Belhaven boss Rooney Anand joins Morrisons board

Rooney Anand, the chief executive of Belhaven Brewery owner Greene King, is to join the board of Morrisons.

Greene King chief Rooney Anand is joining Morrisons' board as a non-executive

Morrisons chairman Andy Higginson said that Anand, who has been boss of the pubs and brewing group since 2005, will join as a non-executive director at the start of next month. He will also serve as the Bradford-based grocer’s senior independent director.

Rooney, who earlier this month unveiled a jump in profits at Greene King, said: “I am excited about joining the team at Morrisons, a company I have long admired. I look forward to working with Andy and the Board to help to contribute to the company’s return to the forefront of the British supermarket industry.”

Higginson, the former Tesco director who became Morrisons’ chairman earlier this year, added: “Rooney had the vision at the start of the credit crunch to reinvent Greene King as a branded food-based pub retailer. He is a widely admired and successful plc chief executive.

“His experience in retail, in fast-moving consumer goods and in turning around the fortunes of a major retail business, will all be put to good use at Morrisons.”

The supermarket chain – the third-largest in Scotland – last month reported a 2.6 per cent slide in third-quarter sales, a steeper decline than the 2.4 per cent drop seen in the previous three months.