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Prof Dame Wendy Hall and Prof Sir David Payne

The prestigious 2017 Debrett’s 500 of the most influential and inspiring people living and working in Britain today features luminaries from the University of Southampton’s Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, including Zepler Institute Director, Professor Sir David Payne.

Sir David is joined by Director of the Web Science Institute, Professor Dame Wendy Hall and Visiting Professor Liam Maxwell on Debrett’s list of leaders in Engineering and Technology.

Compiled in consultation with independent expert practitioners and commentators in each of the categories, the Debrett’s 500 was launched in 2014 to identify and celebrate the most influential people in British society. All the people in the Debrett’s 500 are scrutinised for their level of influence in shaping the lives, choices and ideas of others. Dame Wendy has featured in every Debrett’s 500 list since its launch; 2017 marks the third year running for Sir David and Maxwell on the list.

Sir David features in Debrett’s for the far-reaching impact of his invention, the erbium-doped fibre amplifier – “widely regarded as one of the most important developments in modern communications” which “facilitated the internet’s rapid growth through fast transmission and amplification of large amounts of data.”

Described as ‘a leading light in the development of web services’, Dame Wendy is recognised by Debrett’s for her pioneering role as one of the first computer scientists to embark on serious research into multi- and hyper-media technologies before the existence of the World Wide Web. Liam Maxwell became the UK’s first national technology adviser in 2016 after serving as the government’s Chief Technology Officer. He is credited with the digital transformation of the UK government.

A full list of the Debrett's 500 2017 can be found onthe Debrett's website.