Nils Andersen is surprisingly open and frank for the chief executive of one of the world’s biggest brewers.

Earlier this year, when the Carlsberg Foundation, the charitable trust that controls the Danish brewer, sought permission to reduce its stake in the drinks group, the City interpreted the move as a clear sign that Carlsberg was preparing a bid for Scottish & Newcastle. Shares in the British brewer soared. Few phoned the 49-year-old, but those who did were able to speak to him directly and were told that he planned – in the event of a bid by another party for Scottish & Newcastle – the ability to raise funds to buy out the target from their joint venture – Baltic Beverages Holding, the lucrative Russian brewing business.

Since joining the board in 1998, Andersen has been credited with transforming a very conservative brewing group into a company that is much better-placed to compete on the international stage.

He has boosted the company’s marketing spend and has made sure that the investment is carefully monitored. He has also sought to cut costs and control spending – Carlsberg had been known as one of the lest efficient brewers in Europe.

Andersen also managed to tidy up the messy ownership structure of the company by buying out the 40 per cent stake in its Carslberg Breweries subsidiary from Orkla, the Norwegian drinks group.

The quirky chief executive made a gutsy acquisition to buy Holsten, the German brewer, for €1 billion.

In the wake of those two deals, Carlsberg found itself saddled with a large debt mountain that gave the company its investment grade status. However, Mr Andersen has now worked successfully to address the situation and, with the change in the Carslberg Foundation’s statutes, he is once again in a position to go out and seek deals. His plans in the UK may not make him popular with brewery workers, but if he can sort out the struggling British business, investors will be grateful.

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