London

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

New entry at 36: Midwife to the capital, Melanie Every

Down from 27
40 Philip Green
Shopkeeper
Why? While he might be one of Britain’s flashiest tycoons, the owner of the Arcadia shopping empire has also pumped millions into education, particularly his Retail Academy. This year has also seen some investment in the ailing department store chain Bhs.
The bare facts Britain’s fourth richest man controls 12 per cent of the UK clothing market, and has pre-tax profits of around £380 million.

New entry
39 Anthony Cherry
Middle-of-the-roadster
Why? You can blame the inexorable rise of the retro jazz crooner – Jamie Cullum, Michael Bublé, Madeleine Peyroux, Diana Krall, Norah Jones – on this man. As the producer of Michael Parkinson’s Radio 2 show, he’s responsible for the playlist.
The bare facts Started as a clerk in the BBC reference library in 1976 and has remained in the corporation ever since. Feature continues

New entry
38 Bryn Ormrod
Barbican big cheese
Why? As contemporary music programmer at the Barbican, Ormrod has been instrumental in transforming it into one of the most challenging and adventurous arts centres in the world.
The bare facts Since joining the Barbican ten years ago he has been behind dozens of cleverly themed festivals celebrating the music of Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, Bangladesh, Africa, Memphis, the Mediterranean and the old Soviet Bloc.

New entry
37 Hannah Chambers
Comic’s mum
Why? The shrewdest manager of comedians in the UK represented Daniel Kitson and American Demetri Martin when they won Perriers.
The bare facts She went straight into managing comedians after graduating from Cambridge, signing Daniel Kitson within two weeks of starting and Jimmy Carr a few months later. She set up her own agency in October 2004.
In her own words ‘It takes drive and a fighting instinct. That’s also what I look for in comedians. The ones I look after are like my children. I’m a bit of a Jewish mother.’

New entry
36 Melanie Every
Midwife to the capital
Melanie Every is the Royal College of Midwives’ regional manager for London and the south east, having been a midwife for 25 years...read more

Brian Paddick

Up from 67
35 Brian Paddick
The new Old Bill
Why? During the enquiry over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner and Britain’s most senior openly gay officer made a statement that a member of Sir Ian Blair’s private office team believed the wrong man had been targeted just six hours after the shooting ultimately led to him falling out with his superiors amid threats of libel action. Rumoured to be considering a career in politics, he remains an important and much-admired figure.
The bare facts On the front line during the Brixton riots, and fulfilled his ambition of becoming head of policing in Brixton in 2000. When the Mail called for his sacking over allegations of dope-smoking (which was later proven false), there were demonstrations of support in Lambeth.
In his own words ‘A staff officer got promoted and went to royalty protection. In his leaving card I wrote, “Same job, different Queen”.’

New entry
34 Cheryl Day
Head of the class
Why? For turning around the fortunes of the ailing Clapton Girls Technology College in Hackney. Among other initiatives, she introduced booster and revision classes and fought for new resources for the badly the under-funded school.
The bare facts Day is the longest-serving head teacher in Hackney, having been at her current school for 14 years.
In her own words ‘If more local parents sent their children to Hackney schools, that would improve schools, and in turn that would attract more and better pupils.’

New entry
33 Camilla Batmanghelidjh
Peckham’s pied piper
Why? Because through her organisation, Kids Company, she works with the kids the rest of us are afraid of. She lifts young people out of impoverished and impossible lives and in doing so makes things better for all of us.
The bare facts Born in Tehran, Batmanghelidjh formed Kids Company in 1996 to provide emotional, practical and educational support to vulnerable young people. It now operates in 35 inner city schools as well as from a centre in Peckham.
Did you know? Kids Company relies on donations for half its £2.5 million annual budget, what she really needs is money, equipment and volunteers. See www.kidsco.org.uk.

New entry
32 Oliver Peyton
British food champ
Why? One of life’s survivors, restaurateur Peyton has seen more spectacular successes and failures than most of us could dream of.
The bare facts The success of Inn The Park in St James’s Park led to a rash of new openings this year – The National Dining Rooms, The Wallace, Meals at Heal’s, The National Café at the National Gallery, and a bijou bakery called Peyton & Byrne on Tottenham Court Road.

New entry
31 Nica Burns
Stage manager
Why? As well as being director and producer of the Perrier Awards (now If.commeddies) since 1984, Burns became possibly the most powerful woman in the West End when she bought four theatres last year from Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The bare facts Artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse from 1983-1989. In 1993 she became production director of Really Useful Theatre.

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1