VS Naipaul named among Britain's 500 most influential

Nobel Prize-winning Indian-origin author VS Naipaul and Pakistani teenage campaigner Malala Yousafzai have been named among Britain's 500 most influential people across different fields.

The first-ever 'Influential 500' list, compiled by specialist publisher Debrett's and 'The Sunday Times' newspaper, includes personalities in 25 areas chosen by experts in their field. While Yousafzai makes the cut in the 'charity and campaigning' field, Naipaul stands out as the only Indian-origin author in the 'writers' category.

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"Shot in Pakistan by the Taliban, she recuperated in the UK. Now 16, she was the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize," says the listing in reference to the now Birmingham-based "blogger and campaigner for girls' education". Trinidad-born Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul is singled out for his Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001.

Among some of the other Indian-origin professionals to make their mark include Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) GP Committee as leader of the "only body to represent all NHS [National Health Service] GPs", in the healthcare category.

India-born Sunand Prasad has been included in the list for his work in the field of architecture; and Jaipur-born Anshu Jain, chief executive of Deutsche Bank, in the finance category for his role in running the world's fourth-largest investment bank.

To decide who merited a place as the Influential 500, Debrett's appointed experts and industry leaders, including 'Sunday Times' editors and journalists, in each of the categories to assemble selection committees, using the criteria of influence, achievement and the capacity to inspire to determine nominations.

The committee chair-persons submitted their nominations to Debrett's for consideration. "The Debrett's 500 is a positive endorsement and recognition of Britain's 500 most influential people. It is a truly inspiring group," said Joanne Milner, chief executive of the publisher.

Among some of the other famous names to feature include Prince Charles for his work with more than 350 charities, Victoria Beckham for fashion, novelist Hilary Mantel and Sir Elton John, for both his music and charity work.

In sport, footballer David Beckham and Olympic champions Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah are named as being among the most influential figures.