 Chair, John Lewis Partnership Dame Sharon was born in East London to Jamaican parents and attended Cambridge University to study economics before embarking on a dazzling career in the civil service. While working at the Ministry of Justice with secretary of state Kenneth Clarke, he said: 'She is one of the most intelligent people and best civil servants I have ever worked with, a real high-flyer.' In 2013, she was appointed Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, making her one of the most powerful women in Westminster. She was the first Black person and the second-ever woman to hold the role. Before joining John Lewis, she was previously chief executive at Ofcom, where from 2015 she managed the UK communications regulator through a period of similarly intense change. In 2020, she became chair of John Lewis, guiding the firm through the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis. With her innovative strategies, the firm has seen pre-tax profits grow by more than a third year on year. Now 55, she was awarded a Damehood in the 2020 New Year's Honours, for public service. 2. Dean Forbes Dean, 55, has spent his career turning ailing tech firms into success stories CEO, Forterro Dean, 55, has spent his career turning ailing tech firms into success stories. He is currently at the helm of software company Forterro, which he joined in March, and has also been recognised for his philanthropic work){kind=link}
The annual chart of the UK’s influential people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage was created in 2007 to honour role models
John Lewis Partnership chair Dame Sharon White has been named Britain’s most influential Black person in The Powerlist 2023.
The annual chart of the UK’s influential people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage was created in 2007 to honour role models.
Dame Sharon said: “My hope is we can take the serendipity out of social mobility â everyone should have the chance to be who they want to be in life.”
Powerlistees celebrated in an event at the Savoy hotel in London.