of the most infl uential people in Kensington, Chelsea and Mayfair

Vintage chic at The Royal Hospital

June 2012 theresident.co.uk

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of the most influential people from west London

Lady Sybilla Hart and Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs reveal their 25 most influential west Londoners

25 INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

25A INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

Lady Sybilla Hart Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs

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1. Paul CowleyPaul Cowley was expelled from school only to be kicked out of his home at the age of 15. Homeless and then in prison, Cowley managed to turn his life around joining the army at the age of 21. Fifteen years later he went on to a career in personal training before becoming a vicar. In 2010 Cowley established the William Wilberforce Trust based at St Augustine’s church at Queen’s Gate, a charity that works to overcome poverty and injustice by helping those who are in debt, homeless, ex-offenders, single parents or caught up in domestic servitude. Courses are run for people with

various addictions as well as those dealing with depression.

2. Katie Piper Katie Piper is a former model and television presenter whose career plans were thrown into disarray when she had sulphuric acid thrown in her face four years ago. The attack, which blinded Piper in one eye, was arranged by her ex-boyfriend and carried out by an accomplice. Piper was treated in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where the surgeons rebuilt her skin with a skin graft. It was the fi rst of its kind to be completed in a single operation. The

Channel 4 documentary Katie: My Beautiful Face was fi rst aired in 2009 as part of the Cutting Edge series. She has recently released an autobiography and primarily works for her charitable organisation, The Katie Piper Foundation.

3. Crispin OdeyCrispin Odey is a Knightsbridge-based hedge fund manager and owner of Odey Asset Management. In 2008 Odey correctly predicted the impending credit crunch and Bear Stearns’ subsequent bankruptcy. This clever move earned him a cool £28 million. The Times selected him as

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a ‘Business Big Shot’ the same year. Odey set up his own business in 1991 after quitting Barings Bank and allegedly made huge losses three years later when the Federal Reserve lifted interest rates. No stranger to controversy, in May 2010 his company collaborated with Geneva’s Bruellan Wealth Management forming Odey Bruellan.

4. Dr PrimavesiAny parent should have Dr Richard Primavesi’s number on speed dial. His practice Healthy Child private clinic is based on Harley Street. Richard Primavesi has been a consultant paediatrician for over 15 years and prior to that worked for the NHS. He wins the award for the calmest, most approachable paediatrician in London. You can always count on Dr Primavesi for the best independent advice on children’s health and is one doctor who won’t send you away with a bottle of Calpol and a shrug of the shoulder.

5. Oscar Humphries Tall, handsome and very funny, Oscar arrived in the UK whilst still a boy. Son of Barry Humphries (aka Dame Edna Everage), he successfully negotiated something of a wild youth, writing for Vogue, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and in 2007 became a contributing editor of The Spectator. In 2008, he was made launch editor of The Spectator Australia and in 2010 became one of London’s foremost art advisor/dealers and editor of the pedigree art magazine Apollo. The art market is perhaps the largest unregulated business area left – and nothing happens in it without Chelsea resident Humphries knowing.

6. Julia Immonen Julia Immonen hails from the world of sport and media and lives in Chelsea. As an avid sports fan and athlete, she found her dream job at Sky Sports News. Julia became passionate about the injustice of human trafficking three years ago and founded Sport Against Trafficking, which uses the positive power of community and sport to raise funds and awareness for the cause. In December 2011, Julia led the Row For Freedom team in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge known as the world’s toughest rowing race. The gruelling campaign saw Julia gain two world records.

7. Matt HermerMatt Hermer is the son of Julius Hermer, a lawyer and former Lord Mayor of Cardiff. In 1998 the handsome Matt bought his local bar on Walton Street and transformed it into the uber trendy Eclipse bar. In 2002, Ignite opened Boujis, the group’s flagship boutique nightclub. Matt’s next venture was to open Bumpkin restaurants. Ignite has gone on to branch out abroad seeing the first Eclipse in Spain at the W Barcelona Hotel. Not content with one nightclub, Hermer launched Wyld, another VIP nightclub. Matt was named as ‘Restaurateur of the Year’ in 2008 by Tatler and has featured in the Evening Standard’s ‘1000 London’s Most Influential People’ list every year since 2008. 8. Alice Beaumont Alice Beaumont is an Events Manager at Starlight Children’s Foundation, the organisation that grants wishes of a lifetime to seriously and terminally ill children and was behind the Boodles Boxing Ball success in 2011 and the Starlight Shooting Challenge at Highclere Castle.

Alice is also the co-founder of luxury scented candles Feu de Beaumont, launching in July this year. In 2010 She completed the Sultan Marathon des Sables, a 150 mile race across the Sahara desert and recently took part in an otherwise all male cycle race from London in Paris, raising over £60,000 for her charity.

9. Carlo Proetti, Maitre d’ of C London Carlo Proietti was born in 1977 in Latina, Italy from a family of well-known restaurateurs. At the age of 19 he moved to New York where he worked for his uncle who owned a small restaurant chain in Manhattan and quickly rose to the role of manager. The following year he was hired to assist in the opening of high profile French restaurant, Chazal, in Union Square Manhattan. Aged just 26, he was spotted by Giuseppe Cipriani and offered a job as manager in Downtown New York. Soon after in 2005 he was sent to London to help with the Opening of C London where he became the General Manager. He is currently overseeing the launch of Cipriani Monte Carlo and is also General Manager of

Downtown Mayfair. From real royalty to Hollywood royalty, Carlo has ensured a perfect evening for all.

10. The Addington brothers Ed and Raleigh Addington are two brothers who have served valiantly in our Armed Forces. Ed, a serving Captain in the Rifles was seriously injured in Helmand Province when a bomb blast exploded underneath his vehicle in 2009. He suffered multiple injuries and has had some 20 operations on the road to recovery. Raleigh gave up his part on Lord Sugar’s The Apprentice on hearing of his brother’s accident. Leaving in a taxi from the show, Raleigh headed straight to the intensive care unit to visit his brother. He went on to set up a charity supporting servicemen and their families called Tickets for Troops. Ed and Raleigh are now involved in supporting a charity called ‘Just Rifles.’ The charity delivers on supporting injured soldiers and their families going through rehab and support.

11. Harry and Ed Lawson Johnston Blond twin brothers Harry and Edward co-founded the LJ Group in 2009, a merchant bank and multi family office with over $6bn of assets, offices in London, Miami, Geneva, Lisbon and Hong Kong. Previously Harry was Managing Director of Guggenheim Partners and Edward MD of Cornhill Fund Management LLP. Edward is involved in a film production company based in Los Angeles and Harry sits on the board of British brand Belstaff, ›››

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known for their cool jackets. In April this year the brothers announced the launch of their new £500m real estate vehicle Queensgate Investments.

12. Oliver Barker Olly Barker is deputy chairman, Europe and senior international specialist of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s, which he joined in 1994. He was instrumental in overseeing the sale of Damien Hirst’s paintings in 2004 for over £11 million and organising/auctioneering both the (Red) auction in New York to benefi t the Global Fund. He has been pivotally involved in a signifi cant rise in value of contemporary British art.

13. Duchess of CambridgeCatherine, Duchess of Cambridge is the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. She studied in Scotland at the University of St Andrews, where she met Prince William. Before they were married Catherine worked for her parents company Party Pieces and fashion store Jigsaw. The royal engagement was announced on 16 November 2010, and she attended many high-profi le royal events before they married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The Duchess has accepted honorary positions at four charities including Action on Addiction, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, The Art Room and National Portrait Gallery. She was recently voted the most fashionable royal female and has boosted the UK economy by £1bn.

14. Alison CorkRead by millions every week, home guru Alison Cork has built up a formidable reputation as a homes and interiors expert. Alongside her columns in the Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard, The Times and Sunday Mirror, she owns three property websites, has recently launched her own homeware range, and is about to launch her own home retail magazine. Alongside this she presents Channel Four’s property series Secret Removers. Her company, The Alison At Home Group, operates out of offi ces near her home in Belgravia. With her ever-expanding empire, she is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.

15. Livia Firth Livia Giuggioli was born in Italy and

has been married to British actor Colin Firth since 1997. The couple live in Notting Hill and have two sons, Luca and Matteo. Giuggioli has a PhD and was the creative director of the Eco Age shop in Chiswick, and of websites eco-age.com and Brightwide.com. The latter was launched with her husband in October 2009 at the London Film Festival. No doubt you are getting the picture – Livia is an active campaigner for human rights and climate change and she can count In Prison My Whole Life amongst some of documentaries she has made. Two years ago she started the Green Carpet Challenge on Vogue.com, using the awards season to showcase the very best of ethical fashion.

16. Merrick CockellSir Merrick Cockell is a man with deep roots in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea: his grandfather was Adjutant of the Kensington Regiment in the First World War and his wife’s grandfather was Mayor during the Second World War. Right now his focus as Chairman of the LGA is on helping local government adapt to huge reductions in government grant. Merrick is keen to share services with our tri-borough neighbours in Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster. But he says, ‘This period is not going to be all about shrinking, reducing and declining. We are pursuing an ambitious Crossrail station up at Kensal. A station would turbo charge the development of the 67-acre gasworks site and would mean thousands of new homes and local jobs.’ So far Crossrail are not ready to sign up but Sir Merrick says he won’t give up without a bit of a fi ght.

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17. Jamie Murray Wells. Old Harrovian Jamie Murray Wells is a close friend of Prince William and is a Notting Hill resident. Jamie made a £10 million fortune through the success of his online business glassesdirect.co.uk which he set up when just 21. The early days of his business started out in his parents sitting room where Murray Wells often employed friends as secretaries. Now 27, Jamie has expanded with hearingdirect.com, a similar business selling hearing aids. He continues to be one of the most successful and admired young entrepreneurs of his generation.

18. Natalia Vodianova Born in Russia in 1982, Natalia grew up in a poor district of the city where she helped her mother earn a living for their family as a fruit seller. It was there that she was discovered, aged16, by a model scout. In 2001, she married The Honourable Justin Portman, heir to a family that owns vast swathes of central London. The pair had three children together but separated last year. Kensington resident Natalia founded the Naked Heart Foundation, an organisation that has built nearly 30 play facilities for children in urban Russia. Her rags to riches life story has made her one of the most talked about supermodels in recent memory.

19. Zac GoldsmithBorn in 1975, Zac is the son of the late business tycoon Jimmy Goldsmith. In his early career, he worked with a number of environmental organizations, joined the Ecologist magazine in 1998 and later became editor. Having launched campaigns on climate change, GM food and pesticides, Zac is widely regarded as a prominent voice of radical environmentalism. In 2003 he received the Beacon Prize for philanthropy, and a year later received Gobachev’s Global Green Award for International Environmental Leadership. In May 2010 he was elected as Conservative MP for the constituency of Richmond Park. Zac is a divorced father of three and lives in Chelsea. His long-term girlfriend, Alice Rothschild is his brother Ben’s sister-in-law.

20. Andrea DeBellisAndrea DeBellis began her passion for fitness in New York City while practising barre workouts as a pause from her busy life. She was inspired by the community aspect of boutique fitness and moving to London for her job in 2010, she realised there was an opportunity to launch an empowering, results-oriented method. Driven by a desire to provide her experiences to like-minded people, she left her job in 2011 to team up with trainer, Niki Rein.

The pair formed Barrecore Studio on the King’s Road, where they transform bodies via their unique one-hour barre class, cultivating strength in body, mind and spirit in each of their clients.

21. Boris Johnson Born in 1964, Boris is a British Conservative Party politician and journalist. He started his career as a member of parliament for Henley and editor of The Spectator. In the 2001 general election he was elected ›››

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to the House of Commons and became one of the most colourful politicians in the country. In September 2007 Boris was selected as the Conservative candidate for the 2008 London mayoral election. He has recently been re-elected as the Mayor of London, defeating Labour candidate Ken Livingstone for the second time. With over a million votes, he received the largest personal mandate of any politician in British history.

22. Daisy HarrisonDaisy Harrison opened her first nursery school, Miss Daisy’s Nursery in Belgravia in September 2006. Daisy had previously taught at Thomas’s school and then Garden House Boys School where she was in charge of Boys Preparatory. Daisy wanted to create a nursery school that offered the best possible care for young children and to help prepare the children for their future schools. After huge demand and an impossibly long waiting list, She opened a second nursery school in Chelsea in January 2010. Daisy designed a nursery school in the crypt of St Luke’s Church and turned the space into a bright, welcoming nursery school in the heart of Chelsea. The children from Miss Daisy’s go onto all the best schools in the area including Garden House School, Knightsbridge School, Francis Holland, Thomas’s, Eaton House Belgravia, Falkner House and Cameron House School. 23. Julia PerowneAfter attending Edinburgh University, Julia Perowne became Founder and Managing Director of PCC – Perowne Charles Communications, a travel and lifestyle communications company. Julia represents some of the best hotels in the world including Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Le Bristol Paris, Parrot Cay, The Halkin and COMO. This no doubt goes a way to explain why she is always sporting an enviable tan. Jules’ speciality is launching hotels and arranging events. PCC is a global company with offices and partners in Milan, UAE, Paris and Munich. She runs her office in Chelsea with a team of 14 staff.

24. Astrid Harbord Astrid started her career at Lichfield’s upmarket property search company. With numerous charity balls including the Children’s Trust Ball and Wild for WSPA under her belt, Astrid has now started her own company Astrid Harbord Communications where she combines charity events, PR and brand consultancy. Astrid who grew up in Chelsea says, “I try very much to link everything I do to charity if I can.” She recently organised a pop-up shop in aid of her favourite charity, The Children’s Trust at the Beaufort House bar on the King’s Road which was covered by Tatler.

25. Ken CostaFormer Chairman of UBS Investment Bank, and then Chairman of Lazard International. Ken is Chairman of Alpha International. Alpha is an informal introduction to the Christian faith run in churches all over the country. Alpha now runs in 166 countries and an estimated 16 million people have completed the course worldwide. Ken is a keen philanthropist, Fundraising Patron of Great Ormond St Hospital, Gresham Professor of Commerce, and a Trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. He lives in Chelsea with his wife, Fi, and their four children. }

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