A GREATER contrast to Joseph Rowntree would be hard to find. He was the teetotal patrician from a legendary York family; Chris White is the beer-and-curry Bulldozer from the other side of the world.

No wonder the new boss of Nestl Rowntree has hit the Haxby Road factory like an earthquake. His feisty brand of management will raise some eyebrows, but some aggression is essential in such a competitive industry.

Mr White is refreshingly frank in his interview tonight. He is out for results, and it is in the interest of Rowntree's and York that he succeeds.

Updated: 11:40 Friday, February 06, 2004