Rooney Anand is, by his own admission, “more of a little shot than a big shot” but his diminutive size belies his prodigious ambition.

Since he took the reins three years ago, the chief executive of Greene King has continued the acquisition spree started by his predecessor, turning the Suffolk-based brewer and pub operator into a national company.

Shortly after his elevation from managing director of its brewing arm, Greene King acquired Ridley's, a small Essex rival, and since then has swallowed Belhaven, Scotland's oldest brewer, and Hardys & Hansons of Nottingham.

A recent refinancing has given the group the firepower to seek further deals, although Mr Anand, 44, is waiting to see whether the market weakens even more before starting to look seriously at potential targets.

But the Indian-born Mr Anand, who moved to Walsall with his family when he was two, is not just a dealmaker, as yesterday's results show.

Despite the worst consumer environment for 18 years, Greene King managed to extend its unbroken run of earnings growth to 44 years.

Mr Anand is not the sort to make himself a hostage to targets but it is clear that, unlike some analysts, he believes he can maintain that record this year. “Whilst I don't make promises, I will be striving to achieve it,” he said.

There are plenty of pub industry watchers who reckon that Mr Anand's ambitions may one day encompass a merger with Greene King's Midlands rival, Marston's.

He has played down such a notion, although the significant synergies from such a deal might just whet the appetite of City investors. But the different management cultures suggest that any such move would probably be years away.

At Greene King, the golf enthusiast has brought to bear many of the fast-moving consumer goods skills he learnt during his 13 years in the food industry. He spent four years at McVities before joining Sara Lee as marketing director.

In October 1999 he was appointed managing director.

Mr Anand and his French wife, Frédérique, live in Cambridge with their four children, a 35-minute drive from the Greene King headquarters in Bury St Edmunds, and they spend most holidays at their house in Provence.

He confesses to a penchant for playing the electric guitar "very badly", but over the next few months his pastimes look likely to play second string to his work as he studies the merits of converting the company into a tax-efficient real estate investment trust.

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