An English television producer and founder of the music production company Syco, known in both the United Kingdom and the United States as a member of the judging panels of a number of talent competition programs, such as The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, and American Idol. He is known for his controversial criticism of contestants. In 2010, he ranked forty-first on the list of "50 People Who Matter", according to the British magazine New Statesman.