Who's In
Approximately 600 new entries are included in Who’s Who 2025, a selection of which appear here.
Roz Savage
Born in Cheshire, Roz Savage has enjoyed a varied career as a rower, environmental campaigner, author, and now as the MP for South Cotswolds. Holding four Guinness World Records for her ocean rowing efforts, she was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to environmental awareness and fundraising. In her role as MP, she continues to advocate for climate and nature reform.
David Harewood
Hailing from a working-class background in Birmingham, David Harewood is an actor whose career spans over thirty years. Among other roles, he is best known for his work in the acclaimed TV drama Homeland, and as the first Black actor to play Othello at the National Theatre. In 2024, Harewood was elected as the President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading is a singer-songwriter who garnered acclaim throughout the 1970s and 80s for her singles, most notably Love and Affection. In 1996, her album What’s Inside earned her an Ivor Novello Award, and in the 2000s critic Robert Christgau claimed that her music “still sounds fresh and muscular two decades later and conveys so much felt intelligence about human relationships”. In 2020, Armatrading was awarded a CBE for services to music, charity and equal rights.
Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney is a composer who has created music for film, television, theatre and video games, in addition to cultivating a successful solo career. His commissioned works include music for the documentaries Human Planet and Wonders of the Monsoon, and films such as Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. In 2024 he was appointed as the first Patron of the PRS Foundation, a charity which supports and funds new and emerging talent in the UK.
Sir Bill Browder
Although Sir Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, could be included solely due to his endeavours in business and finance, he is equally noteworthy for his exceptional contribution to human rights and the rule of law through the Magnitsky Act, for which he was knighted in 2024. Following the death of his tax adviser, Sergei Magnitsky, in a Russian prison, Browder has dedicated his life to organising against globalised corruption, lobbying governments and publishing two books, Red Notice and Freezing Order, which make the case against kleptocracy.
Sarah Woolnough
Now CEO of The King’s Fund, Sarah Woolnough graduated from LSE with a first, spending most of her professional career undertaking policy work in the charity sector before becoming CEO of Asthma and Lung UK in 2020. With notable successes advancing clean air legislation, she was a driving force behind the law requiring all cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging; she was appointed as Chair of the Healthy Air Coalition last year.
Adekunle Olulode
Beginning his career as a council worker, Adekunle Olulode became involved in leading the Camden Black Workers Staff Group, representing over 500 Black and Asian staff members, and is now Director of Voice4Change England, an infrastructure charity that connects hundreds of BAME organisations. His work has attracted state recognition: awarded an MBE in 2021 for services to the BAME community during Covid-19, he has also served as a Member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission since 2023.
Prof. Lloyd Peck
Born in Walsall, when not in the field Prof. Lloyd Peck is now based in Cambridge, where he is Science Leader of the British Antarctic Survey, an organisation with which he has spent almost all his professional life since joining in 1984. Peck’s dedication to his subject has been recognised with numerous awards throughout his career, with a Polar Medal in 2009 and a Fellowship of the Royal Society in 2024. An energetic sportsman who was awarded a Blue in both athletics and cross-country while at Jesus College, Cambridge, Peck has been fortunate to work in a role that allows him to combine his scientific and recreational interests, undertaking 850 scuba dives in Antarctica.
Who’s Who contains biographies of all kinds of people from all parts of the world and from all walks of life: the arts, business and finance, the church, the civil service, education, entertainment, sport, government, the law, local government, the media, medicine, professional institutions, science and the trade unions.
Each edition of Who’s Who now contains over 35,000 entries, with hundreds of new names appearing for the first time each year.
Uniquely among biographical reference works, entries in Who’s Who are retained for the life of the biographee (being transferred on his or her death to Who Was Who). Who’s Who therefore has an unrivalled historical perspective, listing those who lead and influence the world today, side by side with their living predecessors.
How Are People Chosen for Inclusion?
An invitation to appear in Who’s Who recognises distinction and influence.
‘What is it that really puts the stamp of eminence on a modern British life? Two things count today: having an entry in Who’s Who and being asked to choose your eight favourite records on BBC’s Desert Island Discs.’ – The Wall Street Journal
The editor of the 1897 edition wrote in his preface that Who’s Who seeks to recognise people whose “prominence is inherited, or depending on office, or the result of ability which singles them out from their fellows”. In essence, this continues to be the policy for selection into Who’s Who today.
The majority of Who’s Who biographees are included in recognition of the distinction they have attained in their professional lives, and the influence they exert on British society, ranging from politicians and academics to musicians and film directors. Whilst the majority of entrants are British, notable individuals from across the world are included due to their presence and importance in British and international life.
The holders of some posts, such as MPs, senior judges and high-ranking civil servants, are invited to have an entry as a matter of course, when the appointment itself is of general public interest. For those who do not fit into these categories, a Selection Board meets regularly during the preparation for each edition of Who’s Who to discuss potential entrants. The Selection Board reviews those people whose professions are less rigidly structured, such as artists, actors and sportsmen, as well as professors, scientists and businesspeople. Prominent figures in numerous fields are considered by the Board on the basis of their continuing achievements, and ultimately selected due to their exceptional pre-eminence. Where necessary, the Selection Board consults those with specialist knowledge.
Who’s Who also includes a comprehensive listing of the holders of UK hereditary titles, from Duke to baronet, who are invited automatically. These entries make up approximately 10% of the total listings.
If you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague for consideration by the Selection Board, please send a brief CV to whoswho@acblack.com or post it to the Office of Who’s Who, 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP.