The 14th annual Powerlist , which names the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom, was judged by an independent panel and published in November 2020, sponsored by JP Morgan & Co, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Linklaters, Refinitiv, Herman Miller, Facebook and The Executive Leadership Council. [1] The 2021 Powerlist came in a year in which public debate on racial injustice had increased, with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) 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. [2] Furthermore, the rankings highlighted the work of healthcare professionals during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which also resulted in the awards being held virtually on 17 November 2020, hosted by Kwame Kwei-Armah. [1]
The award event was held in partnership with JP Morgan & Co., who announced they would invest £2 million in support to London non-profit organisations headed by black and minority ethnic leaders. [1] [3] The independent panel of judges named Sir Lewis Hamilton as the most influential awardee, due to both his sporting excellence and his advocacy in light of the BLM movement, [4] with additional highlights of the Top 10 including Prof. Kevin Fenton and Dame Donna Kinnair for their work fighting against COVID-19. [5]
Rank | Individual | Occupation | Category | Notability |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lewis Hamilton | Formula One driver | Sports | Seven-time World Champion Formula One driver |
2 | Kevin Fenton | Public-Health Leader | Public, Third Sector and Education | Regional Director, Public Health England London |
3 | Stormzy | Grime music artist | Media, Publishing & Entertainment | Award-winning musician |
4 | Michaela Coel | Actor, screenwriter, director and producer | Media, Publishing & Entertainment | Creator, co-director and producer of BBC/HBO series I May Destroy You |
5 | Edward Enninful | Editor-in-chief | Media, Publishing & Entertainment | Editor-in-Chief British Vogue |
6 | Donna Kinnair | Public-Health leader and nurse | Public, Third Sector and Education | CEO & General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing |
7 | Jacqueline McKenzie | Human rights lawyer | Politics, Law and Religion | Director at Centre for Migration Advice and Research and McKenzie, Beute and Pope |
8 | David Olusoga | Historian, writer, broadcaster | Media, Publishing and Entertainment | Historian and TV presenter |
9 | Afua Hirsch | Writer, broadcaster, and former barrister | Media, Publishing and Entertainment | Journalist for The Guardian , author, broadcaster |
10 | Richard Iferenta | Businessperson | Business, Corporate, Financiers & Entrepreneurs | Partner at KPMG |
Arts, Fashion and Design
Business, Corporate, Financiers and Entrepreneurs
Media, Publishing and Entertainment
Politics, Law and Religion
Public, Third Sector and Education
Science, Medicine and Engineering
Sports
Technology
The STAR Management Week is the highlight of the year at RSM Erasmus University, as it is one of the largest student events in Benelux. This weeklong event is considered the annual pinnacle of STAR. Each autumn, over 100 multinationals, 600 students, and several guest speakers from around the globe participate in the STAR Management Week. The STAR Management Week was first organized in 1987, named Sviib Week. In 1996, the name changed to Sviib Management Week, changing to STAR Management Week in 2005.
Sonita Alleyne, is the Barbados-born British co-founder and former CEO of Somethin’ Else, a cross-platform media production company. Alleyne is a member of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Master of Jesus College, Cambridge.
Funmi Olonisakin is a British Nigerian scholar, who is a Professor of leadership, peace and conflict at King's College London, and an Extra-Ordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria. She is the founder and former Director of the African Leadership Centre (ALC) founded on the principle of Pan-Africanism to build the next generation of leaders and scholars on the African continent with core transformational values. Olonisakin is the Programme Director of the ALC's Master of Science (MSc) programmes on Leadership, peace and security. She is a research associate of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria, and was an Andrew Mellon Foundation distinguished scholar and a distinguished fellow of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). She is currently an appointed member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) advisory group of experts. on the review of the UN Peace-building Architecture.
In 2016 the Women's Engineering Society (WES), in collaboration with the Daily Telegraph, produced an inaugural list of the United Kingdom's Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering, which was published on National Women in Engineering Day on 23 June 2016. The event was so successful it became an annual celebration. The list was instigated by Dawn Bonfield MBE, then Chief Executive of the Women's Engineering Society. In 2019, WES ended its collaboration with the Daily Telegraph and started a new collaboration with The Guardian newspaper.
Nkiru Balonwu is an entrepreneur and activist based in Lagos, Nigeria. She is known for her views of women as the solution to Africa's problems and is the founder and chairperson of African Women on Board, an independent, women-led African non-profit organisation focused on advancing narratives to improve realities for women and girls of African heritage. She is also founder and managing partner of RDF Strategies, a consultancy firm that provides advice on strategic communication and stakeholder engagement. In 2016, during her time at the helm of Spinlet, Balonwu was featured in YNaija as one of "Nigeria's 100 Most Inspiring Women". In October 2019, Balonwu was awarded the 2020 Powerlist International Award by the Powerlist UK.
Ric Lewis is a British businessman. He is a founding partner of Tristan Capital Partners, a British property investment firm, and its predecessor, Curzon Global Partners (1998–2008). He is also the founder and chairman of a registered charity, The Black Heart Foundation. He ranked first in the Powerlist 2019, an annual list of the UK's most influential people with African or Afro-Caribbean heritage.
The Powerlist is a list of the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom. The list is updated annually and has been published in book format by Powerful Media since 2007. The Powerlist is not limited to British-born citizens and includes immigrants to the UK.
The 2019 Powerlist 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
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.
Eric D. Collins is an American businessman, serial entrepreneur, technology expert, and former President Obama appointee. He is the CEO and co-founder of Impact X Capital Partners. In 2021 Collins was announced as the host of Channel 4 business reality show The Money Maker,. He has served on President Obama's Small Business Administration’s Council on Underserved Communities.
Dean Forbes is a British business executive. Since February 2021, he serves as chief executive officer at Forterro, a software solution company which focuses on providing ERP software across Europe, based in London, England. Prior to his appointment, he was president at The Access Group responsible for people division, since May 2020. Between 2011 and 2016, Forbes was the CEO at the KDS. Forbes served at Primavera Systems as vice president for 9 years, from April 2000 until January 2009.