Anya Hindmarch MBE (designer; £20m international handbag & fashion business) 1979-1986: By the age of eighteen, Hindmarch was designing her own bags, which were produced in Hackney. When she was nineteen she opened the first Anya Hindmarch shop in Walton Street, Knightsbridge, in London's West End, and the company now has more than fifty branded shops in seventeen countries. Its products are also stocked in other retail chains, including Corso Como in Milan; Colette in the Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris; Isetan in Japan; Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States, and TsUM in Moscow. Her designs are popular with film stars and others, including Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Madonna, Claudia Schiffer, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Jemima Khan. Hindmarch's projects have included Be a Bag, in which a personal photograph can be printed onto a bag, and I’m Not a Plastic Bag, which aimed to reduce the use of plastic bags. Her collaborations include one with British Airways for ten years, another with Vanity Fair, designing their Oscars party bag, and one with J. Barbour & Sons, for whom she has created four new styles.

Christianne Amanpour, CNN 1974-1976: In 1983, she was hired by CNN on the foreign desk in Atlanta, Georgia, as an entry-level desk assistant. During her early years as a correspondent, Amanpour was able to land her first major assignment covering the Iran-Iraq War, which led to her being transferred in 1986 to Eastern Europe to report on the fall of European communism. In 1989, she was assigned to work in Frankfurt, Germany, where she reported on the democratic revolutions sweeping Eastern Europe at the time. Through this position, she was able to move up throughout the company and by 1990 served as a correspondent for CNN's New York bureau. Following Iraq's occupation of Kuwait in 1990, Amanpour's reports of the Persian Gulf War brought her wide notice while also taking the network to a new level of news coverage. Thereafter, she reported from the Bosnian war and many other conflict zones. Because of her emotional delivery from Sarajevo during the Siege of Sarajevo, some viewers and critics questioned her professional objectivity, claiming that many of her reports were unjustified and favoured the Bosnian Muslims, to which she replied, "There are some situations one simply cannot be neutral about, because when you are neutral you are an accomplice. Objectivity doesn't mean treating all sides equally. It means giving each side a hearing." Amanpour gained a reputation for being fearless during the Gulf and Bosnian wars from parachuting into conflict areas. From 1992 to 2010, Amanpour was CNN's chief international correspondent. She was also the anchor of Amanpour, a daily CNN interview program (2009–2010). Amanpour has reported on major crises from many of the world's hotspots, including Iraq, Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda, and the Balkans and from the United States during Hurricane Katrina. She has secured exclusive interviews with world leaders from the Middle East to Europe to Africa and beyond, including Iranian Presidents Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as the presidents of Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria, among others. After 9/11, she was the first international correspondent to interview British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. From 1996 to 2005, she was contracted by 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt to file four to five in-depth international news reports a year as a special contributor. These reports garnered her a Peabody Award in 1998 (she had earlier been awarded one in 1993). Hewitt's successor Jeff Fager was not a fan of her work and terminated her contract. She has had many memorable moments in her career, one of them being a telephone interview with Yasser Arafat during the siege on his compound in March 2002, during which Arafat hung up on her. On March 18, 2010, Amanpour announced she would leave CNN for ABC News, where she would anchor This Week. She said, “I’m thrilled to be joining the incredible team at ABC News. Being asked to anchor This Week in the superb tradition started by David Brinkley is a tremendous and rare honor, and I look forward to discussing the great domestic and international issues of the day. I leave CNN with the utmost respect, love, and admiration for the company and everyone who works here. This has been my family and shared endeavor for the past 27 years, and I am forever grateful and proud of all that we have accomplished.” She hosted her first broadcast on August 1, 2010. During her first two months as host, the ratings for This Week reached their lowest point since 2003. On February 28, 2011, she interviewed Muammar Gaddafi and his sons Saif al-Islam and Al-Saadi al-Gaddafi.

Amanda Stretton, racing driver and motoring journalist 1987-1991: The daughter of British automobile collector and historic racer Terry Cohn, Stretton grew up in London. Aged 13 she raced Motocross bikes, and aged 18 she competed on both the national and international historic cars circuits, earning "Best Newcomer" at the Classic and Sportscar Awards. She was educated at New Hall School in Essex. In 2001 became the first ever female driver to compete in the ASCAR Mintex Cup where she finished 6th. In 2003, she entered the first ever female team in the British GT Championships, and was the first British female to race in the FIA Championships. In September 2004 she became the first British woman to win an international long distance event at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium - also beating fellow competitor, her husband. In 2006 she competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Away from the track, Stretton works alongside husband Bob Berridge to oversee the commercial aspects of the two-car team that operates under the combined Chamberlain-Synergy banner, which compete in the Le Mans Series. Stretton was invited on to a television show to debate the proposal that "Women can't drive or race", and in light of her feisty and intellectual defence of women as drivers and her actual track record, was offered a position with Channel 4 to co-present their motorsports coverage under the title "Motorsport on 4" which included the British Formula 3, GT, MGF and Rally Championships, as well as the Anglo-American Stock Car Racing series and UK Supercross. She has also presented Channel 4’s Driven. After Channel4 lost the television rights to the majority of their motorsports events, Stretton presented most of the events for the new rights holders including Sky Sports, EuroSport, and Silverstone TV; and is one of the radio commentators for the American and European Le Mans Series. She also picked up presentation on non-motorsports events for the Travel Channel and NOW.com. Stretton now presents Five's Dream Machine series, in which classic cars are restored or kit cars which replicate them are built; as well as "UK Horror Homes." With Murray Walker she co-presents ITV1's coverage of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Away from the track, she presents "Wrecks to Riches" for Discovery Home & Leisure, is a freelance journalist and writes for a range of newspaper columns and specialist motoring titles.

Cindy Buxton, Wildlife Film Maker 1962-1966: The Honorable Lucinda Catherine "Cindy" Buxton Her first wildlife film was released in 1971, when she was just 21 years old. She later became involved in filming wildlife documentary films (chiefly for her father's nature documentary television series Survival). In 1978 she co-wrote the first scientific paper about the Shoebill, in Zambia. Her 1980 book "Survival in the Wild" is about her first 8 years in Africa. During a filming expedition on South Georgia in March 1982, Cindy Buxton and her assistant Annie Price were caught up in the Falklands War. They were trapped for four weeks before they were rescued by a helicopter from HMS Endurance. This and her previous three years there and in Antarctica are described in her book "Survival: South Atlantic". She was subsequently invited to return for the Falkland Islands' 150th anniversary celebrations in February 1983. Buxton and Annie Price won the Media Award of the Variety Club of Great Britain for 1982 and Buxton was invested as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. She now works in the field of video presentation of legal proceedings, for Z-Axis, which she joined in 1997.

Stefanie Kemball-Read 1985-1992: Operatic roles include Euridice and Cupidon in Offenbach's Orphée aux enfers, Lady Harriet in Flotow's Martha, Adina, L'elisir d'amore, Ilia, Idomeneo, the title roles in Mozart's Zaide and Massenet’s Cendrillon, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Belinda & First Witch, Dido and Aeneas (English Sinfonia), 1st genie, The Magic Flute, Euridice, Orféo ed Euridice, Beatrice, Beatrice di Tenda, the title role in Handel’s Partenope, Tytania in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lucy Brown in Weill’s Threepenny Opera, and Constance in Poulenc’s Les Dialogues des Carmélites. She has also appeared in many Gilbert & Sullivan roles including Phyllis, Iolanthe, Elsie, Yeomen of the Guard, Mabel, Pirates of Penzance and Josephine, HMS Pinafore. Stefanie has sung in masterclasses with amongst others Romano Franceschetti, Ian Page, Donald Maxwell, Ubaldo Fabbri, Alberto Jamelli, and Richard Jackson. She is a regular performer on the recital platform and has given recitals at a number of London's most celebrated performance venues including St-Martin-in-the-Fields, St James's Piccadilly, St John's, Smith Square, and recently the new and contemporary venue King's Place. A versatile performer her repertoire has ranged from the traditional art song - the 2007 Schumann Festival with Eugene Asti - to the more eclectic - performing the European premiere of selected Venezualan songs by composers Sojo and Carreño at Bolìvar Hall. As one half of established duo partnership SIRENE with mezzo soprano Aurore Lacabe, she also gives recitals and performs privately at functions. She is a regular soloist on the oratorio platform. Recent performances include Brahms' Requiem, Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, Bach’s Matthew Passion, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate (English Sinfonia), C Minor Mass and Requiem.

Philippa Rose 1969-1976, CEO The Rose Partnership: Philippa founded The Rose Partnership LLP in 1981 and has built it into a highly specialised Financial Services and Corporate executive search firm. As CEO she has developed and led a highly regarded team of Consultants which over the years has been involved in the build outs of some of the top names in investment banking, and has made over 1,000 hires for, inter alia, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital, JPMorgan, and most recently RBS. The brand she and her colleagues have built is known worldwide for the rigour and professionalism of approach, its use of specialist knowledge, its extensive and unique candidate database, and the quality of its candidate referencing. In recent years Philippa has successfully widened the firm’s offering into asset management, retail financial services and corporate, and in 2009 established an office in Hong Kong. Philippa spent 25 years specialising in Corporate Finance search. Speaking French and Italian, she was at ease operating anywhere in Europe and spent much of her time abroad. She now runs ‘top table’ searches in any sphere of Financial Services. Working closely with the CEO or the Board of the client firm, she thrives on problematic or complex situations, where lateral thought, a strategic understanding of the business, and an appreciation of the dynamics between the senior management team are a pre-requisite. A brand in her own right, Philippa is widely recognised as one of the leading Financial Services search consultants in Europe.

Sister Margaret Mary Horton CRSS, Prioress General of the Association of the Canonesses of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre 1954-1960

Dame Denise Holt DCMG, former British Ambassador to Spain and Andorra 1965-1967: She joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1970 as Research Analyst for Spain and Portugal. Overseas postings included Ireland in 1984 where she was First Secretary of the British Embassy in Dublin, followed by a spell as Head of the Central American Section at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1988-1990). She also served as First Secretary of the British Embassy in Brazil (1991-1993). She was Deputy Head of Eastern Department, responsible for relations with newly independent countries of Central Asia and the Trans Caucasus. In London she was Director of Human Resources in the FCO (1999–2001) and later, Director for Migration and for the Overseas Territories (2005–2007). Already a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), Holt was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.

Sasha Williams 1991-1998: Sascha is a talented and versatile newscaster with a wealth of experience in live TV. Sascha delivers hard news with the appropriate weight and seriousness, and entertainment news with personality and humour. Sascha's experience extends to international, regional, sports and business news. She is a regular news reporter for ITN and DAYBREAK. An able on-location live performer and a confident studio-based presenter, Sascha co-anchored the edition of Anglia Tonight that was awarded ITV's 'Regional Programme of the Year' award ('Suffolk Murders'). She also has valued skills in public relations, media training and public speaking and has worked with the NHS and local charities.

Emma Parry OBE 1974-1978 (nee PONSONBY) Help for Heroes co-founder : H4H was co-founded by Bryn Parry and his wife Emma, and launched on 1 October 2007. He had served with the Royal Green Jackets for ten years before leaving to become a cartoonist. The couple were profoundly moved after a visit to Selly Oak hospital where they met injured servicemen and women and decided they needed to do something to help. Bryn and Emma Parry were both invested with the OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for their services to charity on 25 November 2010. H4H keeps a "running total" on its website which is updated weekly with the total amount raised, which in April 2009 stood at over £19M. In February 2010, it was announced that the charity had raised £40M. By June 2010, the total stood at £55 million.