Powerlist

The 2021 Powerlist came in a year in which public debate on racial injustice had increased, with the Black Lives Matter movement and global protests against police brutality. Therefore, chief executive Michael Eboda decided that the 14th Powerlist would honour those who have used their voice to advocate against racial injustice.[6] Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the awards were held virtually on November 17, 2020 and hosted by Kwame Kwei-Armah, OBE.[7] The event was held in partnership with J.P.Morgan who announced they would invest £2 million in support to London non-profit organisations headed by black and minority ethnic leaders; further sponsors included PricewaterhouseCoopers, Facebook, and Linklaters.[8][9] The independent panel of judges named Sir Lewis Hamilton as the most influential due to both his sporting excellence and his advocacy in light of the BLM movement; additional highlights of the Top 10 included Prof. Kevin Fenton for and Dame Donna Kinnair for their work fighting against COVID-19.[10]

Arts, Fashion and Design

• Chi-chi Nwanoku, OBE - Classical Musician & Founder of Chineke! Orchestra
• Duro Olowu - Fashion Designer
• Dr Shirley J Thompson, OBE - Composer, Conductor and Reader in Music, University of Westminster
• Pat McGrath, MBE - Make-up Artist & founder of Pat McGrath Labs
• Francesca Hayward - Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet
• Grace Wales Bonner - Fashion Designer, Founder and Creative Director at Wales Bonner
• Kobna Holdbrook-Smith - Actor and Founding Member of 'Act for Change'
• John Boyega - Actor
• Idris Elba, OBE - Actor and Producer

Business, Corporate, Financiers and Entrepreneurs

• Femi Bamisaiye - CIO Homeserve
• Nadja Bellan-White - Global CMO at Vice Media Group
• Jason Black (J2K) - Co-founder of Crep Protect and Co-Owner of Crepe and Cones
• Eric Collins - CEO and Founding Member, Impact X Capital Partners
• Camille Drummond - Vice President, Global Business Services at BP
• Yemi Edun - Founder/CEO of Daniel Ford & Co.
• Emeka Emembolu - Senior VP-North Sea BP
• Dean Forbes - President, The Access Group
• Pamela Hutchinson - Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Bloomberg
• Yvonne Ike - Managing Director and Head of Sub Saharan Africa region, BofA Securities
• Adrian Joseph - Managing Director, Group AI & Data Solutions, BT Group
• Wol Kolade - Managing Partner, Livingbridge
• Lindelwe Lesley Ndlovu - CEO, AXA Africa Specialty Risks, Lloyd's of London
• Tara Lajumoke - Managing Director, Financial Times
• Netsai Mangwende - Head of Finance for Great Britain, Willis Towers Watson
• Tunde Olanrewaju - Senior Partner McKinsey & Company
• Paulette Rowe - CEO, Integrated and E-commerce Solutions, Paysafe Group
• Roni Savage - Managing Director, Founder of Jomas Associates
• Alan Smith - Global Head of Risk Strategy and Chief of Staff, Global Risk at HSBC
• Tevin Tobun - Founder and CEO, GV Group Gate Ventures
• Sandra Wallace - UK Managing Partner, DLA Piper
• Dame Sharon White - Chairman, John Lewis Partnership

Media, Publishing and Entertainment

• Kamal Ahmed - Editorial Director, BBC News
• Akala - Rapper, journalist, poet and activist
• Amma Asante, MBE - Writer, Director
• Lorna Clarke - BBC Controller of Pop Music
• Reni Eddo-Lodge - Journalist, author
• Bernardine Evaristo - Writer, Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London
• Sir Lenny Henry - Actor, writer, campaigner
• Vanessa Kingori, MBE - Publisher, British Vogue
• Dorothy Koomson - Author
• Anne Mensah - Vice-president of Content UK, Netflix
• Hugh Muir - Senior Assistant Editor, The Guardian
• Femi Oguns, MBE - Founder and CEO of Identity School of Acting
• Marcus Ryder - Executive Producer of Multimedia Caixin
• Paulette Simpson - Executive, Corporate Affairs and Public Policy, Jamaica National Group; Executive Director, The Voice Media Group
• Annette Thomas - CEO The Guardian Media Group
• Charlene White - ITN News Anchor
• Reggie Yates - Actor, broadcaster & DJ
• Gary Younge - Journalist and author; Prof. of Sociology University of Manchester

Politics, Law and Religion

• Stephanie Boyce - Deputy Vice-President Law Society of England and Wales
• Martin Forde, QC - Barrister
• Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin - Bishop of Dover
• David Lammy, MP - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Member of Parliament for Tottenham
• Harry Matovu, QC - Barrister
• Dr Kathryn Nwajiaku - Director, Politics and Governance Overseas Development Institute
• Dr Sandie Okoro - Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel, World Bank
• Segun Osuntokun - Managing Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
• Joshua Siaw, MBE - Partner, White & Case
• Patrick Vernon, OBE - Political activist
• Marcia Willis Stewart, QC - Director, Birnberg Peirce & Partners

Public, Third Sector and Education

• Sonita Alleyne, OBE - Master, Jesus College, Cambridge
• Dr Margaret Casely-Hayford, CBE - Chair, Shakespeare's Globe, Chancellor of Coventry University, Non-Executive Director, Co-op Group
• Nira Chamberlain - President of Institute of Mathematics and its Applications
• Professor Patricia Daley - Vice Principle of Jesus College, Cambridge
• Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, MBE - CEO and Co-Founder Stemettes
• Professor Funmi Olonisakin - Professor of Security, Leadership and Development at King's College London, Founding Director of African Leadership Centre
• Marvin Rees - Mayor of Bristol
• Lord Woolley - Co-founder/Director, Operation Black Vote

Science, Medicine and Engineering

• Dr Sylvia Bartley - Senior Global Director, Medtronic Foundation
• Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, OBE - Chief Midwifery Officer, NHS England
• Dr Jacqui Dyer, MBE - President of Mental Health Foundation
• Dr Paula Franklin - Chief Medical Officer at Bupa
• Dr Martin Griffiths - Lead trauma surgeon, Royal London Hospital & Clinical Director for Violence Reduction, NHS
• Dr Ian Nnatu - Consultant psychiatrist
• Dr Joy Odili - Consultant plastic surgeon
• Dr Emeka Okaro - Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
• Prof. Laura Serrant, OBE - Head of Department and Professor of Community and Public Health Nursing at Manchester Metropolitan University
• Dr Samantha Tross - Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Sports

• Dina Asher Smith - British record-holding sprinter
• Anthony Joshua, OBE - Boxer
• Marcus Rashford - Footballer and campaigner against child poverty
• Raheem Sterling - Footballer

Technology

• Nneka Abulokwe, OBE - Founder and CEO, MicroMax Consulting
• Ije Nwokorie - Senior Director, Apple Inc.
• Ebele Okobi - Public policy director, Africa, the Middle East and Turkey for Facebook
• Jacky Wright - Chief digital officer & Corporate VP at Microsoft

The 13th annual Powerlist was judged by a panel chaired by Dame Linda Dobbs and published in October 2019; sponsored by J.P. Morgan & Co., pwc, linklaters and The Executive Leadership Council.[11][12][13][14]

The 2019 Rankings were released in October 2018 and saw Meghan, Duchess of Sussex included in the list for the first time and named Ric Lewis as the most influential individual.[15][16][17] For the full list see: Powerlist 2019

The 2018 Rankings were released in October 2017 and saw Gina Miller named as the most influential black person in the UK. The list was compiled by a panel that included Dame Linda Dobbs and Tim Campbell and over half of the 100 people on the years list were women.[18][19]

The 2017 Powerlist marked the 10th anniversary of the event, with a keynote speech made by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan were released in October 2016 and named as the most influential black person in the UK. The list was decided by an independent panel led by former high court judge Dame Linda Dobbs.[20][21][22]

The 2016 Powerlist named Ken Olisa, OBE at the most influential Black Briton for his charitable work and his achievement becoming the first black Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London.[23][24][25]

The 2015 Powerlist was announced in November 2014 and took place in the Lord Mayor of London's residence, with a keynote speech given by then Home Secretary, Theresa May.[26] The list named Karen Blackett, OBE as the most influential Black Briton, marking her as the first Black businesswoman to be awarded the accolade and also saw two people ranked in both third & eighth position.[27]

An independent panel of five judges, headed by management consultant Vivian Hunt and including business executive Olakunle Babarinde, ranked the 100 most influential Black Britons on merit with children's author Malorie Blackman, OBE first in the yearly ranking.[28][29]

The sixth annual Powerlist edition was announced in October 2012, ranking Britons who have "the ability to alter events and change lives in a positive way" and 20,000 hard copies were distributed to schools across the UK.[30]

The 2012 Powerlist edition was announced in November 2011, and the judging panel was chaired by Baroness Amos ranking Tidjane Thiam, CEO of FTSE 100 company Prudential plc.[31]

The 2011 Powerlist had a panel including Baroness Amos and Kwame Kwei-Armah who ranked Tidjane Thiam, CEO of FTSE 100 company Prudential plc first, with Diane Abbott MP ranking ninth.[32]

The 2010 Powerlist was released in September 2009 and marked the beginning of the annual list being published in the Autumn prior. The launch took place in the Cabinet room at 10 Downing Street and now included men & women in a single table.[33][34][35][36]

The 2008 Powerlist was compiled of 50 men and 50 women by a judging panel that included Baroness Amos and Kwame Kwei-Armah. It was published in October 2008 by Powerful Media sponsored by JP Morgan, and was the first annual powerlist report. Copies were sold in store and sent to the UK's 1000 largest companies with a reception held at the Foreign Office to celebrate those on the list. To qualify, entrants had to be a British citizen or based in Britain.[38]

The first edition of the Powerlist was compiled after six months of research and debate where 400 people of influence were whittled down to 50 women and 50 men, then ranked into respective top tens and announced in August 2007.[39]