Lord Browne, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering

As one of the most successful businessman of his generation, Lord Browne has a gift for charming the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Vladimir Putin. His laid-back manner is disarming and so too is his fervour for work. At once serious and charismatic, it’s clear to see how he convinced some of the most powerful people in the world to engage in business. And now he’s planning to do the same for engineering.

‘I have a fairly trivial request for government,’ said the 62 year old. ‘Whenever they talk about science, would they please talk about science and engineering. Use three words not one… I remember my former senior vice-president Dame Wendy Hall said to me that it was rather like being in industry as a woman a long time ago. People would address everybody as men. She said it’s just like this, they talk about science and they forget to talk about engineering, and that needs to change.’