City of London Chief Ian Thomas Tops Black Powerlist

Ian Thomas, chief executive of the City of London Corporation, has been named the UK's most influential Black Briton in the Black Powerlist awards.

Thomas, 57, is the first Black person to run the governing body of the Square Mile in its history of more than 900 years. He tops the 2027 list, which recognises the most powerful people of African and Caribbean heritage in the UK. The awarding body called him "a respected public-service leader with over 30 years' experience in local government".

Comfort Ero, president and chief executive of the International Crisis Group, takes second place. Thomas replaces last year's number one, Afua Kyei, the Bank of England's chief financial officer. The top ten also includes entrepreneurs Emma Grede and Steven Bartlett and the actor and filmmaker Sir Idris Elba.

Lifetime Achievement

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

The Powerlist is in its 21st year. Publisher Michael Eboda said it "exists to show young people of African and Caribbean heritage what is possible, in fields they might never have considered".

From Sheffield to the Square Mile

Thomas told the BBC he got the City role in 2022 only after 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 said.

As chief executive he oversees around 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.

He was born in Sheffield to parents who settled there 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.

As a young man he wanted to be a footballer and went to trials alongside Alan Shearer. Of that change of direction, he joked it was about "following dreams and if they don't come true… there's always something else".

Before the City, Thomas was chief executive of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, where he oversaw public services and a £1.2bn regeneration programme. He was appointed a CBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for transforming children's services as strategic director at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, in the wake of the Rotherham abuse scandal.

Source: BBC News