Black Powerlist 2021: Lewis Hamilton ends incredible year top of influential list
The seven times World Champion is joined by footballer Marcus Rashford, actor Michaela Coel, and Windrush lawyer, Jacqueline McKenzie, who have made the list for the first time
Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has been named the most influential Black person in Britain today.
The 35-year-old, who has just been crowned World Champion for the seventh time, topped the list of the incredible people recognised among those with African, African Caribbean and African American heritage.
Hamilton became the most successful racing driver in history last weekend when he clinched a seventh World Championship.
This equalsMichael Schumacher’s record and earlier in the year Hamilton surpassed Schumacher’s all-time record of 91 grand prix wins - he now has 94.
The driving legend has also been a key supporter for the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the killing of George Floyd this summer and for launching The Hamilton Commission to improve diversity in UK motorsport.
Hamilton, who is the only Black driver in the sport, said: "It’s an absolute honour to be named number one on The Powerlist, I really really appreciate it. This for me is a monumental moment.
“I'm so proud to be acknowledged, especially within the black community. Everyone on this list is so inspiring and leading in their own industry, I'm honestly thrilled to be mentioned alongside them.
“I think we all have responsibility and we're trying to do our best. I like to think that I'm just a part of a chain of many people trying to push for change."
After his historic victory on Sunday, Hamilton vowed to redouble his efforts to make Formula One a more inclusive and diverse sport.
He wrote onInstagram: "Leading up to today and even after I crossed the line, I've been gathering my thoughts about what's most important to me.
"This year has been so unpredictable. With the pandemic and obviously the season being pushed back by several months, I had the most downtime I've ever had in my life. It gave me the chance to really think about my ultimate purpose.
"Seven World Championships means the world to me, I can't even describe how much, but there's still another race we've yet to win.
"This year I've been driven not just by my desire to win on the track, but by a desire to help push our sport, and our world to become more diverse and inclusive. I promise you I am not going to stop fighting for change.
"We have a long way to go but I will continue to push for equality within our sport, and within the greater world we live in.
"Equaling Michael Schumacher's record puts a spotlight on me that I know won't be here forever. So, while you're here, paying attention, I want to ask everyone to do their part in helping to create a more equal world.
"Let's be more accepting and kinder to each other. Let's make it so that opportunity is not something that is dependent on background or skin colour.
"Nothing is impossible. A driving force for me this year has been to set an example for the next generation, to never give up on your dreams.
"I was told by many that my dream was impossible, yet here I am. I want you to know that you can do it too. Never give up, keep fighting, and let's keep rising to the occasion. #S7ILLRISING."
Joining Hamilton on the list for the fist time is Professor Kevin Fenton, the Regional Director of Public Health England for London, who was appointed this year and has been key in how the capital has managed thecoronavirus pandemic.
Grime artist Stormzy was placed at number three on the list. The 27-year-old and his company pledged to £10million to organisations fighting for racial equality and social justice over the next 10 years.
In a statement, the award-winning rapper said: "I'm lucky enough to be in the position I'm in and I've heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying 'if the country's so racist how have you become a success?!' and I reject that with this.
"I am not the UK's shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard.
"There are millions of us. We are not far and few. We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born.
"Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it."
Actor, screenwriter and director Michaela Coel is placed at number four on the list, appearing for the first time.
The 33-year-old behind BAFTA-award winning Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You has also starred inBlack Mirror and Black Earth Rising.
Coel has already been named in British Vogue's 2020's list of influential women.
Edward Enninful OBE, Editor-in-chief of British Vogue, appears at number five in the list and has long campaigned for more diversity within the fashion industry.
Earlier this year, Enninful wrote a powerful essay in Vogue after he joined the Black Lives Matters protests in London following the tragic death of George Floyd.
He said: "I really believe that after what happened in Minneapolis, people are not going to be so blasé in the future. I truly think it will be a changed world. And I feel hopeful."
Dame Donna Kinnair, the CEO and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing is number six on the list.
She has specialised in child protection, providing leadership in major hospital trusts in London, teaching, and advising on legal and governmental committees
Dame Kinnair has highlighted the huge contribution immigrant professionals make to the NHS.
She said: "Coronavirus has shone a spotlight on the contributions made by immigrants to our NHS.
"I hope we recognise the contribution healthcare workers make in a material sense. Let’s not just have clapping or words of empty praise. If we value our nurses, let’s pay them properly."
Lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie has been named number nine of the list. She is representing the 200 victims of the Windrush scandal and has worked tirelessly for justice.
Historian and joint creative director of Uplands Television, David Olusoga, has been placed at number eight on the list.
Olusoga is responsible for the BBC series Black and British: A Forgotten History, The World's War, A House Through Time and Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners.
He has also penned the award-winning Black and British: A Forgotten History, as well as The World’s War and The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism.
Journalist, author and broadcaster Afua Hirsch has made it onto number nine on the list.
A former barrister, specialising in criminal defence and public and international law, Hirsch later became the Guardian's legal correspondent before exapnding her journalism and writing career.
Richard Iferenta, a Partner and Vice Chair at KPMG LLP, has been named number 10 on the influential list.
New Powerlist entrants also include Marcus Rashford who campaigned for free school meals for children during the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Jacqui DyerPresident of the Mental Health Foundation and Yemi Edun, CEO of Daniel Ford & Co, only the second person from the real estate industry to make the list.
The Powerlist 2021 is published by Powerful Media. Its sponsors include PwC, Linklaters, Refinitiv, the Executive Leadership Council, Herman Miller andFacebook.
Dr Heather Melville, OBE, PwC, Director of People Networks & Client Relationship Programmes said:“At PwC we're proud to be sponsoring The Powerlist for the second year running, celebrating black excellence across so many diverse fields and industries across the UK. We congratulate all the remarkable people recognised in this year’s awards in these momentous times.”
David Martin, Global Diversity Partner, Linklaters, added: “We want to ensure that we are a firm that celebrates achievement and highlights role models, as we believe they are incredibly important for all of us right now. For these reasons, we are proud again to support The Powerlist and celebrate the success of so many people in the black community”.
Michael Eboda, CEO of Powerful Media, publisher of The Powerlist 2021, said: “The Powerlist continues to be a great showcase, acknowledgement and reminder of the amazing individuals of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage we have in the UK and I would like to congratulate each and every one on the list.
“Lewis Hamilton is a remarkable sportsman and I applaud the great work he is doing to tackle diversity within the motorsport industry.
"All this, including his stance on Black Lives Matter this year makes his recognition as the UK’s most powerful black Briton on the Powerlist 2021 so very well deserved. He is an inspiration to us all.”
Here is the full Powerlist 2021
Top 10
1. Lewis Hamilton MBE - Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
2. Professor Kevin Fenton - Regional Director, PHE London
3. Stormzy - Grime Artist, Philanthropist
4. Michaela Coel - Actor, Screenwriter, Director
5. Edward Enninful OBE - Editor-in-Chief, British Vogue
6. Dame Donna Kinnair - CEO & General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing
7. Jacqueline McKenzie - Director at Centre for Migration Advice and Research and McKenzie, Beute and Pope
8. David Olusoga - Historian and TV presenter
9. Afua Hirsch - Journalist, Author, Broadcaster
10. Richard Iferenta - Partner and Vice Chair, KPMG LL
Arts, Fashion and Design (not ranked)
Chi-Chi Nwanoku, OBE - Founder, Artistic & Exec Director Chineke!;
Duro Olowu - Fashion Designer
Dr Shirley J Thompson, OBE - Composer, Artistic & Music Director, Writer, Educator, University of Westminster
Pat McGrath MBE - Founder, Pat McGrath Cosmetics
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye - Artist
Francesca Hayward - Principal Dancer, Royal Ballet
Grace Wales-Bonner - Founder and Creative Director at Wales Bonner
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith - Actor/Founding Member Act for Change
John Boyega - Actor
Idris Elba OBE - Actor, Producer
Business, Corporate, Financiers and Entrepreneurs (not ranked)
Alan Smith - Global Head of Risk Strategy and Chief of Staff, Global Risk, HSBC
Camille Drummond - Vice President, Global Business Services, BP
Eric Collins - CEO and Founding Member, Impact X Capital Partners
Jason Black - Co-founder of Crep Protect and Co-Owner of Crepe and Cones
Lindelwe Lesley Ndlovu - CEO, AXA Africa Specialty Risks, Lloyd’s of London
Netsai Mangwende - Head of Finance for Great Britain, Willis Towers Watson
Pamela Hutchinson - Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Bloomberg
Sandra Wallace - UK Managing Partner, DLA Piper
Tevin Tobun - Founder and CEO, GV Group (Gate Ventures)
Yvonne Ike - Managing Director and Head of Sub Saharan Africa region, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Paulette Rowe - CEO, Integrated and E-commerce Solutions, Paysafe Group
Nadja Bellan-White - Global Chief Marketing Officer at VICE Media Group, former Executive Partner, WPP Team Leader at Ogilvy
Roni Savage - Managing Director, Founder of Jomas Associates
Dean Forbes - President, The Access Group
Dame Sharon White - Chairman, John Lewis Partnership
Tara Lajumoke - Managing Director, Financial Times
Adrian Joseph - Managing Director, Group AI and Data Solutions, BT Group
Femi Bamisaiye - Chief Information Officer, HomeServe UK
Yemi Edun - Founder and CEO, Daniel Ford & Co and Daniel Ford International
Emeka Emembolu - Senior Vice President - North Sea at BP
Tunde Olanrewaju - Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Media, Publishing and Entertainment (not ranked)
Akala - Educator, Rapper, Poet, Activist
Anne Mensah - Vice-president of Content UK,Netflix
Amma Asante MBE - Writer, Director
Charlene White - ITN News Anchor
Femi Oguns MBE - Agent, Founder and CEO of Identity Theatre
School (not ranked)
Gary Younge - Journalist; Author; Professor of Sociology, University of Manchester
Lorna Clarke - BBC Controller of Pop Music
Marcus Ryder - Executive Producer of Multimedia, Caixin Global
Paulette Simpson - Executive, Corporate Affairs and Public Policy, Jamaica National Bank; Executive Director, The Voice Media Group
Reggie Yates - Writer; Director; Broadcaster
Reni Eddo-Lodge - Journalist, Author
Sir Lenny Henry - Actor, Writer, Campaigner
Vanessa Kingori MBE - Publisher, British Vogue
Bernadine Evaristo - Writer, Professor of Creative Writing, Brunel
Hugh Muir - Senior Assistant Editor, The Guardian
Annette Thomas - CEO Guardian Media Group PLC
Dorothy Koomson - Author
Kamal Ahmed - Editorial Director, BBC News
Politics, Law and Religion (not ranked)
David Lammy - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Member of Parliament for Tottenham
Dr Sandie Okoro - Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel, World Bank
Joshua Siaw MBE - Partner, White & Case
Dr Kathryn Nwajiaku - Director, Politics and Governance, Overseas Development Institute
Martin Forde, QC- Barrister
Rose Hudson-Wilkin - Bishop of Dover
Segan Osuntokun - Managing Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Harry Matovu QC - Barrister
Marcia Willis Stewart QC - Director, Birnberg Peirce & Partners
Stephanie Boyce - Deputy Vice-President, Law Society of England and Wales
Patrick Vernon OBE -Political activist and social commentator
Public, Third Sector and Education (not ranked)
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon - MBE CEO and Co-Founder, STEMettes
Dr Margaret Casely-Hayford CBE - Chair, Shakespeare’s Globe; Chancellor, Coventry University; Non-Executive Director, Co-op Group
Marvin Rees - Mayor of Bristol
Dr Nira Chamberlain - President of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications
Professor Funmi Olonisakin - Professor of Security, Leadership and Development at King's College London; Founding Director of African Leadership Centre
Lord Simon Woolley - Co-founder/Director, Operation Black Vote
Sonita Alleyne OBE - Master, Jesus College, Cambridge
Professor Patricia Daley - Vice Principal at Jesus College Oxford
Science, Medicine and Engineering (not ranked)
Dr Emeka Okaro- Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
Dr Ian Nnatu - Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr Joy Odili - Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Dr Sylvia Bartley - Senior Global Director, Medtronic Foundation
Samantha Tross - Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Professor Laura Serrant OB - Head of Department and Professor of Community and Public Health Nursing at Manchester Metropolitan University
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley Bent OBE - Chief Midwifery Officer, NHS England
Martin Griffiths - Lead trauma surgeon, Royal London & National Clinical Director for Violence Reduction, NHS
Dr Paula Franklin - Chief Medical Officer at Bupa Global and UK
Dr Jacqui Dyer MBE - President, Mental Health Foundation
Sport (not ranked)
Anthony Joshua - World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
Dina Asher-Smith - World champion sprinter
Raheem Sterling - Footballer
Marcus Rashford - Footballer and campaigner
Technology (not ranked)
Ebele Okobi - Public Policy Director Africa, the Middle East & Turkey, Facebook
Ije Nwokorie - Senior Director, Apple
Nneka Abulokwe OBE - Founder and CEO, MicroMax Consulting
Jacky Wright - Chief Digital Officer & Corporate Vice President, Microsoft, US