Brian King

Brian King managing director, Trust Inns (28)

Why he is on the list:

King heads up Trust Inns, which runs a nationwide estate of 600 tenanted and leased pubs in which millionaire leisure tycoon Trevor Hemmings has a major interest.

King is a veteran of the pub trade, previously running the tenanted division of the now defunct Greenalls Group.

What the past year has held:

King has engineered a number of initiatives to help licensees in the company's largely wet-led community pub estate trade through the recession. He says he wants to encourage "licensee longevity" and that means creating a climate that helps them make a success of their businesses.

The company's new business support charter provides a structured programme of support for licensees in the early stages of their pub careers. All Trust Inns hosts are now free of tie on minerals, wines and spirits and £60 barrelage discounts are now widely available. King insists that none of his BDMs have more than 38 pubs on their patch.

Challenges ahead:

King will be keen to assess the impact of his new initiatives once they have been in place long enough. He says the first 12 months of a tenancy or lease are critical for failure rates within the trade and believes licensees need more support. Results of his new "think tank" panel of licensees should be apparent by then too.