THE demise of Carlton boss Michael Green's hopes of running a new combined ITV has catapulted fund manager Anthony Bolton into the spotlight.

Mr Bolton is thought to have led the calls for Mr Green to relinquish his dream of leading the group to be created from his company's planned merger with rival Granada.

As the largest shareholder of both Granada and Carlton, his employer, Fidelity Investments, led the demands for an independent non-executive chairman to be brought in from outside to lead the merged broadcaster.

Fifty-three-year-old Mr Bolton has come to be one of the most respected and experienced fund managers in the business while working as portfolio manager of Fidelity's Special Situations Fund.

He joined the company from Schlesinger Investment Management in 1979, having been educated at Trinity College Cambridge before working as an investment analyst at Keyser Ullmann.

The fund he set up 24 years ago has now become one of Fidelity's flagship funds, outperforming rivals in the midst of stock market turbulence.

He attributes his success to picking the right stocks rather than predicting how the market will move.

That strategy has included building up stakes in companies likely to be at the centre of takeover stories - a process that positions him as kingmaker in any future race between supermarket group William Morrison and retailer Philip Green to take over Safeway, in which Fidelity owns a 14 per cent stake.

Although not known to court the limelight, Mr Bolton has been a key player behind the scenes in a number of high-profile takeover stories.

He has not hesitated to reject takeover offers for companies in which Fidelity invests if he thinks they are too mean.

That approach has seen him reject bids for the fitness club group Holmes Place and the restaurant chain Pizza Express among others.