June Sarpong and Mark Florman’s campaigning friendship
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Version 0 of 1. HIS STORY Mark Florman, 56, businessman and social entrepreneur I met June about 10 years ago. I had been involved in building schools in east Africa for a long time. The Ghanaian president, John Kufuor, was in London, and I went to see him about building schools in west Africa. June was there, too. I was too old to have seen her TV programmes, but I asked Ozwald Boateng [the tailor] who she was. “She’s very famous and gets things done,” he said. I can’t remember much about my meeting with the president, because I was focused on meeting June – presidents are temporary, June seemed more permanent. We got on well from the start and have collaborated on many initiatives. I’m on the Conservative side and June’s on the less Conservative side – what do you call it? Oh yes, Labour. But we’re both great believers in international development policy and have been to lots of interesting places together – June took me to the United Nations. I was once at a party in New York with Bob Geldof and [Baroness] Valerie Amos and I called June to tell her to come along. It was 4am, so she was in her pyjamas and didn’t make it. June knows everybody in my family and is extremely good friends with my wife Alexia. It’s easy to get on with June because she’s very thoughtful about other people. There are two types of people at a cocktail party – one picks up a piece of food and ignores the person holding the tray, and the other engages and says thank you. June and I are both the latter. June’s been very helpful in bringing people I didn’t know, like Tessa Jowell, towards policy ideas. She has helped me to take risks; challenge the orthodoxy. She’s inspired me not to think: “Well, that’s probably un-doable.” HER STORY June Sarpong, 37, TV presenter Around 10 years ago I was invited to meet the Ghanaian president at the Lanesborough hotel in London. Mark was there, too, and asked to meet me. I was like, “Okaay... fine”. It sounded a bit dodgy, but it was very innocent. We talked about social issues; I really liked him. Soon afterwards he met my inner circle of friends. We seem like opposites but, in fact, we’re similar. We get on because we take people for who they are and don’t pigeonhole them. Mark’s as comfortable in a tough estate as he is the V&A, although he’d probably prefer the V&A. He’s got a great sense of humour and we have fun catch-up lunches every couple of months. He’s very active in the Conservative party and is close to David Cameron, while I’m Labour. We definitely won’t be watching election night together! We do tease each other a lot. Mark has the most amazing house and throws the best parties. Margaret Thatcher used to be there, with other senior Tory grandees, and then my friends and me from Walthamstow. I don’t think I’d go to Mark with my deepest, darkest boyfriend issues, although he asks a lot! But career-wise, he’s at the top of my list of people I confide in and ask for advice. He’s very honest about how his industry works, and quite critical, too. I invited Mark to an awards ceremony in New York that I organised in 2013. He was the only man there and one of the only Brits in the room. I’d love to see him run as London Mayor one day, even though I probably wouldn’t vote for him. I’ve told him that. The Women: Inspiration & Enterprise awards are launched on 27 April (wienetwork.co.uk) Follow the Observer Magazine on Twitter @ObsMagazine |