Whos Who 2011 new names

PRESS RELEASE: EMBARGOED UNTIL 6th DECEMBER Who’s Who in 2011? The 163rd annual edition of Who’s Who brings together over 33,000 personal vignettes from those whose achievements are notable in today’s society. With over 1000 new entries, Who’s Who 2011, published on 6th December 2010, celebrates the diversity of human achievement. The uniquely autobiographical entries convey an enlightening and often amusing snapshot of the lives of those of enduring interest from all walks of life. All those listed have demonstrated lasting significance. An entry in Who’s Who is for life. Who’s new for 2011? Election year All 232 new MPs elected this year are listed in the 2011 edition. David Cameron has made some updates to his existing entry, with a new job title and a new daughter to include. New MP Valerie Vaz joins brother Keith Vaz; new MP Joseph Johnson joins brother Boris and father Stanley; new MP Ben Gummer joins father John (now Lord Deben). New MP Louise Bagshawe lists her many ‘chick lit’ novels in her entry. Other new MPs reveal past careers ranging from bricklayer to dentist. Entertainment Music executive and television producer, Simon Cowell has the WW factor as well as the X factor this year. He reveals that as well as international singing sensations Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle he is also responsible for signing Robson and Jerome! Film and TV star Hugh Bonneville, (actor, producer and writer) whose full name is Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams discloses that in his spare time he ‘enjoys getting cross about health and safety’. Creative types Included this year from the world of film is Danny Boyle, director and producer of such smash hit movies as Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire (Academy, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards for Best Director, 2009). Danny is also Artistic Director of the opening ceremony of London Olympic Games 2012. Concert pianist Lang Lang is a young entrant at only 28. He has been performing since the age of five when he won the Shenyang Piano Competition. He was seen by a huge international audience performing at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Prolific children’s author, poet, reviewer and commentator, Philip Ardagh makes reference to the 100+ books he has written in his new entry, and reveals some unusual recreations; ‘general beard maintenance, ducking through doorways, visiting historical and archaeological sites, Sherlock Holmes’. Injecting some glamour into the list of new entries this year are hairdresser, entrepreneur and businessman Vidal Sassoon and designer Matthew Williamson. Sporting prowess Olympic gold medal cyclist Bradley Wiggins makes a welcome entry from the world of sport as does Philip Lane, Chief Executive Officer, British Paralympic Association, and Christopher Holmes, winner of 9 Paralympic Gold Medals. Media News presenter Julie Etchingham is one of 234 women being included for the first time in 2011; this is the highest percentage of female new names ever. Other representatives from the media include Dominic Mohan, Arsenal supporter and Editor of The Sun, Iain Macwhirter, political commentator and broadcaster and David Abraham, Chief Executive of Channel 4. Trivial Pursuits? Emma Hill, Creative Director, Mulberry reveals that her recreations include ‘messing about with my son Hudson, baking cakes, Google addict’. QC Paul Hynes lists ‘being grumpy’ under recreations and Professor Martin McKee likes ‘complaining about politicians, running through airports, damage control on daughters’ credit cards’. Young and Old The average age of new entrants is just under 50, two years younger than last year. The youngest non-hereditary new entrants are MP Pamela Nash and MP James Stephen Wharton both born in 1984. The oldest new entrant is cookery writer, broadcaster and lecturer Marguerite Patten who was awarded a CBE this year and has just celebrated her 95th birthday, followed by 83 year old artist painter and art specialist, Sir Dunstan Gerbert Raphael St Omer, born October 1927. He is also a father of nine - the highest number of children any of the new names has listed in Who’s Who 2011. Family connections Emma Freud, associate film producer and daughter of the late Sir Clement Freud (now listed in Who Was Who), joins her brother Matthew and partner Richard Curtis in the annal of Who’s Who. Her favourite pastimes are ‘Lego, colouring in’. Published 6th December 2010 by A&C Black Publishers Ltd Book £200 ~ ISBN: 9781408128565 Print-and-online edition £295 (available from Oxford University Press, visit www.ukwhoswho.com) Online only edition available to institutions (available from Oxford University Press, visit www.ukwhoswho.com <http://www.ukwhoswho.com> PRESS INFORMATION For further information contact Vicky Atkins at A&C Black DD: 020 7758 0281 or email: vatkins@acblack.com (Mon-Weds) or Rosanna Bortoli DD 020 7758 0280 or email: rbortoli@acblack.com (Mon-Fri) Sunday 5th December, please use email. Freelance journalist Dick Barton will be covering the majority of regional news stories; if you would like him to write a piece for you, please contact Vicky Atkins. Press copies are not available however a 25% press discount is offered, call 01256 302699 to order. Notes to editors The first edition of Who’s Who was published in 1849. Then a compact, 250-page volume (one tenth of the size of the 2011 edition), it consisted of an almanac followed by thirty-nine lists of ranks and appointments and the names of those holding them. Since its acquisition by A&C Black in 1897, Who’s Who has consolidated its status of supreme national importance, proving to be invaluable as a research tool and a unique way of measuring social change. During the Second World War Winston Churchill personally intervened to ensure its publication and full circulation was not affected by the paper shortage. Who’s Who is still to this day the definitive reference book relied upon by academics, researchers, business people, government officials and charities, as well as the casual browser. Who’s Who Online From 6th December 2010, Who’s Who 2011 and Who Was Who, which covers 1897-2010, will be available online from Oxford University Press where the data can be searched extensively and cross-referenced to other works. For more information visit: www.ukwhoswho.com The world's largest and most international university press, Oxford University Press currently publishes more than 6,000 new publications per year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs some 5,000 people worldwide. It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing programme that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, children's books, materials for teaching English as a foreign language, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and journals. www.oup.com Since January 2010, the ten most viewed for names in the online edition of Who’s Who are: David Cameron, Danny Alexander, Tony Blair, Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Margaret Thatcher, Kevin Rudd, Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and Stephen Fry For further information about the online edition of Who’s Who please contact Kate Farquhar-Thomson at OUP Tel: 01865 353423 Mob: 07967 099456 email: kate.farquhar-thomson@oup.com For temporary press access from the afternoon of Monday 6th December visit www.ukwhoswho.com, username pressdec, password: santa.