Head of the Square Mile's governing body named most influential Black Briton

The chief executive of the City of London Corporation, Ian Thomas, has been ranked first on the 2027 Black Powerlist, according to BBC News. The annual list, now in its 21st year, recognises the UK's most influential people of African and Caribbean heritage.

A first for the City

Thomas, 57, is the first Black person to lead the governing body of the Square Mile, an institution with a history stretching back more than 900 years. The Corporation administers London's central financial district and has its own Lord Mayor. Thomas took the post in 2022 after going through seven interviews and an election.

His role covers around 5,000 employees and a wide range of responsibilities, including:

• the City of London Police;
• about 11,000 acres of open spaces, among them Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath;
• advocacy on behalf of the UK's financial and professional services sector.

Before moving to the City, he was chief executive of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, where he led public services and a £1.2bn regeneration programme. He was made a CBE in 2019 for his work improving children's services at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. The list's organisers described him as a public-service leader with more than three decades in local government.

Born in Sheffield to parents of the Windrush generation who came from Jamaica, Thomas credited his upbringing with shaping his approach, telling the BBC his parents instilled "discipline and respect".

Others on the list

Thomas succeeds Afua Kyei, chief financial officer and executive director at the Bank of England, who led last year's ranking. Comfort Ero, president and chief executive of the International Crisis Group, came second. The top ten also features entrepreneurs Emma Grede and Steven Bartlett and actor and filmmaker Sir Idris Elba. Sir Lenny Henry received a Lifetime Achievement award for co-founding Comic Relief. The list's publisher, Michael Eboda, said it aims to show young people of African and Caribbean heritage what careers are possible.

Why it matters for business

For readers following the business world, the ranking highlights the weight that leadership in public institutions carries for the financial sector. The bodies that govern districts such as the Square Mile also promote the industries based there, so their leadership can influence how the financial and professional services sector is represented. The prominence of finance and entrepreneurship on this year's list also points to growing visibility for diverse leaders across UK commerce.