Living Legends in Europe: the people changemakers recommend

The selection

• Amélie NothombParis, France“Amélie Nothomb, writer and extraordinary woman. Because her presence in the world of writing is a constant source of inspiration, as is the idea that one can write every single day, each day at dawn, and deliver readers a new book every year, for the sole reason that inspiration never runs dry. Her very existence is a constant reminder of my own laziness.”Recommended by Ilaria Gaspari
• CERNGenève, Switzerland“Seventeen thousand scientists from a hundred countries work there as one. This is where the Higgs was found and the web was invented.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• Ellen MacArthur FoundationLondon, UK“Ellen gave the circular economy its language. That language went on to shape real policy.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• Heatherwick StudioLondon, UK“Thomas argues that buildings should move us. His work makes the argument for him.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• Institut Océanographique Paul Ricardîle des Embiez, France“Fifty years of independent science on the Mediterranean, open to the public for free. A gift.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• Knepp Wildland / Isabella TreeDorset, UK“They let a worn-out farm go wild, and the turtle doves and nightingales came back. That story changed how I think about land.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• Kéré ArchitectureBerlin, Germany“Francis Kéré builds with local hands and local materials, and the community owns what gets built.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• La ChartreuseAiguenoire, France“They chose to make less so as to stay what they are. That takes courage, and I admire it.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• Léna BlouPointe-à-Pitre, France“Léna Blou invites us to reflect on the colonial legacy and on how the body can become a space of emancipation, capable of transforming both an individual and an entire society.”Recommended by Coralie Custos Quatreville
• Michel MayorGenève, Switzerland“He turned the question of whether we are alone into something we can measure.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• Mondragon CorporationMondragon, Spain“Eighty thousand worker-owners have governed their own companies since 1956. I know no more serious alternative to shareholder capitalism.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• Olivier RoellingerCancale, FranceRecommended by Katy Foraz
• Philippe MeirieuLyon, France“An educationalist and a figure of progressive education, Philippe Meirieu defends a school where pupils search, experiment and build their own knowledge, and he always ties learning to democracy.”Recommended by Paul Emilieu Marchesseau
• Pierre RosanvallonParis, France“Because he built an entire intellectual project around making democracy work better rather than just critiquing it, and because he showed that rigorous scholarship and public engagement are not just compatible but necessary complements.”Recommended by Alberto Alemanno
• Simonetta CheliFrascati, Italy“She turns satellite data into tools for climate decisions. That is Europe taking its responsibility seriously.”Recommended by Florian Guillaume
• VelaParis, FranceRecommended by Simon Bernard