A list honoring influential black Britons features a man who was twice homeless as a teenager before becoming a multimillionaire entrepreneur.
Dean Forbes is the CEO of a software company after beginning his career in a call center after failing to make it as a professional footballer.
He rose through “abject poverty” on a south-east London estate to become chief executive of the Swedish software company Forterro.
Forbes described the achievement of topping the Powerlist in 2025 as a “professional and career high.”
He told the BBC that his disabled mother always encouraged her children to be optimistic and gave them hope, despite the fact that they were raised by a single parent on a housing estate in Lewisham.
He said that despite having little money and living in a community that “looked after each other,” he had a “whale of a time” growing up.
He claimed that his mother instilled in him and his two brothers the values of “raising our expectations,” “never to be a victim,” and “not to dwell on misfortunes.”
He was homeless twice as a teenager, but he and his family always saw these situations as temporary obstacles to overcome, he said.
He was able to get into Crystal Palace Academy, but things didn’t go as planned.
Because it strengthened his determination, he attributes that failure to a pivotal moment in his subsequent success.
He stated, “It put me on this path which is beyond my wildest dreams thanks to that disappointment and rejection.”
He had borrowed money to “keep up appearances” with friends who were “paid well,” like then-football player Rio Ferdinand, but he ended up with a £88,000 debt pile.
He started by getting a job in a Motorola call center, where he quickly rose through the ranks.
He moved to Primavera, a software company he helped start, and he made his first millions when it was sold to Oracle: He had invested in equity.
After that, Forbes moved on to KDS and CoreHR, two software companies, where he became CEO, taking equity stakes and earning millions more.
He also owns an equity stake in Forterro, which he described as having annual revenues of more than €300 million (£250 million) and earnings of €130 million.
He stated that, despite his wealth, he never desired “to lose the value of a pound.”
His children “have never had to deal with anything I had to deal with” in terms of poverty, and he was able to buy her a house.
He now refers to actors Idris Elba and Ferdinand as close friends.
But he told the BBC that his roots were still very important to him and that he wanted to encourage and give opportunities to others whose lives have not been easy.
The Forbes Family Group was established by Forbes and his wife Danielle as a philanthropic organization for people living in underserved communities.
They are attempting to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage by providing positive role models to the public.
He stated, “My experience has made me painfully aware that there is so much talent in these communities – you just need to open the door a crack” in order to provide individuals with an opportunity.
According to Forbes, when he was growing up, the only black people he could see succeeding appeared to be in sports, entertainment, or “doing unsavoury things” in gangs.
He said that mentoring and projects for networking would help make success in business more “relatable.”
After finishing second last year, he is now ranked first on the Powerlist 2025.
According to Powerful Media, the annual Powerlist was first published in 2007 with the intention of providing young black people with role models.
Forbes replaces Edward Enninful, British Vogue’s chief editor, at the top of the list.
The Powerlist for 2025’s top ten are as follows:
1. Dean Forbes is the CEO of the software company Forterro 2. Bank of America’s international president, Bernard Mensah Chief financial officer of the Bank of England, Afua Kyei Good American 5’s chief executive officer is Emma Grede. Partner at the law firm White & Case 6, Joshua Siaw Senior partner of McKinsey 7 Consulting, Tunde Olanrewaju Alexander and Oliver Kent-Braham, the insurance company’s founders, Adejoke Bakare is the chef and owner of Chishuru 9, which received a Michelin star. St. James’ Place fund manager Justin Onuekwusi
