The best in London is very often the best in the world. Our capital leads the way in so many arenas from sport, finance, film, publishing and medicine to fashion and design. Additional excitement is building as we enter the final countdown to the 2012 Olympics, when more than 80 nations will join us and billions of people will at some time be watching on television what unfolds in London. All eyes will be focused on our city and the people who run it and its myriad parts as we get ready for two million extra visitors.
The London Evening Standard is proud to celebrate those who make our city great, and that is why every year we select and highlight the 1,000 most influential people. They possess a mixture of confidence, zest, cleverness, ambition and character. Some have chosen to come to live and work in London, others were born here — but all owe some of their success to the fact that they are living in a city which thrives on innovation and transformation.
We are very pleased to salute every aspect of London from the most generous philanthropists to life-saving surgeons, digital entrepreneurs, artists, novelists, even brow-beaten politicians who aspire to dedicate their working lives to trying to make the world a better place. We have witnessed lots of change in the past year with economic uncertainty, riots in the streets, university fees and anti-capitalism protests, plus the phone-hacking scandal that convulsed the media, police and Westminster. Through all this, smart, modern dynamic and entrepreneurial people are driving the capital forward — especially in the digital and technology space in east London.
The capital remains a magnet for talent, national and international. We are a city at the forefront of creation and innovation, where no one can afford to stand still. The energetic force that is London has been sustained and made possible by the many people who make this city great.
I hope you enjoy our list. Our team of selectors has certainly enjoyed finding our top 1,000.
Geordie Greig
Editor-in-chief
The bottom line
Scissor Sisters
The Dictator
Tweet T'who?
Orbit Tower
Dip-dye fringes
Tamara Rojo
Daring Duchess
Laid in Chelsea
Bauhaus beauty
