Top 20 movers and shakers 2005
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By Time Out editors
Posted: Tue Dec 6 2005 -
Time Out select the 20 men and women we think shaped our city in 2005
20 Mike McCann
Time lord
Why? McCann maintains Big Ben, without which nobody would know when the news had to start.
The bare facts McCann oversees all maintenance in the Palace of Westminster, including that of Big Ben. The clock is wound every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by three clock engineers, who also look after the Palace’s 1,200 other clocks.
Did you know? On May 27 this year the clock stopped ticking for 90 minutes from 10.07pm.
19 Audrey Lewis
Drinking tsar
Why? The new licensing laws have had a massive impact on Westminster Council, the UK’s largest licensing authority. Lewis has criticised the government’s handling of the issue from the start: ‘It’s been very challenging and I feel that the government has made it very difficult, as it’s highly prescriptive and bureaucratic and the guidance was given out very late,’ she told Time Out.
Lewis has been criticised for placing the concerns of residents over the interests of pubs and bars. ‘Licensing is probably a more important issue in Westminster than in any other part of London and we’ve had a very busy year for applications. But it’s important to strike a balance between people having a good time and residents getting a good night’s sleep,’ she said.
The bare facts Born in 1935, Lewis has lived mostly in Westminster for the past 40 years. She was elected to the council in 2002.
Did you know? Lewis’s favourite drink is a Bullshot cocktail.
18 Nicholas Hytner Feature continuesAdvertisement
National treasure
Why? Together with executive director Nick Starr, Hytner has transformed the National Theatre. He has put the price of tickets centre stage with the enormous success of the Travelex £10 season, and isn’t afraid to encourage innovative companies like Shunt. 2005 wasn’t as theatrically assured as 2004, but it still began with a flourish with his ‘Henry IV’ and finished with Marianne Elliott’s rousing ‘Pillars of the Community’.
The bare facts Hytner read English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and then went to the ENO. He took up his NT post in 2003.
In his own words ‘The National should also be about a vitality that reflects the vitality of the nation and the diversity and energy of its interlocking communities.’
17 David Sharpe
Eye flyer
Why? He’s responsible for the day-to-day running of London’s favourite giant fairground ride. The Eye has attracted around 3 million visitors in 2005 – impressive in a tough year for the industry.
The bare facts Born in Tripoli, Sharpe has worked for the Eye since 2001, after a career spent largely in the hotel industry all over the world.
In his own words ‘The Eye has become the iconic symbol of London. Everywhere I go people say they see it as one of the vital marks on the landscape. It has found a place in the heart of Londoners and is admired across the world.’
16 Nicholas Serota
Tate director
Why? Listed at number four in ArtReview’s Power 100, Serota is regarded as the world’s top museum director. This year, however, he has been embroiled in controversy. Chris Ofili’s ‘The Upper Room’ was bought by the Tate despite the fact that Ofili is on the board of trustees. Serota defended his decision to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport thus: ‘The board took the view that this work was of such power and significance that an exception had to be made.’
The bare facts Serota studied history of art at Cambridge and the Courtauld, and has worked for the Arts Council and the Whitechapel gallery. He became Tate director in 1988, and was knighted in 1999.
Did you know? The chimney on Tate Modern is 99 metres high and was specifically built to be shorter than the dome of St Paul’s (114 metres).
15 Nick Lester
Transport chief
Why? Lester is the ‘transport overlord’ for all 33 of London’s boroughs. He coordinates work between the boroughs, Transport for London and the government – on everything from disabled access to public transport to parking enforcement.
The bare facts Previously chief executive of the Transport Committee for London and London Parking director, he took up his current position in 2001.
Did you know? According to RAC estimates, London councils make £154 million a year from parking fees, fines and meters.
14 Esmon George
The jam man
Why? Deep in Victoria, George sits monitoring the capital’s traffic using some of the most sophisticated technology in the world. Together with his team of talented individuals drawn from the Met and TfL, he exerts an influence over every road journey made in the capital.
In his own words ‘We monitor congestion via signals from sensors in the road. Intelligent lights have sensors that work out traffic flow and adapt their signals to the conditions. If there is a higher level of congestion than normal, our monitors here change colour. If we hear of a problem, we can also check it out on camera to see what action to take.
‘The first and most powerful thing we can do is change the way the signals operate to provide more flow – but we have to balance that with how it affects other signals further along. A few seconds’ change makes a big difference.
‘We can also arrange for police congestion teams to manage traffic on the ground. The final thing we can do is change information boards to tell people about problems.’
13 Ken Knight
Fire chief
Why? After dabbling in banking, Knight joined Surrey Fire Brigade as a firefighter in 1966. Since then he’s held high-ranking positions including assistant chief fire officer to the London Fire Brigade and head of the Brigade Operations Department, where he co-ordinated the fire service’s role in Operation Safe Haven in Iraq after the first Gulf War. He became chief commissioner of the LFB in July 2003.
12 Sebastian Coe
Olympic hero
Why? When Coe replaced Barbara Cassani in 2004 as head of the London 2012 Olympic bid, the capital was very much the underdog. It was Coe’s perseverance that turned things around.
The bare facts Born in Fulham in 1956, Coe set 12 world records (two of which he still holds) and won four Olympic medals. His political career was less successful. Elected as a Tory MP in 1992, he became a Commons joke and his peers voted him one of their least impressive MPs in 1996.
Did you know? As William Hague’s chief of staff, Coe organised Hague’s diary and his fitness programme, which included judo every morning.
11 Norman Foster
Architect
Why? Foster and Partners has designed more of London’s landmarks than anyone else save, perhaps, Christopher Wren. Recent additions to the cityscape – such as City Hall, Canary Wharf tube station, the British Museum Great Court and the Millennium Bridge – continue to thrill, while TO readers named the Gherkin as one of London’s five most impressive buildings. Current projects include Wembley Stadium and the redevelopment of Parliament Square.
The bare facts Born in Manchester in 1935, Foster studied at Manchester University and Yale. In 1963 he set up Team 4 with Richard Rogers. In ’67 he established Foster and Partners.
Did you know? Foster is a licensed pilot and flies himself to meetings on the Continent.
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