Profile

He’s the former corporate lawyer, who has a pilot's licence and loves music, but has never before been a government minister. Friedrich Merz was born in the west German town of Brilon in 1955 into a prominent conservative, Catholic family. He joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) while still at school, before going on to study law. Merz then worked as a lawyer and judge for a few years, but...

His 14 year-stint at the top of European politics has earned him a distinguished record of domestic and international achievements. Mark Rutte, born in The Hague in 1967, embarked on a career in business after leaving university and held several positions at Unilever. His career in Dutch politics started in 2002, and four years later – as leader of the VVD party – he became prime minister. During...

Having helped mastermind Labour's renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, one of British politics best-known figures has just embarked on his latest role. And, it's a long way from Hartlepool, in the post-industrial North-East of England, where he first became an MP. Born in 1953, Peter Mandelson started on the road to party politics as a researcher at the Trades Union Congress. After a stint as a TV prod...

Despite just winning a seventh consecutive presidential term, a look at Alexander Lukashenko’s early life reveals rather humbler origins. Brought up by a single mother in a poor village in eastern Belarus, he first made his mark as the manager of a farm in the late 1980s. After moving into politics at the end of that decade, he quickly established his reputation as a man with authoritarian instinc...

A mathematician and cyber defence expert, Poppy Gustafsson has been handed an integral role within government, as the prime minister attempts to grow the economy and attract international investment. She was born in 1982, to parents John and Gilly. Her father ran an agricultural sales business, while her mother was a journalist. In her early career, Poppy Gustafsson worked for a venture capital fi...

She is the renowned scientist who studied environmental engineering, and went on to hold the role of mayor of Mexico City during the Coronavirus pandemic. Late last year, Claudia Sheinbaum made further history. "For the first time in the 200 years of the [Mexican] Republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico," she said before taking office. Born in 1962, Claudia Sheinbaum’s father w...

He's been described as the best connected man in the business world. Allan Leighton’s the arch-moderniser who's led some of the UK's most well-known companies. His career started at Mars Confectionery in the mid-70s, working his way up through the business over nearly two decades. But, it was in the 90s that Allan Leighton really made his name. He moved to Asda in 1992, becoming Chief Executive fo...

He’s been described by his new bosses at the Football Association as, "one of the best coaches in the world". Thomas Tuchel has also earned a reputation as a “control freak”, with “charming” yet “divisive” attributes. Born in Krumbach, Bavaria in 1973 his football journey began as a youngster when his father coached him at his local club. After growing into a promising defender, a knee injury brou...

Oh! What’s occurrin'? Good question… This week’s Profile, with Stephen Smith, is focusing in on a woman born in Bridgend in south Wales, who loved to participate in musical theatre as a child – and went on to create one of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms. With a degree in drama under her belt from the University of Warwick, Ruth Jones initially found work at BBC Wales in both TV and radio comedy. She...

Since it was privatised over a decade ago, there's been speculation around the future of the UK's troubled postal service, Royal Mail. Now the government has approved its purchase by the Czech billionaire, Daniel Křetínský, a relative unknown here in the UK. Born in communist Czechoslovakia in 1975, Křetínský was a teenager when the Berlin Wall came down. He started his career as a lawyer, but aft...

Through his passion for stop motion and modelling clay, we have come to love his silent (but wise) dog and well-meaning owner. Wallace and Gromit are Nick Park’s most famous creations, but what more do we know about this Preston born Oscar winner? He would use his mother’s home movie camera to record his early films; he studied animation at the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshir...

From using a skateboard to baking sourdough, Tom Molnar leads an eclectic life. Born in the United States, he earned a degree in Ecology at Dartmouth College, before going on to gain experience in corporate strategy and client management. It was during those years, that he noticed a gap in the market for quality bread. Tom Molnar joined forces with Ran Avidan and Gail Mejia in 2005, and their Gail...

She is the self-styled "proud Yorkshirewoman" at the centre of an extraordinary week at Westminster. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind a bid to legalise assisted dying for the terminally ill in England and Wales, was born in West Yorkshire in 1976. Before her life in politics, she worked in furniture sales and as an exercise instructor, before becoming a lecturer in health and exercise in her l...

From television commercials in the 1970s, to today’s toga-ripping, chariot-flipping sequel to Gladiator. Sir Ridley Scott is one of Britain’s greatest film directors. The grammar school boy, born in South Shields, spent part of his childhood in Germany before pursuing his passion for art at school in Hartlepool and then the Royal College of Art. But the camera appealed to Scott as much as the canv...

Born in communist East Germany, to a German mother and Iranian father, Sahra Wagenknecht has long been the face of the country’s hard left. But her own breakaway political movement, supporting a higher minimum wage as well as an end to weapons deliveries to Ukraine, appears to be gaining further support. And with Germany set to hold elections early next year, following the collapse of the governin...

She is one of the highest-ranking women in the Labour Party, now holding the position of home secretary. Yvette Cooper, born in Inverness in 1969, grew up in Hampshire and went on to forge a career in politics full of firsts. She served as the first female chief secretary to the Treasury. She also became the first minister to take maternity leave, and she was one half of the first married couple i...

From his hilltop glass mansion in ancient Tbilisi, he’s accused of cultivating Georgia’s shift from the west over the past decade. And, with his political party’s recent victory in the parliamentary elections, that trajectory appears set to continue for some time yet. Bidzina Ivanishvili is the guiding force behind the Georgian Dream party, but what else do we know about the mysterious billionaire...

The Liverpool-born comedian, known for his razor-sharp wit, has traded in his stand-up routines for some serious dance moves of late. Chris McCausland is the first blind contestant to take part in the BBC show, Strictly Come Dancing - and he's being tipped as a possible winner. In his 20s, Chris lost most of his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa. But that didn’t slow down his career. He's been lig...

He's the man who masterminded Labour's general election campaign, and now holds one of the most important positions in Downing Street. Morgan McSweeney was recently appointed the prime minister's chief of staff, after Sue Gray quit the role. But what do we know about him? Born in Macroom, County Cork, he moved to London aged 17. He soon joined the Labour party under Tony Blair, working in a junior...

She’s a girl from New York's Lower East Side whom grew up to a life of stardom and is now known by just one name. Gaga, a classically trained pianist, has secured Grammy-winning songs like Poker Face and Rain on Me. While her performance in A Star Is Born was Oscar-nominated. Along the way, there’s been a meat dress, a high-profile stance against US military policy, and a collaborative album with...

He’s not yet completed a hundred days in his new job, but David Lammy finds himself overseeing the UK’s response to rising tensions in the Middle East. Born to Guyanese parents in north London, and raised by his mother from the age of 12 after his father left them, the foreign secretary is known for his advocacy for social justice, equality, and human rights. His journey to the top of British poli...

It’s a tiny computer with a catchy name: Raspberry Pi. But what's the story behind the man who thought up this affordable device? His name is Eben Upton. He has gone from being a child desperate to make computer games, to the head of a company described as a ‘city darling’. The firm reported higher than expected profits in its first report, after being listed on the London Stock Exchange. Stephen...

Some call it one of the trickiest jobs in the country. How do you stop the small boats trying to cross the English Channel and smash the smuggling gangs? The government has appointed Martin Hewitt to the role- he’s leading the UK’s new border security command. It’s a tough job, so can he do it? Martin Hewitt is a former senior police officer and chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council. He is...

This week we delve into the life of the First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan, the first woman to hold the position. Morgan was introduced to politics at a very young age by her parents, who were both councillors. Her early career was spent working in broadcasting before her political career began at the age of 27, elected as the youngest Member of the European Parliament in 1994. She went on to t...

Some of world football's biggest names have been linked to England's top job since Gareth Southgate hung up his waistcoat. But, for now at least, it is Lee Carsley who takes over as England's interim manager. The modest, methodical and quietly spoken coach started his footballing journey at Derby County – before making his name at Everton. Family and charity work are Lee Carsley’s other priorities...