100+ MAKERS AND MAVERICKS — 2018
Each year we compile a list of the one hundred+ people that got us to utter those words ‘I wish I had done that, made that, invented that, thought like that, changed that’. These are the people who have shone the brightest for us in 2018.
Maker Of The Year
Name: James Dyson
Title: Inventor
How many people would spend years in a shed making one improvement on their invention per day. A total of 5,126 iterations. Then you patent it. And, Hoover like your invention so much, they make a blatant copy of it.
Eventually, in the Court of Appeal, you take them to the cleaners. Dyson’s innovative technology is now found in hair-dryers, fans and hand-dryers. What next? Maybe a car? Watch out Elon. He’s our Maker of the year.
Maverick Of The Year
Name: Elon Musk
Co-Founder & CEO
In 2018 most of Wall Street bet against him. Most of the automotive industry hoped they were right. But people kept buying his vision of what a car needs to be if we are going to look after this planet. And then he turned a profit.
His critics haven’t gone away, but if the future of the car is electric, no other automotive company is ahead of him. Not one. His enemies want him to fail. His fans want him to get some sleep. He’s our Maverick of the year.
Tech
Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss
Founders
Rent The Runway
At the epicenter of a trend tipped to be massive in 2019 for revolutionising the way we think about owning our goods. This company rents out designer dresses and accessories and is more like a logistics company than a fashion company.
Alice Bentinck
Co-Founder & General Partner
Entrepreneur First
Following her first role at McKinsey, Alice co-founded Entrepreneur First, the world’s leading talent investor. Since the beginning, EF have invested in more than 1000 individual technologists across six global locations.
Well-Being
Gini & Eccie Newton
Co-Founders
Karma Cans & Karma Kitchens
The founders of the lunch delivery service that brings people together, because the best ideas happen at lunch. This year they launched Karma Kitchens, a co-working space for food brands to launch, grow and scale their businesses.
Hamish Grierson, Eliot Brooks & Tom Livesey & Annie Coleridge
Founders & Commercial Manager
Thriva
Encouraging the public to take health into their own hands. Their beautifully packaged mobile blood tests are sent to you by post, and following a quick prick of the finger your results will be with you within 48 hours.
Proffessor Julian Marchesi
Professor
Human Microbiome Research & Gut Health
Since 2001 Julian’s research has focused on understanding the microbiology of the gut, skin, lung and female reproductive system. He’s also looking at how the microbiome interacts with the diet to drive health.
Priya Parker
Founder & Author
Thrive Labs & The Art of Gathering
In a world where connections are formed digitally rather than in person, Priya is determined to make physical gatherings memorable and transformative so she’s published a book about how we spend our time and why it matters.
Charlie Brooker
Producer, Screen Writer, Presenter & Author
Black Mirror
Co-creator of Black Mirror, the series that shows the convergence of humanity and technology, giving us a glimpse into a not-so-distant dystopia. This year he’s published the book ‘Inside Black Mirror’ telling us how the show came to be.
Miguel Mckelvey & Adam Neumann
Co-Founders
WeWork, WeLive, RiseByWe, WeGrow, Meetup + Flatiron School
First they redefined the workplace and now they’re looking at the way we inhabit cities and come together outside of the 9–5. This year they also acquired Meetup, connecting individuals with shared interests across the world.
Anja Dunk
Chef, Co-Founder & Author
Our Two Tables & Strudles, Noodles & Dumplings
Anja was born in Wales to a German mother and a Welsh father. This year, the multi-talented Anja published Strudel, Noodles and Dumplings, her beautiful cookbook that champions the new taste of German cooking.
James Hennebry & Mathew Russell
Co-Founders
Rosslyn Coffee
The new opening in the City of London, serves specialty coffee on a rotating program championing the best of global independent roasters. Despite being open less than a year, they’ve been named within the 8 best new cafes in the world.
Daniel Honig
Founder
Happy Valley Meat
The founder of Happy Valley Meat wants to address the communication breakdowns between farmers, buyers, and restaurants that stops paying customers from knowing where their food is coming from.
Tyler Brûlé
Founder
Monocle
Tyler is a Maverick. When every magazine was going digital, he went print. His idea of Social Media is a room full of smart people and a glass of wine. He has built a global community around his values of good design and higher standards.
Tobias Lütke
Founder
Shopify
CEO by day, Dad in the evening, hacker at night. Tobias’ team came to Cardigan in the Spring to film our factory move at Hiut. His e-commerce technology has allowed the small makers take on the status quo.
Kristin Hallenga
Founder
CoppaFeel
Following a late breast cancer diagnosis in 2009 at 23 years old, Kris and her sister Maren founded CoppaFeel with a simple aim to get the world to know their boobs. Kris spoke about life at The Do Lectures, you can watch her talk below.
Rebekka Bay
Creative Director
Uniqlo
Rebekka’s lead the product team at transparent retailer Everlane. In her new role at Uniqlo, we hope she’ll bring the style and substance to bricks & mortar powerhouse Uniqlo.
Meghan Markle
Duchess Of Sussex
Bono said there was no point having fame if you couldn't use it to do some good. So thank you for using it Meghan, you’ve made a huge impact on our town and other independent brands globally this year.
Loujain Hathloul, Wajeha Al-Huwaider & Manal Al-Sharief
Activisits
Saudi Arabia
It’s not easy to do brave things. But these are the women to thank for the eventual passing of a law allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia. (pictured: Loujian Hathloul).
Dame Tessa Jowell
Former Labour Cabinet Minister
Dame Tessa played a major role in the Olympics 2012 and this year campaigned for new cancer treatments to be made available through the NHS while she was herself battling brain cancer. She past away last May.
Algy Batten
Founder
The Art of Ping Pong
Combining a love of Art and Ping Pong, Algy has created a brand with huge impact and fun at it’s heart. In his latest project, Algy has created a series of wall mounted ping pong tables, for every 21 he sells, a table is gifted to a care home.
Anisa Kisliuk
Human Rights Activist
Anisa is just 21 years old. She is skillfully combatting unlawful police practices and working hard to popularize the ideas of human rights in her home, Belarus. Wow. Kudos to her.
Lucy Yeomans
Editor-In-Chief
Porter Magazine & Net A Porter
Lucy is a savvy wordsmith who isn’t afraid to publically make the connection between content and commerce. She launched Porter Digital, a platform updated daily in 4 languages to serve loyalty, engagement, customer acquisition & sales.
Sean Dagan Wood
Editor-In-Chief & Co-Founder
Positive News & Constructive Journalism Project
A media innovator with a passion for personal and social transformation. As the editor-in-chief of Positive News and co-founder of the Constructive Journalism Project, Sean’s vision is media that informs, inspires and empowers.
Jeff Taylor
Founder & Editor In Chief
Courier Magazine
Jeff heads up Courier, reporting on modern business and start-up culture around the world. He also heads up their events, bringing business leaders together for interesting and challenging conversations to broaden the minds of their audience.
Shonda Rhimes
Screen Writer, Producer & Author
A prolific producer, screenwriter and author, Shonda published her own books, ‘The year of Yes’ and many more. Last year, Shonda made an agreement with Netflix for all her future productions to be made into a Netflix original series.
Music
Josh Lloyd-Watson & Tom McFarland
Co-Founders
Jungle
Modern soul collective founded by Jay & Tom, best friends at school. Jungle enlist a diverse collective of artists to broaden their sound and challenge themselves to resist the temptation to reproduce the popular sounds of their first album.
Shane Parrish
Host
The Knowledge Project by Farnham Street
Love this website and podcast. Shane’s plan is to ‘help you master the best of what other people have already figured out’. Recent interviews and conversations feature world-leading surgeons and global business leaders.
Brave New Wales
Jen Goss
Co-Founder & Chef
Our Two Tables & The Do Lectures
Jen is a talent. She is one-half of travelling kitchen concept ‘Our Two Tables’ with Anja Dunk. Throughout the year, you will find her at Bara Menyn, here in Cardigan. Then, come the summer, she heads up the kitchen at The Do Lectures.
Walter May
Founder, Business Consultant, MBA Lecturer & Coach
Global Welsh
The word diaspora describes a group of people living “away from an established or ancestral homeland”. Walter is on a mission to create the Welsh diaspora. A global network of Welsh friends who could all help to make a difference for Wales.
Founders
T Samways
It’s a big thing when you buy the old established butcher in your small town that you have been working in, and then start building your own high quality reputation with each day that passes.
Phew.
Thank you for your time.
Want more inspiration from us?
Once a week we do a newsletter. It has become much loved, talked about, and written about. We call it ‘Scrapbook Chronicles’. We share the things, ideas and products that inspire us. Give it a try below.
And yes, occasionally, we try and sell you some jeans.
Sign up here. “It’s one of the few newsletters I actually look forward to.”
We’re human.
It is a labour of love to build this list, if you found it useful, a clap would mean a lot to the team. Thank you.
