Reported by BBC Business
Ian Thomas, chief executive of the City of London Corporation, has been named the UK's most influential Black Briton in this year's Black Powerlist awards.
The 57-year old is the first Black person to oversee the Square Mile's governing body in its more than 900-year history.
The City of London Corporation is an administrative body with responsibility for London's central financial district, headed by its own Lord Mayor.
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Thomas tops the 2027 Black Powerlist, which recognises the most powerful people of African and Caribbean heritage in the UK.
The award body said he was "a respected public-service leader with over 30 years' experience in local government".
Other influential names in this year's top ten include entrepreneurs Emma Grede and Steven Bartlett, as well as actor and filmmaker Sir Idris Elba.
Comedian Sir Lenny Henry has also been recognised, with a Lifetime Achievement award, for co-founding Comic Relief, which has raised over £1.6bn since 1985.
Now in its 21st year, the Black Powerlist celebrates people who have broken through barriers to reach leadership roles, thereby inspiring 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.
Sir Lenny Henry is being honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award
Thomas said he secured the role at the head of the City of London Corporation in 2022 only following seven interviews and an election.
'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," he told the BBC.
As chief executive, he oversees around 5,000 staff with responsibilities including the City of London Police, 11,000 acres of open spaces such as Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath, and advocacy for the UK's financial and professional services sector.
Thomas was born in Sheffield to parents who made the city their home after leaving 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 said…