.

22 (18) Alison Cooper, CEO, Imperial Tobacco
Cooper’s Imperial has had a tough time at home. On top of the display ban and moves towards plain packaging, UK profits were down for the first time in 100 years as smokers flock to cheaper lower-margin alternatives, RYO and even the illicit trade. It is also fighting the Australian government’s plans to bring in plain packs. But overall, its strong international performance is keeping sales and profits on the rise.

23 (17) Peter Marks, CEO, The Co-operative Group
As if taking on Somerfield weren’t enough, Marks has merged Britannia Building Society into the business and is trying to acquire 632 Lloyds branches. It’s asking a lot. Sales and profits fell in the past year, with like-for-like sales in food stores down 2.1%, and though it’s back in acquisition mode, the arrival of former Tesco man Steve Murrells as food CEO can’t come soon enough.

24 (27) Jonathan Warburton, chairman, Warburtons
“It’s bloody tough,” says Warburton of the UK bakery sector. And despite dominating it - with sales more than £100m ahead of its nearest rival - and innovating impressively to maintain its share, under its charismatic chairman, the family-owned business is not resting on his laurels: it took its first steps abroad last October, developing and launching a range of products into Tesco stores in four Central European countries.

25 (26) Rakesh Kapoor, CEO, Reckitt Benckiser
Bart Becht’s replacement has big shoes to fill, but Kapoor has settled in well since picking up the reins last year. In February, he unveiled his masterplan for RB - focusing on higher-margin health and hygiene products among its designated ‘power brands’ such as Nurofen, Durex and Dettol. Judging by its share price, investors like what they see from the new man.

26 (New Entry) Kate Swann, CEO, WH Smith
With newspapers, magazines, CDs/DVDs and cards all, apparently, in terminal decline, the turnaround of WH Smith is a continuing credit to Swann. Her decision to focus on increasing profits (up 3% in the past six months) at the expense of sales (down 5%) and customer opinion polls is brave, and admired by investors, with shares climbing from 375p in 2006 to around 500p today.

27 (New Entry) Laurie McIlwee, CFO, Tesco
With the upheaval at Tesco, McIlwee’s experience and calm demeanour are important. Effectively deputy CEO given Tim Mason’s sporadic appearances, McIlwee is rightly respected for his gravitas and should not be ruled out as a potential successor to Philip Clarke (qv) should the tanker fail to turn. McIlwee’s creativity (particularly on property deals) isn’t always credited.

28 (38) Joanna Shields, VP & MD, Facebook EMEA
Facebook’s role in the marketing strategies of brands has never been greater - and even the biggest share price row of recent times won’t alter that. Under the leadership of Shields, the company’s EMEA division has wooed the world’s biggest fmcg players, last month unveiling a host of new services for advertisers. Such activity has come good - in the UK at least - with PwC predicting a 60% rise in UK ad revenue this year.

29 (32) Mike Coupe, commercial director, Sainsbury’s
As commercial director, Coupe has met his side of the bargain, with the successful launch of Brand Match, overhauling Sainsbury’s own-label ranges, and ensuring supply has grown to meet demand from all the extra space. With CFO Darren Shapland gone, the fact he’s currently at Harvard will add to speculation he’s Justin King’s heir apparent.

30 (New Entry), Michael Clarke, CEO, Premier Foods
Will he or won’t he? The jury’s still out on whether Clarke will be able to bring Premier Foods back from the brink. He certainly hasn’t hung around since arriving on the scene in August.

He’s axed a number of senior executives, and bolstered the senior management team with strong appointments trimmed the fat through a decisive disposal plan and secured a four-year deal to refinance debt that could secure the company’s future.

His emphasis on ‘power brands’ certainly made a splash in the first quarter of the year and more disposal deals are under way, but more than ever, in this Jubilee year, Clarke will need the backing of Britain’s shoppers.