Artistes of the Month
Also featured: Kriss Akabusi, John Sergeant
Pierluigi Collina
Pierluigi
Collina is a financial advisor, and widely regarded as one of the world's
best football referees before his retirement in 2005
He attended the University of Bologna, graduating with a degree in Economics in 1984. During his teenage years he played as a central defender for a local team, but was persuaded in 1977 to take a referee's course where it was discovered that he had a particular aptitude for the job. Within three years he was officiating at the highest level of regional matches, while also completing his compulsory military service. In 1988 he progressed, more rapidly than normal, to the national third division, Serie C1 and Serie C2. After three seasons he was promoted to officiating Serie B and Serie A matches.
About this time he contracted a severe form of alopecia, resulting in the permanent loss of all his facial hair, giving him his distinctive bald appearance and earning the nickname Kojak. In 1995, after he had officiated at 43 Serie A matches, he was placed on FIFA's Referees List. He refereed five matches at the 1996 Olympic Games, including the final between Nigeria and Argentina; and the 1999 UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. In 2002, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he was chosen as the referee for the World Cup final. He was also the referee for the 2004 UEFA Cup final between Valencia and Olympique Marseille.
Euro 2004 was Collina's last major international tournament as a referee, as he reached the mandatory retirement age of 45 for international referees early in 2005 and retired from the Italian leagues in August 2005.
Recently, the FA Premier League publicly discussed having foreign referees officiate selected high-profile matches, and has had talks with Collina about his possible availability to fill such a role. (In England, the mandatory retirement age for referees is 48.)
Although Collina is closely identified with football, his favourite sports
club plays basketball. He is a lifelong supporter of Fortitudo Bologna,
one of Europe's leading basketball clubs.
Kriss Akabusi
Kriss
is famous for his achievements in athletics where his greatest individual
triumph was his Gold Medal in the 1990 European Championships when he
also beat David Hemery's 22 year old British Record.
He began his international athletic career in 1983 as a member of the 4x400 metre relay squad and will probably always be remembered for helping Britain clinch the Gold and beat the Americans in the World Championships 4x400 metre relay in Tokyo in 1991.
In 1992 as 3 x Olympic medallist, World, European and Commonwealth Champion Kriss was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty The Queen in her Birthday Honours List in recognition of his services to the country through athletics.
His start into television and entertainment began when he presented THE BIG BREAKFAST. This was followed with a full time position as co-presenter with BBC'S RECORD BREAKERS. He has presented various children's programmes and appears regularly on game and chat shows where the brief is "fun and entertainment"
Kriss is currently the CEO of The Akabusi Company, a corporate communications and training company where his marvellous personality and reputation as a fantastic public speaker has made him a very popular and attractive advocate.
He is also an accredited personal coach, having qualified at the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara. He is one of only 4 qualified Hudson Institute coaches in the UK.
Kriss Akabusi was born in London in 1958 of Nigerian parents. Currently living in Buckinghamshire he can be found Teeing off at the local Golf Clubs and participating in various sports including basketball, tennis and football.
Kriss supports West Ham United and can be seen regularly cheering his team on at Upton Park.
"He was fantastic - thank you!"
Corus - Kriss spoke at their annual management conference
John Sergeant
John
Sergeant is now a freelance broadcaster and writer. After his best selling
memoirs, 'Give Me Ten Seconds' he has written another book - on the last
part of Mrs Thatcher's career. "Maggie: her fatal legacy" was
published in February. He is a frequent guest on light entertainment shows.
In March 2005 he appeared with Goldie Hawn and John Travolta on ITV's
'Parkinson.' He has twice chaired the popular BBC satire show 'Have I
Got News for You has taken part in the BBC2 programme 'The Big Read' (he
promoted Catch-22) and The Best British Sitcom (he promoted Blackadder).
He appeared with Paul Merton in 'Room 101.' He has also been a guest on many Radio 4 shows, including the News Quiz, and Quote Unquote. He has taken part in the "With Great Pleasure …" series. During the past two years he has been touring the country with his one-man show, 'An Audience With John Sergeant.'
Until the end of 2003 he was Political Editor of ITN, having spent three years with ITV. Before that he was with the BBC for 30 years, starting as a general reporter and then specialising in political journalism. For 12 years he was the BBC's Chief Political Correspondent. He has presented the World at One, Today and PM on Radio 4.
John was educated at Millfield School in Somerset, where he was taught English by the playwright Robert Bolt, who also wrote scripts for many highly-regarded films, including Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. Later John went to Oxford and immediately after graduating joined Alan Bennett in his comedy series 'On the Margin.' It won the Comedy of the year award. In 1967 John became a trainee reporter at the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. From here he joined the BBC as a Television and Radio news reporter and covered stories in more than 25 countries. John's assignments included covering events in Vietnam, Rhodesia, Northern Ireland, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, He was also senior correspondent in Dublin, Paris and Washington.
In 1990 John won a Press Guild Award for the most memorable outside broadcast: Margaret Thatcher interrupted his report outside the Paris Embassy to announce her participation in the second round of the Conservative Party leadership ballot. He also won the National Viewers and Listener's award for the broadcasting personality of the year in 2000.
His memoirs, Give Me Ten Seconds, were described by the Independent on Sunday as "an all-time rip-roaring read". It was in the best-selling charts for six months and sold more than 300,000 copies. His latest book Maggie: Her Fatal Legacy was serialized in The Sunday Times and has been widely praised.
He is in great demand as an after-dinner speaker and as a presenter of
awards.
Further Information
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