City of London chief Ian Thomas tops UK Black Powerlist 2027

Ian Thomas, chief executive of the City of London Corporation, has been named the UK's most influential Black Briton in the 2027 Black Powerlist. He is the first Black person to lead the Square Mile's governing body in its more than 900-year history.

Thomas, 57, took the top job in 2022 after seven interviews and an election. He oversees roughly 5,000 staff. His remit covers the City of London Police, 11,000 acres of open spaces including Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath, and advocacy for the UK's financial and professional services sector.

What is the Black Powerlist?

The Powerlist, now in its 21st year, ranks the most powerful people of African and Caribbean heritage in the UK. It celebrates people who have broken through barriers to reach leadership roles and inspire future generations.

"It exists to show young people of African and Caribbean heritage what is possible, in fields they might never have considered," said Michael Eboda, the list's publisher.

The award body described Thomas as "a respected public-service leader with over 30 years' experience in local government".

Who else made the top ten?

Thomas replaces last year's number one, Afuya Kyei placeholder—specifically Afua Kyei, the Bank of England's chief financial officer and executive director. Comfort Ero, president and chief executive of the International Crisis Group, takes second place this year.

Other names in the top ten include:

• Emma Grede, entrepreneur
• Steven Bartlett, entrepreneur
• Sir Idris Elba, actor and filmmaker

Comedian Sir Lenny Henry received a Lifetime Achievement award for co-founding Comic Relief, which has raised over £1.6bn since 1985.

How did Thomas reach the top of the Square Mile?

Thomas was born in Sheffield to parents who left Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation. "They worked incredibly hard and instilled that sense of discipline and respect, and that's the core of how I do business," he told the BBC.

Before joining the City of London Corporation, Thomas served as chief executive of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, where he oversaw public services and a £1.2bn regeneration programme.

His public-service career includes a defining stint at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council as strategic director for children and young people. He transformed children's services there in the wake of the Rotherham Abuse scandal and was appointed a CBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for it.

What does the recognition mean to him?

"When I started my journey in public service, I never, ever thought, [not] in a million years, that I'd be recognised in this way," Thomas told the BBC.

His early ambitions lay far from the City. As a young man he aspired to be a footballer and took part in trials alongside Alan Shearer. Reflecting on that change of direction, he joked it was about "following dreams and if they don't come true… there's always something else".

Why the ranking matters

The Powerlist's publishers frame the ranking as a signal to young people, not just an honour roll. Thomas's ascent — from a Sheffield childhood, through Rotherham and Kingston, to the head of a 900-year-old institution — gives the list its most institutional profile yet, and puts the face of UK financial-district governance alongside entertainers and entrepreneurs at the top of the ranking.