Sir John Sorrell CBE, 63, is chairman of the London Design Festival, which he devised and founded in 2003. During a 40-year career, he co-founded Newell & Sorrell, one of Europe’s biggest design businesses, with his wife, Frances. He chaired the UK Design council from 1994 to 2002, is chairman of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe) and co-chair of The Sorrell Foundation, set up to inspire creativity in young people. He has three adult children and lives in London with his wife, Frances.