From Pope Francis to Libby Lane, we've summarised some of the key thinkers on religion, secularism and society to watch out for in the coming year. Vote in our online poll below for who should get the no. 1 spot. 

·  Archbishop Justin Welby – After taking on the role in 2013, the current head of the Church of England has overseen the introduction of women bishops and publicly stated his opposition to rising fuel prices, payday lending and benefit cuts.

·  Cardinal Vincent Nichols – As Britain’s most senior Catholic leader, Nichols has  been outspoken on a range of controversial issues, including papal efforts to reach out to gay people and rules forbidding divorced Catholics from taking communion.

·  Charlie Brooker – His sardonic and erudite commentary on politics, religion and the media has made Brooker hugely popular among readers of his Guardian columns. His TV series ‘Black Mirror’ has also been praised for its astute portrayal of the dark side of technology.

·  Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis – The South Africa-born Orthodox rabbi took over from Lord Jonathan Sacks as the senior Jewish leader of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth in 2013. He has been vocal about a range of both global and local issues, from supporting more active roles for women in Orthodox Judaism to lobbying for better transport schemes in areas around London synagogues.

·  David Cameron – Since taking office in 2010, the British Prime Minister has been open about his Anglican faith and has criticised ardent secularists for not appreciating religion’s influence on the moral and ethical framework of society.

·  Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth – Britain’s head of state, while renowned for keeping her political views to herself, is known to be a person of deep religious conviction, worshipping within both the Church of England and the Church of Scotland.

·  Leyla Hussein - Hussein is known as a psychotherapist and strident anti-FGM campaigner, having founded the charity Daughters of Eve, which since 2010 has worked to protect vulnerable women and girls from FGM. She has cited her Islamic faith as an inspiration behind her activism.

·  Libby Lane – Lane was appointed the Church of England’s first female bishop in 2014, twenty years after she was ordained as an Anglican priest. She was given the position of Bishop of Stockport after the Church of England voted to back plans for female bishops in July last year.

·  Mehdi Hasan – The political editor of the UK edition of the Huffington Post has also worked as a presenter for Al-Jazeera and as the biographer of Labour Party leader Ed Milliband. He has spoken publicly about the interplay between Islam, secularism and politics.

·  Pope Francis – One of the most popular and influential figures to have ever headed the Roman Catholic Church, the Jesuit pontiff’s attempts at encouraging political and religious reforms across many institutions (including his own) has won him scores of admirers across the faith spectrum. 

Cast your vote in our online survey.

Image from commons.wikipedia.org.uk available in the public domain.