Seven Dials Covent Garden is a unique quarter of London whose star-shaped layout remains as constructed in the early 1690s. It was brought back to life largely through the dedication of the Seven Dials Trust, working in partnership with the local authorities and landowners for nearly forty years.

Vivien is the Chairman and CEO of the Edward Stanfords Group, a retailer of travel books, maps, globes and other travel related products. Stanfords was founded in 1853 at 6-7 Charing Cross Road by the first Edward Stanford. Since its founding, the company has moved six times, always staying close to Covent Garden. In 2019, Stanfords relocated to Mercer Walk. Vivien's grandfather, Gordon Godfrey, and her father, Patrick Godfrey, both served as Chairman of Stanfords during their careers with the firm. Vivien spent time in the offices and shop in Long Acre from an early age and worked during her summer holidays in the post room in the 1970s. In 1983, Vivien wrote a paper about the Covent Garden Development Area to complete her BA in Geography at Oxford University, spending several months researching the history of the area. in 2018, after a career in consulting and the food and beverage industries, mostly outside the UK, Vivien returned to London to run the Stanford's business with her brother, Joe Godfrey. She and Joe are the majority shareholders of Stanfords and are supported by 70 additional shareholders, including the fifth, sixth and seventh generations of the Stanford family. Vivien divides her time between the USA and the UK. She is a governor of an independent girls' school in London and enjoys travelling.