75 Notable alumni of Lancaster University
Updated: June 17, 2026 EliteDegrees
Lancaster University is 340st in the world, 1st in North America, and 33st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 75 notable alumni from Lancaster University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Lancaster University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Rosie Bradshaw
geneticist
academic
mycologist
Rosemary E. Bradshaw is a New Zealand mycologist, as of 2019 full professor of genetics at the Massey University.
2. Ng Cho-nam
1960-2019 (aged 59)
professor
geographer
environmentalist
Ng Cho-nam, SBS, JP, was a Hong Kong environmental studies scholar and conservationist who taught as an associate professor within the Department of Geography at the University of Hong Kong. He served as a top advisor on numerous Hong Kong government committees in areas of conservation, sustainable development, environmental protection, urban planning, and was an active member in various environmental...
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3. Fran Bagenal
1954-. (aged 72)
university teacher
Frances "Fran" Bagenal is a Professor Emerita of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Senior Research Scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in the fields of space plasmas and planetary magnetospheres.
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4. Celia de Fréine
1948-. (aged 78)
poet
writer
translator
Celia de Fréine is a poet, playwright, screenwriter and librettist who writes in Irish and English.
5. Stephen Priest
1954-. (aged 72)
Stephen Martin Priest is a British philosopher. He is a Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy at Blackfriars, Oxford and a member of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Oxford. He is also a member of Wolfson College, Oxford and Hughes Hall, Cambridge. Priest has held visiting professorships in the United States, Europe and Asia, and is best known...
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6. Kaleigh Grainger
1986-. (aged 40)
sport cyclist
Kaleigh Michelle Grainger is a British unicyclist. She won a gold medal at Unicon X, in China, in 2000 when only 14 years old in the pairs freestyle category.
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7. Hatoon Kadi
television producer
YouTuber
journalist
comedian
Hatoon Kadi is a Saudi Arabian comedian and activist who hosts the Noon Al Niswa comedy show on YouTube, which has 292,912 subscribers (as of 8 December 2016). She presents social phenomena from a woman's perspective, using sarcasm, avoiding judgment and without trying to find solutions. She is known for her satiric videos about women's and family issues, often highlighting...
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8. Giles Scott-Smith
1968-. (aged 58)
historian
university teacher
Giles Scott-Smith is a Dutch-British academic. He is a professor of international relations and new diplomatic history at Leiden University and serves as the dean of Leiden University College The Hague.
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9. Kadri Liik
1970-. (aged 56)
journalist
Kadri Liik is an Estonian journalist and political analyst. Her research is mainly focused on Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Baltic region.
10. Stewart Binns
1950-. (aged 76)
documentary filmmaker
Stewart Binns is a British author and filmmaker who has produced many BAFTA, Grierson and Peabody award-winning documentaries.
11. Robert Poole
1957-. (aged 69)
historian
Robert Poole is a UK-based historian, currently professor of history at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston. He gained his PhD from the University of Lancaster in 1986, where he was associated with Prof Harold Perkin's Centre for Social History, organising the 1996 conference of the Social History Society on 'Time and the Construction of the Past'. He has also...
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12. Xiaolan Fu
1967-. (aged 59)
academic
economist
Professor Xiaolan Fu is a British-based Chinese economist, and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She is the Founding Director of the Technology and Management Centre for Development (TMCD). She is a Professor of Technology and International Development and Fellow of Green Templeton College at the University of Oxford.
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13. Stephen P. Long
1950-2025 (aged 75)
bioengineer
biologist
physiologist
university teacher
Stephen Patrick Long FRS was a British-born American environmental plant physiologist and member of the National Academy of Sciences studying how to improve photosynthesis to increase the yield of food and biofuel crops. He was the Stanley O. Ikenberry Chair Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois and visiting professor in Plant Sciences at Lancaster...
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14. Paul Boyle
1964-. (aged 62)
geographer
Paul Joseph Boyle, CBE, FRSE, FBA, FRSGS, FLSW is a British geographer, academic, and academic administrator. He was the vice-chancellor of the University of Leicester between 2014 and 2019. He had been Professor of Human Geography at the University of St Andrews from 1999 to 2014, and Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) from 2010 to...
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15. Branko Gradišnik
1951-. (aged 75)
screenwriter
opinion journalist
editor
writer
translator
Branko Gradišnik is a Slovene writer and translator. He writes short stories and is a well-known columnist that writes for the newspaper Delo and other Slovene publications. In 2004 he was a candidate for mayor of Ljubljana.
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16. Lucy Rogers
inventor
Lucy Elizabeth Rogers is a British author, inventor, and engineer. She is a visiting professor of engineering, creativity and communication at Brunel University London and has served as a judge on the BBC Two show Robot Wars from 2016 to 2018.
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17. Gian M. Fulgoni
1948-. (aged 78)
consultant
entrepreneur
Gian Mark Fulgoni is a British businessman, entrepreneur and market research consultant.
18. Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby
1973-. (aged 53)
diplomat
Lindsay Redvers Mark Seymour Croisdale-Appleby CMG is a British diplomat and Head of the UK Mission to the European Union. Appointed in January 2021, he formally presented his credentials to the President of the European Commission on 29 July 2021. He was Ambassador to Colombia from 2012 to 2015.
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19. Theresa Griffin
1962-. (aged 64)
trade unionist
politician
Theresa Mary Griffin, Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe, is a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England from 2014 to 2020. In the European Parliament, Griffin was aligned with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
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20. Graham James
1951-. (aged 75)
politician
Anglican priest
Graham Richard James is a retired British Anglican bishop. He was Bishop of Norwich in the Church of England from 1999 to 2019.
21. Karen Dawisha
1949-2018 (aged 69)
university teacher
political scientist
opinion journalist
Karen Dawisha was an American political scientist and writer. She was a professor in the Department of Political Science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and the director of The Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies.
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22. Damian Barr
1976-. (aged 50)
journalist
Damian Leighton Barr is a Scottish writer and broadcaster. He is the creator and host of the Literary Salon, which started at Shoreditch House in 2008, and he hosts live literary events worldwide. In 2014 and 2015, he presented several editions of the BBC Radio 4 cultural programme Front Row. He has hosted several television series including Shelf Isolation and...
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23. Simon Emmerson
1956-2023 (aged 67)
record producer
guitarist
composer
Simon Emmerson was an English musician and record producer. He founded the bands Working Week, Weekend, and Afro Celt Sound System.
24. Louise Bours
1968-. (aged 58)
actor
politician
Louise Bours, also known as Louise van de Bours, is a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the North West England region. She was elected in 2014 as a UK Independence Party candidate but resigned from the party 2018, and sat as an independent until she stood down at the 2019 election.
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25. Gillian Merron
1959-. (aged 67)
trade unionist
politician
Gillian Joanna Merron, Baroness Merron is a British politician and life peer serving as Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews since 2014. A member of the Labour Party, she has been serving as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health since 2024. She served as the shadow spokesperson for Health...
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26. Kunal Sarangi
1981-. (aged 45)
politician
Kunal Sarangi is an Indian politician from the state of Jharkhand. He joined Jharkhand mukti morcha Party in 2024 for the Indian state of Jharkhand. He was a former member of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from Baharagora from 2014 to 2019, whip and was also the former central spokesperson of the ruling party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and member of the...
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27. Lori S. Glaze
1982-1985 (aged 3)
astronomer
Dr. Lori Glaze is an American scientist and is the deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. In this role, she shares responsibility for leadership and management of human spaceflight development and operations related to the agency’s Artemis program to explore the Moon for scientific discovery and technology advancement, learning how to live and work on another...
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28. Paul Stewart
1955-. (aged 71)
writer
children's writer
novelist
teacher
Paul Stewart is a writer of children's books, best known for three series written in collaboration with the illustrator Chris Riddell: The Edge Chronicles, the Free Lance novels, and the Far Flung Adventures series.
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29. Holly Lynch
1986-. (aged 40)
politician
Holly Lynch, also known as Holly Walker-Lynch, is a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Halifax from 2015 to 2024.
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30. Peter Dowd
1957-. (aged 69)
politician
council member
Peter Christopher Dowd is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bootle since 2015. From 2017 to 2020, he served as the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
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31. W. Brian Arthur
1946-. (aged 80)
university teacher
economist
William Brian Arthur is a Belfast-born economist credited with developing the modern approach to increasing returns. He has lived and worked in Northern California for many years. He is an authority on economics in relation to complexity theory, technology and financial markets. He has been on the external faculty at the Santa Fe Institute, and a Visiting Researcher at the...
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32. Rainer Hersch
1962-. (aged 64)
conductor
Rainer Hersch is a British conductor and comedian known for his comical take on classical music. He has toured in more than 30 countries and has broadcast extensively, principally for the BBC. His radio series include All Classical Music Explained (BBC Radio 4, 1997); Rainer Hersch's 20th Century Retrospective (BBC Radio 3, 1999) and All the Right Notes, Not Necessarily...
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33. Ben Crystal
1977-. (aged 49)
writer
television actor
stage actor
film actor
Ben Crystal is an English actor, author, and producer, best known for his work on performing and promoting William Shakespeare and adapting original practices.
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34. Ahdaf Soueif
1950-. (aged 76)
novelist
writer
translator
Ahdaf Soueif is an Egyptian novelist and political and cultural commentator.
35. Alan Milburn
1958-. (aged 68)
researcher
politician
administrator
Alan Milburn is a British politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Darlington from 1992 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party, he served for five years in the Cabinet, first as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1998 to 1999, and subsequently as Secretary of State for Health until 2003, when he resigned. He briefly rejoined the...
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36. Rick Priestley
1959-. (aged 67)
designer
Richard "Rick" Priestley is an English miniature wargame designer and writer. He co-created the miniature wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle and its science fiction counterpart Warhammer 40,000 during his tenure at Games Workshop in the 1980s and 1990s. Following his time at Games Workshop, he went on to establish Warlord Games and co-create other titles such as Bolt Action.
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37. Giles Fraser
1964-. (aged 62)
columnist
Anglican priest
Giles Anthony Fraser is an English Anglican priest, journalist, and broadcaster who has served as Vicar of St Anne's Church, Kew, since 2022. He is a regular contributor to Thought for the Day and The Guardian, a panellist on Moral Maze, and an assistant editor of UnHerd.
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38. Suzanne Evans
1965-. (aged 61)
journalist
politician
Suzanne Elizabeth Evans is an English journalist and politician, formerly associated with the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
39. Philip D. Jones
1952-. (aged 74)
climatologist
scientist
hydrologist
university teacher
Philip Douglas Jones is a former director of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA) from 1998, having begun his career at the unit in 1976. He retired from these positions at the end of 2016, and was replaced as CRU director by Tim Osborn. Jones...
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40. Toni Tones
1985-. (aged 41)
actor
singer
photographer
Gbemisola Anthonia Adefuye Listen, known professionally as Toni Tones Listen, is a Nigerian media personality, actress, and photographer. In 2020, she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress at the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards.
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41. Mike Hill
1958-. (aged 68)
politician
Michael Robert Hill is a former British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 2017 until his resignation in 2021.
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42. Joseph Delaney
1945-2022 (aged 77)
children's writer
science fiction writer
writer
Joseph Henry Delaney was an English author. He was best known for his children's dark fantasy series, Spook's, inspired by the folklore, history and geography of Lancashire. The series has been published in 30 countries, achieving sales of over 4.5 million copies.
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43. David Bentley Hart
1965-. (aged 61)
church historian
university teacher
Orthodox theologian
non-fiction writer
religious studies scholar
David Bentley Hart is an American philosopher, theologian, essayist, cultural commentator, fiction author, and religious studies scholar. He is the author of twenty-four books (including translations), as well as over one thousand essays, reviews, and papers. From a predominantly Anglican family background, Hart became Eastern Orthodox when he was twenty-one. His academic works focus on Christian metaphysics, philosophy of mind,...
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44. Rami Hamdallah
1958-. (aged 68)
university teacher
linguist
politician
Rami Hamdallah is a Palestinian politician and academic. He served as Prime Minister of Palestine from 2013 to 2019 and was previously the president of An-Najah National University in Nablus from 1998 to 2013.
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45. Simon Danczuk
1966-. (aged 60)
writer
politician
Simon Christopher Danczuk is a British author and former Member of Parliament (MP) who represented the constituency of Rochdale between 2010 and 2017. Elected as a member of the Labour Party, he was suspended from the party in 2015 after it emerged he had exchanged explicit messages with a 17-year-old girl. He has co-written two books, Smile for the Camera:...
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46. Cat Smith
1985-. (aged 41)
politician
Catherine Jane Smith is a British Labour Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2015, representing Lancaster and Wyre since 2024 after her former constituency, Lancaster and Fleetwood, was abolished. She was a member of the shadow cabinets led by Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer from 2016 to 2021 as Shadow Secretary of State, previously...
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47. Christian Wakeford
1984-. (aged 42)
politician
Christian Wakeford is a British politician serving as a Junior Lord of the Treasury (Government Whip) since 2025. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury South since the 2019 general election. Elected in 2019 as a Conservative, he crossed the floor to Labour in 2022. He was re-elected for Labour in the 2024 general election.
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48. Ursula Martinez
1966-. (aged 60)
actor
writer
performance artist
magician
cabaret performer
Ursula Martinez is a British theatre maker, performer and director. She grew up in South London, the daughter of an English father and Spanish mother, both teachers.
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49. Robert Fisk
1946-2020 (aged 74)
historian
journalist
war correspondent
writer
Robert William Fisk was an English writer and journalist. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians.
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50. Andy Serkis
1964-. (aged 62)
film director
writer
producer
actor
film actor
Andrew Clement Serkis is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), King Kong in the eponymous 2005 film, Caesar in the Planet of...
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51. James May
1963-. (aged 63)
musician
television presenter
writer
journalist
broadcaster
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, author and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme Top Gear from 2003 until 2015 and the television series The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video from 2016 to 2024. He also served as a director of the production company W....
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52. Ralph Ineson
1969-. (aged 57)
film actor
actor
television actor
Ralph Michael Ineson is an English actor, narrator and writer. His film roles include Amycus Carrow in the final three Harry Potter films (2009–2011), William in The Witch (2015), the title character in The Green Knight (2021), Dr. Wilhelm Sievers in Nosferatu (2024), and Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025).
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53. Daniel Ings
1985-. (aged 41)
actor
television actor
Daniel Ings is a British actor. He is known for starring in the television series Lovesick (2014–2018), The Gentlemen (2024) and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2026).
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54. Hanif Kureishi
1954-. (aged 72)
screenwriter
novelist
film director
writer
playwright
Hanif Kureishi CBE is a British playwright, screenwriter and novelist.
55. Sarah Waters
1966-. (aged 60)
writer
novelist
Sarah Ann Waters OBE is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith.
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56. Ruth Henig, Baroness Henig
1943-2024 (aged 81)
historian
politician
university teacher
Ruth Beatrice Henig, Baroness Henig, CBE, JP, DL was a British academic historian and Labour politician.
57. Rachel Mann
1970-. (aged 56)
poet
Anglican priest
Rachel Mann is a British Anglican priest, poet and feminist theologian. She is a trans woman who writes, speaks and broadcasts on a wide range of topics including gender, sexuality and religion. She has served as Archdeacon of Bolton and of Salford (in the Diocese of Manchester) since 2023.
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58. Alan Campbell
1957-. (aged 69)
politician
Sir Alan Campbell is a British politician who has served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council since 2025. He previously served as Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury from 2024 to 2025. A member of the Labour Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP)...
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59. Meir Javedanfar
1973-. (aged 53)
journalist
Meir Javedanfar is an Iranian-born Israeli Middle East commentator and academic. He left Iran in 1987 and now lives in Israel. He has worked as a foreign affairs commentator at BBC Persian. With Yossi Melman, he co-authored The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran.
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60. Debjani Chatterjee
1952-. (aged 74)
poet
writer
Debjani Chatterjee MBE is an Indian-born British poet and writer. She lives in Sheffield, England.
61. Andrew Miller
1985-. (aged 41)
baseball player
Andrew Brooke Miller is an English novelist. He has published ten novels and has won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the International Dublin Literary Award, the Costa Book Awards Book of the Year, the Winston Graham Historical Prize and the Walter Scott Prize. He has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
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62. Dave Snowden
1954-. (aged 72)
consultant
David John Snowden is a Welsh management consultant and researcher in the field of knowledge management and the application of complexity science. Known for the development of the Cynefin framework, Snowden is the founder and chief scientific officer of The Cynefin Company, a Singapore-based management-consulting firm specialising in complexity and sensemaking.
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63. Mary M. Talbot
1954-. (aged 72)
comics writer
writer
Mary Talbot is a British academic and author. She has written several well received academic works in critical discourse analysis and since 2009 has turned her hand to freelance writing. Her first graphic novel Dotter of Her Father's Eyes, published by Jonathan Cape in 2012 and illustrated by her husband Bryan Talbot won the 2012 Costa biography prize.
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64. Ranvir Singh
1977-. (aged 49)
television presenter
news presenter
journalist
Ranvir Singh is a British journalist and television presenter. She is a newsreader and presenter for Good Morning Britain, presenter of Riddiculous and a relief presenter of Lorraine (alongside Christine Lampard).
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65. Mark Price
1964-. (aged 62)
basketball player
basketball coach
Mark Ian Price, Baron Price CVO is a British businessman, Founder of WorkL for Business and WorkL, Chairman of Fair Trade UK, writer, President of the Chartered Management Institute and member of the House of Lords. He was a former Managing Director of Waitrose, and Deputy Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership. He joined the Conservative government as the Minister...
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66. Maria Adebowale-Schwarte
Maria Adebowale-Schwarte is the Founding Director of Living Space Project. She is a commissioner for the London Sustainable Development Commission and for the English Heritage.
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67. Roger Ashton-Griffiths
1957-. (aged 69)
television actor
screenwriter
film actor
film director
stage actor
Roger Ashton-Griffiths is an English character actor, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his role as Mace Tyrell in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones.
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68. Antony Burgmans
1947-. (aged 79)
entrepreneur
Antony Burgmans is a Dutch businessman. Formerly non-executive chairman of Unilever, he is currently chairman of paint company AkzoNobel.
69. Antigoni Papadopoulou
1954-. (aged 72)
politician
chemist
Antigoni Papadopoulou is a Greek Cypriot politician and chemist. She was one of the first two Cypriot women to be elected as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) among six Cypriot MEPs (2009). She is a former Member of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus and the First Woman to serve as Chair of the House’s Committee...
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70. Thomas Buberl
1973-. (aged 53)
businessperson
Thomas Buberl is a German businessman who has been the CEO of Axa since 2016.
71. Audrey Azoulay
1972-. (aged 54)
manager
official
minister
politician
Audrey Azoulay is a French civil servant and politician who has served as the 10th Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 2017 to 2025, becoming the second female leader of the organization. She previously served as France's Minister of Culture under prime ministers Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve from 2016 to 2017. In 2024...
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72. Elisa Aaltola
1976-. (aged 50)
university teacher
philosopher
animal rights advocate
Elisa Aaltola is a Finnish philosopher, specialised in animal philosophy, moral psychology and environmental philosophy.
73. Jennifer Makumbi
poet
writer
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi is a Ugandan-British novelist and short story writer. Her doctoral novel, The Kintu Saga, was shortlisted and won the Kwani? Manuscript Project in 2013. It was published by Kwani Trust in 2014 under the title Kintu. Her short story collection, Manchester Happened, was published in 2019. She was shortlisted for the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for...
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74. Attiya Waris
1974-. (aged 52)
writer
professor
Attiya Waris is a Kenyan professor at the University of Nairobi and a writer about financing development from diverse perspectives including illicit financial flows and corporate tax reform. She became the UN Independent Expert on Foreign Debt and Human Rights in 2021. She is the Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Capabuild Foundation and a Commissioner on the Lancet-O’Neil...
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75. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
1973-. (aged 53)
translator
poet
woman of letters
writer
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is a Vietnamese poet and novelist. She is the author of twelve books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction in Vietnamese and English.
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