Biographies

Lord Salisbury

Lord Salisbury was MP for South Dorset (Conservative) 1979-87. He became a Peer in 1992 and served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence 1992-94; as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords 1994-97; and as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords 1997-98. He took leave of absence from the House of Lords in 2002.

Whilst at the Ministry of Defence, he was asked by the then Prime Minister, John Major, to oversee the celebrations to mark the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Among many charitable and community enterprises with which he is involved, he is Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, President of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, a Governor of Sutton’s Hospital at The Charterhouse, Chairman of the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library, Chairman of the Combined Clinical Science Foundation and President of the Friends of the British Library. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

Adrian Evans

Adrian is Festival Director of The Mayor's Thames Festival, London's biggest free festival. This high profile celebration of creativity and community takes place every year on and around the River Thames. He built the festival up from scratch, launching it in September 1997 with a spectacular high wirewalk across the Thames. The festival now involves a summer-long programme of creative workshops involving thousands of people from all over London and an artwork project that links the Thames with river cities all over the world. The festival weekend, which takes place during the second weekend of September, includes spectacular events and a huge night time procession on Victoria Embankment. Over 800,000 people attend.

Adrian is also Festival Director of Coin Street Festival, a three month season of music, crafts and popular arts which celebrate London's cultural diversity. These events take place in public open spaces around Oxo Tower Wharf.

For Big Time, London's Official Millennium Celebrations, Adrian programmed the seven music stages around the Thames and produced Millenni-Mum (a huge participatory sculpture of a mother and child sited by the Oxo Tower involving the creative contributions of thousands of school children). In 2000, he developed The Meridian Clock, sited in Greenwich by the Cutty Sark. A 40' high animated clock sculpture involving the creative contribution of over 2,000 young people.

Between 1989 and 1991, Adrian produced Archaos, the notorious French 'chainsaw-juggling' circus group. He produced Archaos in all territories outside of France.

From 1988 to 1995, Adrian promoted world music festivals and concerts, including many presentations at the Royal Festival Hall and The African Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.

Adrian's first event on the River Thames in 1987 involved floating a boxing ring on the Thames. He produced “The Unofficial Heavyweight Championship of the World” by People Show for the London International Festival of Theatre.

Boris Johnson

The Mayor's role as the executive of London's strategic authority is to promote economic development and wealth creation, social development, and improvement of the environment.

Boris Johnson was born in June 1964 in New York. His family moved to London when he was five years old.

Boris went to primary school in Camden and was subsequently educated at the European School in Brussels, Ashdown House and then at Eton College. He later read Classics at Balliol College, Oxford as a Brackenbury scholar. During his time at Oxford University he became president of the prestigious Oxford Union. After graduating he moved back to London.

Much though he envies and admires the City, he lasted a week as a management consultant before becoming a trainee reporter for The Times. His career in journalism has seen him undertake various jobs. After a short time as a writer for the Wolverhampton Express and Star, he joined The Daily Telegraph in 1987 as leader and feature writer. From 1989 to 1994 he was the Telegraph's European Community correspondent and from 1994 to 1999 he served as assistant editor. His association with The Spectator began as political columnist in 1994. In 1999 he became editor of the paper and stayed in this role until December 2005.

Besides his work as a journalist, he has published several books, including 'Lend Me Your Ears, Friends, Voters and Countrymen', an autobiographical account of his experience of the 2001 election campaign, and a novel, 'Seventy-Two Virgins'.

He regularly appears on TV and has been a contestant on ‘Have I Got News For You’. He has also produced a series on Roman History from his book of the same name, ‘The Dream of Rome’.

In 2001 he was elected MP for Henley on Thames, replacing Michael Heseltine. He has held shadow government posts as Vice Chairman, Shadow Minister for the Arts and Shadow Minister of Higher Education. In July 2007, Boris Johnson resigned from his position as shadow education secretary so that he would be free to stand as Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. He resigned as MP for Henley shortly after becoming Mayor of London.

Michael Lockett CVO

Michael has enjoyed a formidable career in business spanning 30 years, bringing his considerable energy and insight to a variety of high profile International projects.

He is an entrepreneur, founding, acquiring, and growing many businesses, and sits on the Boards of numerous successful companies across the communications spectrum. These include Populus (pollsters to The Times), The Thought Leadership Group (PR Week's New Consultancy of The Year), Vero (instrumental in Rio's successful bid to host the Olympics), CTN (the UK's foremost Digital Agency), Aura (events professionals), Unspun (corporate change and Olympic opening ceremonies) and The Leadership Agency.

He has also diversified into the executive search arena, with Grace Blue and Indigo Mile and sits on the Advisory Board of Digital Strip, a three dimensional internet gaming platform business.

Starting out in advertising, Michael swiftly established his own business, WCT Live, which became the largest independently owned live marketing company. Here he worked on Britain's Presidency of the EC, the Hong Kong Handover Ceremony, and the Millennium project. During this time, he forged close links with The Royal Household, particularly through his work on the Golden Jubilee Concerts at Buckingham Palace for which he was awarded the CVO.

He founded LIVE in 2000, the company behind the 'story' for London's successful bid to host the Olympic Games in 2012.

He is a Director of The Oracle Cancer Trust, and in his spare time is a fanatical sports enthusiast.