Leaders of the pack

Jonathan Adnams, chairman, Adnams

Having become chairman of brewer and leisure retail business Adnams in August 2006, Jonathan Adnams recently hit the headlines as the brain behind the first carbon-neutral beer, East Green, produced at Adnams' Southwold brewery in Suffolk. The company has pursued a green agenda by investing £10M in making its brewing facilities more eco-friendly. And despite a tough 2007, with rising raw material costs, Adnams posted sales, profits and market share increases on 2006. Adnams joined the business in 1973 working in brewery engineering and has held a range of roles since then. Joining the board in 1988, he ran pubs and property and became md in 1997. The beer uses local barley to minimise carbon dioxide emissions and naturally aphid-resistant hop, to lessen the need for pesticides.

Stefan Barden, chief executive, Northern Foods

When Pat O'Driscoll stepped down, Barden took the helm at Northern Foods on February 5, 2007, having joined in January 2006 as executive director of its chilled division. Today he presides over a business that boasted just shy of £900M in its last annual results and continues to steer it through testing times as pressure on margins increases. He is also a director of sector skills council Improve and a member of the Policy Issues Council of grocery think tank IGD. Having held international roles at Unilever from 1984-1991, he left to gain an MBA at Warwick Business School. Joining McKinsey & Company as a consultant, he went on to work for Iceland Frozen Foods and Heinz.

Dave Brooks, chief executive, Finsbury Food Group

For a man with "absolutely no ambition", Dave Brooks has slid effortlessly up grocery's greasy pole to head up a bakery business that has kept its head firmly above water as rivals have floundered, delivering consistently strong growth from the firm's core premium own-label cakes business. But he's also been on the acquisition trail, building his empire in the fastest-growing and most profitable areas of the market including celebration cakes, low fat cake slices and artisan, organic and gluten-free lines through a series of strategic acquisitions.Brooks has also proved his mettle through tough times, notably a catastrophic fire at United Central Bakeries in 2006, which was back up and running in record time.While Finsbury's debt levels leave it a little exposed, say analysts, it really hasn't put a foot wrong under Brook's leadership.

Fiona Dawson, md Mars Snackfood

The 'Mars bars not suitable for vegetarians' debacle notwithstanding, 2007/8 has been a good year for Fiona Dawson, the charismatic boss of Mars Snackfood, and one of the most powerful women in the UK food industry. Assisted by a series of successful launches including Starburst Choozers and Mars Planets, Mars Snackfood sales were up an impressive 8.5% in 2007 against the sector's 5.2% growth. As chair of the Food and Drink Federation's steering group on sustainability and competitiveness, Dawson is also spearheading the industry's drive to reduce its carbon footprint.

While selling chocolate bars and sweets is never going to win you many brownie points with the health lobby, Dawson has also managed to avoid the healthy flak, giving away 100,000 free footballs as part of the new Mars balls get Britain Playing campaign.

John Gatenby, director, Vale of Mowbray

Vale of Mowbray, which makes meat products such as pork pies, has posted an excellent set of annual results in its last full year under Gatenby's influence. In 1995 he and his business partner Doug Graham conducted a management buy-out (MBO) of the firm, which is based in Northallerton, north Yorkshire, in 1995 from the previous owner, Hillsdown. Graham retired in 2005 and Gatenby has continued to own and operate the business, having worked for Vale of Mowbray in one capacity or another since 1965. He has navigated the company to its current run of success through considerable disruption after a factory fire in 2002 which could have been disastrous. The blaze destroyed the plant's meat processing facilities and some of its bakery ovens and offices. Despite this setback, sales of £16M are forecast for this year, up from £4.5M in the year after the MBO.

Philip McIvor, chairman, Farmhouse Biscuits

McIvor has run Farmhouse Biscuits since the 1970s. Now 70 years old, he still has great passion for the Lancashire-based family-run business, which makes traditional English biscuits and employs 200 people. The company suffered a set back when he became ill two years ago, but upon his return last year it recovered to post a six figure profit figure. Under McIvor's chairmanship Farmhouse Biscuits has continued to expand, with the latest extension to its facilities taking place in 2006. As Food Manufacture went to press, the firm was poised to clinch a multi-million pound contract with a major overseas processor to make its range of shortbreads, savouries and other products in the UK. The future certainly looks bright for the company.

Greg Peterson, UK md, Kellogg

Peterson assumed his current role in November 2006, having been md for Kellogg Australia and New Zealand. Since the move, he has spearheaded the extension of a business best known for breakfast cereals into healthy snacks while continuing to grow the cereals business with new launches such as Kellogg's Sustain. He has also overseen highly successful asset effectiveness programmes at Kellogg's UK processing sites in Wrexham and Manchester. He joined Kellogg in 1991 as a product manager, becoming vice president for marketing services in 1998. He was promoted in 1999 to md for Kellogg South Africa and to md for Kellogg Asia in 2000. From 2002 until July 2006, he served as president of Kellogg's Canadian business.