Who is Dean Forbes? From homeless teenager to the UK’s most influential black person

The Powerlist 2025 ranked Dean Forbes, CEO of bundle institution Forterro, arsenic the astir influential black idiosyncratic successful Britain.

Having experienced homelessness doubly arsenic a teenager, the 45-year-old takes implicit the apical spot from erstwhile Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful.

The Powerlist honours the astir important African, African Caribbean, and African American individuals successful the UK.

Forbes said: “It is an unthinkable honour to beryllium named fig 1 connected the Powerlist. My journey, from increasing up successful south-east London to starring planetary businesses, has shown maine the powerfulness of resilience, the value of community, and seizing each opportunity.

“I anticipation my communicative tin animate others from akin backgrounds to judge successful their imaginable and enactment hard to execute their dreams.”

Adejoke Bakare, the archetypal achromatic British pistillate cook to person a Michelin star, and Emma Grede, the founding spouse successful Kim Kardashian's Skims covering line, are besides successful the apical 10.

Michael Eboda, main enforcement of Powerful Media, the steadfast of the Powerlist, said: “What truly stood out, beyond Dean’s impeccable way grounds successful business, is however he’s utilized his skills to genuinely springiness back, peculiarly by supporting assemblage charities done his Forbes Family Group Foundation.

“The judges felt that, much than anyone, Dean had gone supra and beyond successful this area. He’s unsocial and genuinely deserves to beryllium our fig one.”

But who is Forbes? Here’s his story.

Like with galore occurrence stories, his started with challenges.

Forbes grew up successful a single-parent household connected an property successful Lewisham. His parent was suffering from muscular dystrophy, truthful helium started taking attraction of his younger brothers from the property of 11.

Forbes signed a declaration with Crystal Palace astatine a young property with the extremity of becoming a nonrecreational shot player, but that ended astatine the property of 17 erstwhile helium suffered injuries.

He told Business Insider that aft being rejected, he experienced homelessness until landing a Motorola telephone centre job.

After that, Forbes became the CEO of 2 bundle companies, KDS and CoreHR. He took equity stakes each clip and made millions more.

Additionally, helium has an equity involvement successful Forterro, a institution that generates implicit €300 cardinal (£250 million) successful gross annually and €130 cardinal successful profits, according to him.

Despite his wealth, helium said helium ne'er wanted "to suffer the worth of a pound".

Forbes founded the Forbes Family Group, a charitable organisation assisting those successful underprivileged areas, with his woman Danielle.

According to Forbes, the lone palmy achromatic individuals helium saw arsenic a kid were either successful entertainment, sports, oregon “doing unsavoury things” successful transgression gangs.

He said his extremity was to marque firm accomplishment much "relatable", utilizing networking and mentorship initiatives.