70 Scots make debut appearance in guide to our movers and shakers

EVEN in its 164th run, it remains the definitive guide to the nation’s most influential people.

Now another 70 Scots, from footballer Kenny Dalglish to snooker player John Higgins, have joined the ranks of Who’s Who alongside hundreds of other people from across the UK.

Almost 1,000 new entries have been added to this year’s edition, published today, which has a foreword for the first time, written by Lord Coe to mark the London 2012 Olympics.

Other notable additions for Scotland are the head of Creative Scotland Andrew Dixon, National Trust for Scotland chief executive Kate Mavor, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland Andrew Laing and the Dean of Edinburgh, the Very Rev Dr John Armes.

There are 33,000 biographies of the most famous, richest and most influential people in Britain and elsewhere in the mammoth £225 guide.

Entrants are invited to compile their own entries, which can be as long or as concise as they wish, some as short as six lines.

Dalglish, despite his many achievements on and off the football pitch for Scotland, Celtic and Liverpool, has only just now been added at the age of 60.

By comparison, US president Barack Obama has 14 lines to his entry in Who’s Who, and Prime Minister David Cameron has 11.

MSP Humza Yousaf, at 26, is the youngest of the UK’s non- hereditary entries this year, listing his recreations as football, running, badminton and “riding my motorbike”. The average age of the new additions is 52.

Other renowned Scots to make the guide are former Glasgow Institute of Architects president David Dunbar, Scottish Opera general director Alexander Reedijk and the upcoming president of the Law Society of Scotland, Austin Lafferty, who has a Second Dan Black Belt in karate, according to his entry.Britain’s Edinburgh-born ambassador to Romania, Martin Harris, was invited to send his details, as was the Rt Rev David Arnott, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Every entry can choose which information they omit. Labour MSP Siobhan McMahon does not reveal her birthday, but does offer her one recreation: “Celtic supporter and season ticket holder”.

Other notable names joining the guide this year include motor racing’s Jenson Button, England manager Fabio Capello and chef Michel Roux.

• A look at some of the new names in Who’s Who

BUTTON, Jenson Alexander Lyons MBE 2010, professional racing driver.

Born: 19 January 1980, Frome.

Recreation: None listed.

DALGLISH, Kenneth Mathieson MBE 1985, manager, Liverpool Football Club, since 2011.

Born: 4 March 1951, Glasgow

Married: 1974, Marina (MBE 2009) Children: Four.

Professional football player, 1968–89: Celtic FC, 1970–77; Liverpool FC, 1977–89 (also manager, 1985–91) (winner, Eur. Cup, 1978, 1981, 1984, FA Cup, 1986, 1989); Scotland, 1971–86 (102 caps); manager, 1991–95, Dir of Football, 1995–96, Blackburn Rovers FC; manager, Newcastle Utd FC, 1997–98; Dir of Football Ops and Bd Mem., Celtic FC, 1999–2000; with Liverpool FC Acad., 2009–11.

Founder, Marina Dalglish Appeal, 2004.

Football Writers’ Footballer of Year, 1979, 1983; Player of Year, PFA, 1983; Manager of Year, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1995. Freeman, City of Glasgow, 1986.

Publications: Kenny Dalglish (autobiog.), 1996; My Liverpool Home (autobiog.), 2010.

Address: Liverpool Football Club.

ROUX, Michel Albert

Chef Patron, Le Gavroche, since 1991. Recreations: running marathons, Manchester United supporter.

YOUSAF, Humza

Member (SNP) Glasgow, Scottish Parliament, since 2011. Recreations: football, running, badminton, riding my motorbike.