David Foster (1949-)

David Walter Foster, OC, OBC is a multi-Grammy-winning musician, composer, songwriter and arranger from Canada. For the majority of his almost five-decade long career, he has been one of the few key figures of modern western music to have influenced most, if not all, of its recent changes. A music prodigy, his education was carefully constructed to supplement his talent. Foster began to take piano lessons at the age of four and attended the University of Washington’s music program nine years later. In 1974, he relocated to Los Angeles as a member of the band ‘Skylark’, and after the initial and unavoidable years of struggle, received his first Grammy Award in 1980.

Tim Cook (1960-)

Tim Cook is an American business executive who succeeded Steve Jobs as the chief executive officer (CEO) of ‘Apple Inc.’ in 2011. Even before officially assuming the title of the CEO, he had served as the acting CEO during Jobs’ long medical leave in the months preceding the former ‘Apple’ CEO’s death. From the time he joined ‘Apple’ as the senior vice president (SVP) of Worldwide Operations in 1998, Tim Cook has been instrumental in leading the company towards success. In fact, ‘Apple’ was going through a tough phase when Cook accepted to join the company and his role in resurrecting the company has been immense. Born into a middle class home in a small town, Cook is a self-made man.

Nita Ambani (1963-)

Nita Ambani is an Indian philanthropist. She serves as the chairperson and founder of ‘Reliance Foundation.’ Wife of business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, she is the wealthiest woman in India. Nita Ambani has come a long way since her middle-class household days! Born into a middle-class family, it was a dance performance at a cultural event that changed the fate of this classically trained Bharatnatyam dancer. The-then business tycoon and ‘Reliance’ chairman Dhirubhai Ambani and his wife Kokilaben were so impressed with Nita that they immediately sought her as their daughter-in-law. After marrying Mukesh Ambani, she witnessed the magnanimous growth of ‘Reliance Industries.’

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (1973-)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian model and actress. She first garnered international fame after winning the ‘Miss World 1994’ pageant. After modeling for a few years, she ventured into the film industry as an actress. Thanks to her beauty and acting skills, she went on to make a name for herself in the Hindi film industry. The recipient of two ‘Filmfare Awards’ and ‘Padma Shri,’ the fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India, Aishwarya has often been cited in the Indian and international media as “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Prior to entering the film industry, she did not have much of an acting experience, but with the guidance of several seasoned directors, she went on to emerge as one of the finest actresses of Bollywood.

Natalia Tena (1984-)

Natalia Tena is an English actor and musician. She is best known for her portrayal of ‘Nymphadora Tonks’ in the ‘Harry Potter’ series. Tena was taught to play the piano by her mother since she was 5. Tena worked with a few theater groups and learned to play the accordion. She made her debut in movies with the comedy–drama movie ‘About a Boy.’ She performed in plays such as ‘Gone to Earth,’ ‘Nights at the Circus,’ and ‘The Clean House.’ However, it was the ‘Harry Potter’ series that helped Tena become popular. She performed in the film adaptations of ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ and several of its sequels. Tena was seen as ‘Osha’ in the popular fantasy series ‘Game of Thrones.’

L. S. Lowry (1887-1976)

Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist famous for his urban industrial landscape paintings. As a child, Lowry was fond of drawing but did not get much encouragement from his parents. After leaving school, he started attending evening art classes and continued doing so for twenty years. During the day, he worked as a rent collector for the ‘Pall Mall Property’ where he worked till he retired. He chose not to talk about his regular job as he was afraid he might not be seen as a serious artist. Lowry’s body of work is like a social documentary reflecting the British society during the industrial revolution. It comprises of bleak and grey industrial landscapes with smoke coming out of factories and mills, and figures going about their daily life.

Rachel Ticotin (1958-)

Rachel Ticotin is an American film and TV actor, best known for starring in films such as ‘Total Recall’ and ‘Con Air.’ Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Rachel took ballet lessons as a kid. She was also interested in stage acting and began acting in theatrical plays at the tender age of 10. She started her film career as a dancer in the 1978 film titled ‘King of the Gypsies.’ She was then seen in a supporting role in the film titled ‘Fort Apache, The Bronx.’ In 1983, she made her TV debut with the supporting role of ‘Grace Pavlik’ in the TV film titled ‘For Love and Honor.’ She later reprised her role in the TV series based on the film. Of late, she has been seen playing supporting roles in series such as ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Homeland.’