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PEEL Group founder John Whittaker has more clout than anyone else up north, according to The Big Issue in the North's first 50 Most Influential Northerners list, published in the magazine on Monday.
Editor Kevin Gopal said the list picked out individuals who had the ‘greatest bearing on our lives in the north.’
Ken McMeikan of Greggs (right)
“So we chose to look at influence, which is a broad term covering economic clout, political power, cultural impact and more, including who we talk about round the water cooler."
Whittaker comes over Co-op chief Peter Marks and foreign secretary William Hague. Phil Redmond has more sway than Cracker writer Jimmy McGovern, and the owner of Greggs, Ken McMeikan, beats Labour leader Ed Milliband (46).
The only footballer to make an appearance isn't Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard but Manchester Utd captain Rio Ferdinand who charts at 24 and former athlete Brendan Foster makes an appearance at 42. The list features just eight women, including Janet Hemmingway, the head of Liverpool's School of Tropical Medicine and Gee Walker, the mother of murdered Huyton student Anthony Walker, who has become an anti-racism campaigner.
To be in the running for the top 50, individuals did not have to be from the north, but needed a base in the north. Chancellor George Osborne is included due to his Cheshire Tatton constituency.
“The results make fascinating reading and say a lot about life in our region,” said Gopal. “But they throw up as many questions as answers. How come there are so few women and people from ethnic minorities?”
Here at Confidential we’re not entirely sure about the list. Mark Elder, leader of the Halle, makes the grade, but no mention of the RLPO's Vasily Petrenko. And where's our Coleen, idol of a million teenage girls? Astonishingly, Herbert and Pete Price are nowhere.
1. John Whittaker, Peel Group
2. Peter Marks, Chief Executive, Co-operative Group
3. William Hague, Foreign Secretary
6. Ross Warburton, Director, Warburtons
7. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Minister without Portfolio
8. Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, Deputy Chair, Regional Growth Fund andChairman, Port of Tyne
9. Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate
10. Frank Field, Birkenhead MP
11. Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister
12. Duke of Westminster, Grosvenor Group
13. Trevor Mann, Senior vice-president, Nissan Group
14. Gary Hoffman, Northern Rock
15. Sir Richard Leese, Leader Manchester City Council
16. Sir John Zochonis, Philanthropist
17. Simon Moran, SJM Concerts
18. Tom Bloxham, Founder Urban Splash
19. Peter Stephenson, Chairman, Able UK
20. Phil Redmond, TV producer
21. Amir Khan, Boxer
22. Martin Ainscough, Property Developer
23. Baroness Margaret Eaton, Chair, Local Government Association
24. Rio Ferdinand, Footballer
25. Jessica Ennis, Athlete
26. George Osborne, Chancellor and Tatton MP
27. Peter Kay, Comedian
28. John Sentamu, Archbishop of York
29. Edwin Booth, Chairman, EH Booth & Co
30. Fred Done, Bookmaker
31. Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive Manchester City Council
32. Sir Alex Ferguson, Manager Manchester United
33. Alistair Balls, Chair, Centre for Life
34. Mumtaz Khan, Founder, Mumtaz Food Industries
35. James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool
36. Dorothy Thompson, Chief Executive, Drax Group
37. John Timpson, Chief Executive, Timpson
38. Linda Pollard, Deputy Chair, Yorkshire Forward
39. Brian Cox, Scientist
40. David Colin-Thorne, National Clinical Director for Primary Care
41. Gee Walker, Anti-racism campaigner
2. Brendan Foster, Founder Great North Run
43. Jimmy McGovern, TV Writer/Producer
44. Alan Bennett, Writer
45. Janet Hemmingway, Director, School of Tropical Medicine
46. Ed Miliband, Leader of the Opposition
47. Andrew Stunnell, Communities Minister
48. Sir Mark Elder, Music Director, the Halle
49. Nigel Howarth, Chef
50. Guy Garvey, Singer
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