Punch boss Thorley starts new private venture

Giles Thorley, the outgoing chief executive of Punch Taverns, has set up a new company under the name Anthrop Capital.

Thorley, who announced last month he was leaving the pub operator, set up Anthrop at Companies House in January, however the entrepreneur is understood to have approached Peter Cawdron, Punch's chairman, about leaving the pubs group in September last year.

At the time of the announcement Thorley said he was considering a number of options ahead of his planned departure.

He is understood to have been offered roles in the private equity world and said he had been approached with some "left-field" ideas. "One of the options might be to do my own thing," he said.

The development of Anthrop Capital — which is derided from the Greek word for human, anthropos — is revealed in the Daily Telegraph​ this morning.

Punch is yet to appoint a successor as chief executive but is talking to internal and external candidates about the job, with a decision expected next month.

Roger Whiteside, head of Punch's tenanted pubs division, and Mike Tye, in charge of the group's managed pubs arm, are both understood to have applied for the job.

Commenting on Punch when his departure was announced Thorley said: "We have made good progress in reshaping our business and balance sheet, stabilised our operating performance and have taken the right actions to position Punch to achieve long term sustainable success.

"Punch has a great team in place and I am confident that they can continue to lead the industry forward and secure the future of the great tradition that is the British pub."