Influentials 2008

Never heard of Huw Gwyther, Robert Saville, Andrew Witty or Clare Smyth? What about Harriet Lamb, Nick Harkaway, Arthur Potts Dawson and Jamey Hargreaves?

No? Well, the chances are you will in 2008.

In the autumn, the Evening Standard published the names of the 1,000 most influential people in London. The Influentials, as the first ever guide became known, isn't a one-off but an evolving ranking, updated both in the newspaper and on www.standard.co.uk as new faces make their mark on the capital and others fall by the wayside.

It's a movable feast - one that is based on genuine current contribution and importance, not just according to the size of someone's bank balance, celebrity status, profile, title or past reputation. They're the true heavyweights - those who shape our lives every day.

The Influentials charts the people who not only have the big ideas that help make London one of the world's great cities - possibly the greatest - but the nous, conviction and power to see those plans to fruition. Some are well-known figures, others remain behind the scenes, working in the shadows.

Here, we offer some suggestions as to who will become members of this elite 1,000 in the year ahead. Whether they will or not, remains to be seen. As to who they will replace - well that's also still to be discovered.

MEDIA

ROBERT SAVILLE, 46
Mother, co-founder and creative director
The Shoreditch-based advertising firm is best known for the spoof Orange Film Board ads starring Mena Suvari, Ewan MacGregor and Patrick Swayze. Mother has twice won Campaign's agency of the year award.

TAMER OZMEN, 45
TouchLocal, chief executive officer
The Turkish-American's London-based online business directory TouchLocal now has more than two million regular users and is set to become the second-largest UK directory site. Expect TouchLocal to announce expansion this year.

ZAI BENNETT, 33
ITV2, controller
Began as the post-boy at Carlton TV when David Cameron was the head of PR. Now making ITV2 the most popular digital channel in the UK with more young viewers than Channel Five. Star decision was last year's commissioning of Billie Piper's Diary of a Call Girl - set to return soon.

ENVIRONMENT

HARRIET LAMB, 46
Fairtrade Foundation, executive director
Next month will be the 20th anniversary of the organisation that encourages fairer deals between producers and retailers in developing countries. Lamb has been at the helm for nine years, establishing 1,300 Fairtrade products where once there was just Green & Blacks chocolate. Her book - Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles - is published in February.

SARAH MUKHERJEE, 40
BBC, environment correspondent
Hugely influential media commentator on green issues, especially following her reports on the floods and their aftermath. Also presents on Radio 4's Farming Today - a programme climbing from niche to essential.

PETER HENDY, 48
Transport for London, commissioner
Will oversee TfL's most ambitious green project yet in 2008 - a £25-a-day congestion charge on gas guzzlers. It's pioneering policy-making with some justification, although occasionally it's hard to know if he hates rich and flashy types more than CO2 emissions.

FOOD

CLARE SMYTH, 29
Chef
This secretive woman is impressing diners at Gordon Ramsay's three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Royal Hospital Road. She has worked with Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck, Alain Ducasse in Monaco and plans to open her own place soon.

ARTHUR POTTS DAWSON, 36
Acorn House, head chef
Last year, Acorn House cleverly marketed itself as the first fully environmentally friendly London restaurant. The food is decent and the sustainable ethos sincere. He opens a new restaurant, Water House, in Hoxton early this year and the Acorn philosophy will be copied.

TIM SMITH, 52
Food Standards Agency, chief executive
The zoology and microbiology graduate replaces John Harwood in March. Key figure in trying to stymie the nation's ballooning weight.

FINANCE AND BUSINESS

SIMON ROBEY, 47
Morgan Stanley, co-chairman of global M&A.
Already lauded for helping to steer Pernod Ricard's acquisition of Allied Domecq, Robey's influence in the City is established. Has just been appointed chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal Opera House. Will be canny at tapping up the City for ROH funds.

ANDREW WITTY, 43
GlaxoSmithKline, chief executive
Taking over from Jean-Pierre Garnier in May, and so steering Britain's biggest drugs company. Despite annual sales of £20 billion, there remains controversy over Avandia - the firm's diabetes medicine and second-highest seller which has been linked to increased heart attack risk.

ANTHONY GUTMAN, 32
Banker
Previously a stellar performer at Citigroup who oversaw the billionpound takeover of Madame Tussauds, Gutman is a star of the hotel and leisure M&A market. Was poached by Goldman with a £2.3 million pay packet. A voracious dealmaker and extremely ambitious.

LITERARY LIFE

HANIF KUREISHI, 53
Writer
His first substantial novel for some time is published by Faber in March, entitled Something to Tell You. London-born, Kureishi's most celebrated works incude My Beautiful Laundrette and The Buddha of Suburbia. In recent years, his force in literature has withered but this new book is tipped to change that.

NICK HARKAWAY, 35
Author
The first book from this whimsical writer earned him a £300,000 deal and comparisons with Douglas Adams. The Gone Away Wind will be published in June. He's the son of John le Carré and book editor Valerie Jane Eustace, which boosts his influence.

VICTORIA HISLOP, 48
Author
The wife of impish Private Eye editor Ian Hislop had tsunamic success with her debut novel - a Cretan saga called The Island. Her follow-up is a Spanish tale called The Return, published in May.

SOCIETY

CAROLE MIDDLETON, 52
Mother of Kate
Will 2008 be the year that Prince William proposes to Kate Middleton? If it is, it will be the culmination of a masterclass in social mountaineering by Carole Middleton. The mother of the potential future queen has a reputation for overweening ambitions for her daughter. It has become fashionable to disparage her, but 2008 could see her accepted.

YOUCEF ADEN, 43
Operator
Founder of Hedges and Butler private members' club off Regent Street. His more recent venture is the no-less coveted Lot 55. An increasingly crucial fixture on the social scene.

LADY ROSANAGH INNES-KER, 28
Socialite
Daughter of the Duke of Roxburghe, former squeeze of Hugh Grant and once tipped to marry Prince William. This year, she is set to marry Viscount Grimston, eldest son of the Earl and Countess of Verulam whose seat is Floors Castle and who are worth around £85 million.

SPORT

PAULA RADCLIFFE, 34
Athlete
She returned from the birth of her first child to win the New York marathon late last year. She is desperate to win the Olympics in Beijing this summer and hasn't ruled out the London Olympics aged 38.

STUART PEARCE, 45
Football coach
The former England defender is being touted as a token Englishman among the "Italian mob" headed by new England manager Fabio Capello. Responsible for the next generation of internationals as England Under-21s coach.

DAVID TRIESMAN, 64
FA, Independent chairman
Labour peer and Spurs fan just appointed at the FA. Baron Triesman of Tottenham will resign his ministerial post in the Department for Innovation and Skills - two things he'll need in spades if he's to turn around the England team.

FASHION

HUW GWYTHER, 29
Publisher
Wonderland magazine was launched in 2005 when Gwyther secured £175,000 investment from Dragon's Den panelist Peter Jones. His profile is rising in the fashion world, where he is touted as the next Jefferson Hack.

NOELLE DOUKAS, 28
Model agent
Daughter of Sarah - already an Influential having founded Storm model agency and discovered Kate Moss. Noelle, a former model turned scout, is taking after her mother. Her biggest discovery is Georgia Stead - tipped to be big this year.

JAMEY HARGREAVES, 37
Investor
The son of Matalan founder John Hargreaves invested an undisclosed sum in designer Julien Macdonald's label. They plan to develop the Macdonald name into a UK luxury brand with Macdonald as creative director and Hargreaves as chairman.

THE ARTS

MARC WOOTTON, 32
Comedian
Gifted performer with his own sketch show called Marc Wootton Exposed. Characters range from Banksy-type graffiti artist Noodle to upper-class rapper Rufus.

AMY ANN DUFFY, 23
Singer
Former fishmonger from Wales whose single, Rockferry, is a huge torch song. Has a vintage voice powerful enough to fill the void when the public tires of Amy Winehouse. Tracks from her forthcoming debut album promise to be radio staples in 2008.

RODNEY CLARKE, 29, AND ANDREW CLARKE, 32
Opera singers
Black brothers set to become a formidable force in opera. Rodney's performance in Carmen Jones at the South Bank in 2007 won him a gig at Glyndebourne in 2008.

POLITICS

NICK CLEGG, 40
Liberal Democrats, leader
David Cameron and Gordon Brown have been love-bombing Clegg, who could hold the balance of power at the next election.First polls suggest his party is climbing from the floor at last, but he needs to make his mark quickly.

MICHAEL GOVE, 40
Shadow schools, children and families spokesman
The trademark nerdish spectacles of the Surrey Heath MP have gone. Was once turned down for a job at Tory HQ for being "not Conservative enough". Cameron's inner circle now embraces him as one of their own.

LYNTON CROSBY, 50
Election strategist
Outspoken Australian who helped Michael Howard's 2005 campaign. Now drafted in to help Boris Johnson's mayoral challenge. Crosby is one of the best election strategists, renowned for reviving flagging campaigns.