The Influencers
The following people were instrumental in compiling the Debrett's 500:
NICK BUBB, RETAIL CONSULTANT AND RETAILING ANALYST, THE DAILY RETAILER
With a career as a retailing analyst in the City spanning over 30 years, Nick Bubb is a respected and recognisable face from the world of retail. A PPE graduate of Christ Church, Oxford, Bubb has worked for numerous investment banks and stockbrokers including Scrimgeours, Morgan Stanley and Societe Generale, and is now an independent retail commentator, consultant and author of The Daily Retailer.
LEE CLAYTON, HEAD OF SPORT, DAILY MAIL AND MAIL ONLINE
Lee Clayton is head of sport at the Daily Mail and MailOnline, having joined the company in 2004. He started in newspapers aged 16, after following his father, Peter, into the print industry. He has since clocked up over 27 years of experience working for a number of major national titles. Lee has covered football World Cups and European Championships and lists Manchester United’s 2-1 victory in the 1999 Champions League Final as the highlight of his time on the road.
TED COCKLE, PRESIDENT, VIRGIN EMI RECORDS
Ted Cockle is president of Virgin EMI Records. Cockle was previously co-president at Island Records, Virgin EMI’s sister label at Universal Music, where he worked with artists including Mumford & Sons, Robbie Williams and Florence + The Machine. He joined Island in 2005 as head of marketing after ten years at Sony Music, becoming marketing director a year later. In that role he worked with Amy Winehouse and The Sugababes as well as steering an award-winning launch for Mika.
CHARLES COLLIER, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND FOUNDING PARTNER, TAVISTOCK WOOD
Charles Collier is a lawyer and agent. He is managing director and a founding partner of Tavistock Wood, one of Europe’s leading artist management agencies in the film, theatre, television and publishing industries. Charles was educated at Emmanuel College Cambridge and qualified as a lawyer with the firm Allen & Overy before focusing his professional practice within the media and entertainment sector.
Martin Cullingford, Editor and Publisher of Gramophone
Martin Cullingford has been Editor of the classical music magazine Gramophone since 2011, and additionally took on the role of Publisher in 2014. He joined the title in 2002, subsequently holding a vareity of print and online posts during a period of radical, digitally-driven change for the recording industry.
Iain Dale, Managing Director, Biteback Publishing
Iain Dale is best known for his award winning LBC Drivetime show, his political blog Iain Dale’s Diary (founded in 2002) and for his frequent appearances on UK news channels as a political commentator. In 2013 he was awarded the prestigious Radio Presenter of the Year award in the Arquivas and in May 2014 won a Silver Sony Award for Interview of the Year. He is also a publisher, broadcaster and former Conservative Party politician. He is Managing Director of Biteback Publishing and was the founder of Total Politics Magazine. Iain has edited, written or compiled more than 30 books.
Roberta d’Eustachio, Founder and CEO, Giving magazine and Chief of Staff to the UK Ambassador for Philanthropy
Roberta d’Eustachio is an entrepreneur obsessed with delivering media from the philanthropist’s point of view. That desire led her to found The American Benefactor magazine, and recently, the global-digital Giving Magazine, which is launching in February to millions of social investor readers worldwide. Ms d’Eustachio has consulted with, and/or received investment from many leading global brands, including: The Economist, the Financial Times, EuroMoney/Institutional Investor and Fidelity Capital. She divides her time between London and New York.
GRAHAM ELTON, PARTNER, BAIN & COMPANY
A partner at Bain and Company, Graham Elton leads up the firm’s Private Equity practice for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as the UK Media practice. Oxford and Harvard-educated, Elton worked at Pearson, Miller Freeman UK and Evolution Global Partners before joining Bain in 2001, where he has led numerous teams in commercial due diligence, private equity firm strategy and portfolio company value creation.
Luke Garner, Editor, Talk Business magazine
Luke Garner started his career as a freelance journalist, covering ice hockey matches for the Coventry Telegraph, and still lives in Coventry. As editor of Talk Business magazine, he champions the cause of entrepreneurs across the UK, while helping SME owners to grow their ventures through tips, advice and interviews from leading figures in the business world.
ANTHONY GOOD, OBE, FOUNDER, GOOD RELATIONS
Anthony B M Good, OBE founded his first PR company, Good Relations, in 1960 and it subsequently became the first public relations company to have a full listing on the London Stock Exchange. Over time, he developed strong ties with India before launching Good Relations India in 1988. The company is now a leading corporate strategy and PR firm, and Tony was responsible for introducing Marks & Spencer, Sun Life and Scottish & Newcastle to India. He is currently global chairman of Cox & Kings having held this position since 1974 and was responsible for its listing on the Bombay Stock Exchange in 2009. He is also chairman of NutraHealth plc and a director of the UK India Business Council. He was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Year Honours List for diplomatic and overseas service.
Lord Grabiner, QC, Head of Chambers at One Essex Court and Master of Clare College, Cambridge
Lord Grabiner attended Central Foundation Boys’ Grammar School in Shoreditch, and was the first in his family to go to university. He is now a practicing barrister, specialising in banking and finance, oil and gas, civil fraud, competition and company disputes. He was made head of chambers at One Essex Court in 1995, and became a Life Peer in 1999. Lord Grabiner was appointed by News Corp to oversee the investigation in to phone hacking. He has also been elected Master of Clare College Cambridge.
Dr Roger Highfield, Director of External Affairs, Science Museum Group
Dr Roger Highfield, the first person to bounce a neutron off a soap bubble, was the Science Editor of The Daily Telegraph for two decades and the Editor of New Scientist between 2008 and 2011. Today, he is the Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group. Roger has written seven books, including two bestsellers, and still contributes to various publications, such as the Evening Standard and Newsweek.
Russ Lindsay, Founder and CEO, Infinity Creative Media
Russ Lindsay co-founded James Grant Media in 1984. The company’s first signing was Phillip Schofield, who is still with the company after 30 years. Russ has managed many of the UK’s top television and sports personalities over the years including Simon Cowell and Ant & Dec, he has also produced the majority of James Grant Media’s music, theatre and television productions. He left James Grant Media’s music, theatre and television productions. He left James Grant in 2013 and set up Infinity Creative Media to work alongside the UK’s top production companies and broadcasters, creating and co-developing television formats and media business ventures.
PAUL MANDUCA, CHAIRMAN, PRUDENTIAL PLC
Paul Manduca assumed the role of Chairman of Prudential plc in 2012 following a long and distinguished career in the international financial services industry. He founded Threadneedle Asset Management Limited in 1994, and has acted as Chief Executive of both Rothschild Asset Management and Deutsche Asset Management. His previous non-executive roles included Wm Morrison and chairman of Aon UK Limited. Not only does he have the weight of experience behind him, but he is one of the few heavyweights who has not badly blotted his copybook during the credit crunch.
PHILIP JONES, EDITOR OF THE BOOKSELLER, AND THE STAFF OF THE BOOKSELLER
Promoted to his current role of editor three years ago, Philip Jones joined The Bookseller almost 20 years ago in 1996. Since then, Jones has been writing and reporting on all the affairs of the British publishing industry, meaning that he is one of the best-placed people in the industry to comment on the most influential names. Prior to joining The Bookseller, Jones worked as managing editor at Nielsen Business Media. He is currently also editor of The Bookseller’s hugely popular blog Futurebook.
Saqeb Mueen and the staff of the Royal United Services Institute
Saqeb Mueen is currently Director of Communications at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the world's oldest defence and security think tank. Overseeing all aspects of communications, public relations and media strategy, Saqeb aims to nurture RUSI’s reputation as a thought leader in defence, security and international affairs. Prior to his current role, Saqeb was editor of RUSI.org and deputy editor of the RUSI Journal, and he has also contributed to publications such as Prospect magazine and the Huffington Post.
SIMON KELNER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE SEVEN DIALS PR, FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE INDEPENDENT
Simon Kelner is the Chief Executive of Seven Dials PR. He was the editor-in-chief of The Independent, one of Britain’s five quality national daily newspapers, from the late Nineties until 2011. In his 13 years running the paper, they went from broadsheet to tabloid, won a host of industry awards and launched the first profitable paid-for national paper in a generation.
PHIL MALE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, UK2 GROUP
Phil Male has been instrumental in the development of internet and telecoms services in the UK for more than 20 years. After graduating from Imperial he spent his early career with the UK news agency The Press Association, developing new electronic news collection and distribution systems including teletext. He joined internet pioneer Demon as CTO in 1997, floating that business as telecommunications operator THUS in 1999. In 2008 he joined the executive at C&W. Today Phil is CEO of hosting company UK2 Group and serves as a non-executive director for several technology companies, working closely with Private Equity investors.
Neil McIntosh, Managing Editor, BBC Online & Red Button
Neil McIntosh has been Managing Editor of BBC Online and Red Button since 2013, with responsibilities spanning the Corporation's digital output. Previously, he was Deputy Editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe, where he launched the title's digital properties in English, German and Turkish. Between 1999 and 2008 he worked at the Guardian, latterly as Head of Editorial Development for guardian.co.uk, where he led the expansion of the Guardian into audio and video.
Angus Montgomery, Editor, Design Week
Angus Montgomery is the editor of Design Week, a title that provides breaking news and in-depth analysis of the trends that shape the design world. He is a former managing editor of the Architects' Journal and reporter at the Press Association.
Jane Morris, Editor of The Art Newspaper, and her staff
Jane Morris has been the editor of The Art Newspaper since 2008, overseeing the London/New York edition of this international network of art publications (Athens; Beijing/Hong Kong; Moscow; Paris; Turin). A fine art graduate of Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design, she has covered art, design, architecture and museums in print, on radio and online for 20 years, and is now working on The Art Newspaper’s digital transformation.
MELANIE RICKEY, FASHION CONSULTANT, EDITOR AND WRITER, FASHIONEDITORATLARGE.COM
Melanie Rickey has been writing about all things fashion since 1996. She has written regularly for The Independent, the Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times not to mention Vogue. Rickey was also one of the launch editors on Grazia, and regularly consults both luxury and high street brands. She currently writes pieces for the Guardian and Grazia as well as her website Fashion Editor at Large.
Jack Riley, Head of Audience Development, The Huffington Post UK and AOL UK
As head of audience development for AOL brands which includes The Huffington Post and MyDaily, Jack Riley heads up the team responsible for growing brands’ audience and revenue. Prior to his current role, Riley worked at The Independent and the Evening Standard, and has been a prominent voice in media for years.
Howard Sharron, Founder of the Teaching Times website and of the educational publisher Imaginative Minds
Howard Sharron is probably best known as the founder of online knowledge base Imaginative Minds, a pin out company of Questions Publishing, which aims to offer users professional development services to improve the standard of education. Sharron is also the founder of the Teaching Times, as well as the author of best-seller Changing Children’s Minds.
LISA THOMAS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, M&C SAATCHI
Lisa read French and Spanish at Cambridge and spent two years at De La Rue as a business trainee. Her career in direct marketing began at Wunderman Worldwide the Craik Jones, where Lisa became the first board director outside the founding partners, rising to deputy managing director. Later, she was approached by the M&C Saatchi Group to start their direct marketing agency – LIDA opened for business in January 2000 and is now the second largest creative agency within the Group, winning Campaign’s Customer Engagement Agency of the Year in 2013. In 2010, Lisa was promoted to CEO of the M&C Saatchi Group.
Simon Walker, Director General of the Institute of Directors
Director General of the Institute of Directors since 2011, Simon Walker was previously chief executive of the BVCA and director of corporate communications and marketing at Reuters which he joined in 2003. For three years, the South African-born Walker held the prestigious role of Communications Secretary to HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace, and has worked as a partner at public relations group Brunswick.
WILLIE WALTERS, FASHION PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, CENTRAL ST MARTINS COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN
Willie Walters is Fashion Programme Director at Central Saint Martins. She is also Director of the BA (Hons) Fashion Course at Central Saint Martins whose alumni include designers such as Phoebe Philo, Ricardo Tisci, Stella McCartney, Gareth Pugh, Huishan Zhang, David Koma and Christopher Kane.
Joe Warwick, Co-founder of the World’s Best Restaurant Awards and Editor of Where Chefs Eat
Joe Warwick is the go-to man for all your UK foodie needs. A prolific writer on all things food, drink and restaurant-related, Warwick is the author of best-selling restaurant guide Where Chefs Eat, and publisher of restaurant fanzine Galley Slave.
Rob Webster, Chief Executive, NHS Confederation
Rob Webster has headed the NHS Confederation since 2014, having worked in healthcare since 1990, progressing through various leadership posts in the Department of Health. Webster was also a director for the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in the Cabinet Office and has enjoyed success working in the NHS as a commissioner and provider of services, having chaired Primary Care, Cancer and Learning Disability Networks.
JOHN WESTON, CBE, CHAIRMAN OF MB AEROSPACE, WINDAR, FIBERCORE AND ACCESSO AND FORMER CEO OF BAE SYSTEMS
Currently chairman of a number of small companies in the high technology field, John Weston has spent 40 years in high technology and manufacturing industry. His current companies; MB Aerospace, an aero engine component business, Windar, a manufacturer of continuously variable automotive transmissions, Fibercore, a manufacturer of specialist fiber optic cables, and Accesso, a systems company in innovative queuing devices and ticketing. He has also chaired companies in software, design engineering and online learning. He was also CEO of BAE Systems, where he spent 32 years.
Ellis Woodman, Critic-at-large for the Architects’ Journal and Architectural Review
Trained architect Ellis Woodman is currently architecture critic at The Daily Telegraph, as well as Critic-at-Large for the Architectural Review and the Architect’s Journal. Woodman has written extensively on architecture, whether in articles, essays or books and also has extensive teaching experience. Formerly, he edited Building Design Magazine and also curated the British Pavilion at the 2008 Venice Biennale.
