UK (Commonwealth) _ A man who became a multimillionaire businessman after experiencing homelessness twice as a youth has topped a list honoring significant Black Britons.
Dean Forbes, who started his career at a contact center after failing as a professional football player, is currently the head of a software company. He rose from “abject poverty” in a south-east London estate to the position of CEO at the Swedish software company Forterro.
Forbes described his position at the top of the Powerlist 2025 as a “professional and career high”. Despite growing up in a Lewisham housing estate with only one parent, he told the BBC that his crippled mother constantly pushed her kids to remain optimistic and offered them hope.
He claimed to have had a “whale of a time” growing up in a neighborhood that “looked after each other” despite having little money.
He and his two brothers claimed that his mother instilled in them the values of “raising our expectations,” “never being victims,” and “not dwelling on misfortunes.”
He claimed that despite experiencing homelessness twice as a teenager, he and his family always viewed these as short-term obstacles to be surmounted. Despite his efforts, he was unable to secure a spot at Crystal Palace Academy.
He cites that setback as a turning point in his success because it strengthened his resolve. m “I am on a path that is beyond my wildest dreams because of that rejection and disappointment,” he said.
Eventually, his debt amounted to £88,000. He had been taking out loans to “keep up appearances” with acquaintances like Rio Ferdinand, a football player at the time, who was “paid well.”
He secured a position in a Motorola call center to begin clearing it, and he advanced swiftly. He earned his first in millions when Oracle acquired Primavera, a software company he helped start.
After that, Forbes became the CEO of two software companies, KDS and CoreHR, each of which earned millions more by acquiring stock shares. Additionally, he has stock in Forterro, a company that generates over €300 million (£250 million) in revenue annually and generates €130 million in profits, according to him.
He claimed that he never wished “to lose the value of a pound” in spite of his fortune.
He was able to purchase a house for his mother, ensuring that his kids never experienced poverty like he did. Actor Idris Elba and famous people like Ferdinand are now considered close friends with him.
However, he told the BBC that he still valued his roots and wished to encourage and provide opportunities to others who did not have a privileged start in life.
Forbes founded the Forbes Family Group, a charitable organization assisting those in underprivileged areas, with his wife Danielle. They are trying to provide people with positive role models and break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.
My experience has brutally shown me that these places are full with ability; all you have to do is “open the door a crack” to give folks an opportunity, he said. According to Forbes, the only successful Black individuals he saw as a child were either in entertainment, sports, or “doing unsavoury things” in criminal gangs.
His goal, he stated, was to make corporate achievement more “relatable” by means of networking and mentorship initiatives. He rose from his previous ranking of number two to number one on the Powerlist 2025.
Powerful Media first released the annual Powerlist in 2007 to serve as role models for young Black people. Forbes replaces Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, at the top of the list.
The following are the top 10 on the 2025 Powerlist:
1. Dean Forbes , CEO of Forterro Software
2. Bernard Mensah, president of international Bank America
3. Bank of England’s chief financial officer, Afua Kyei
4. Emma Grede, CEO of Good American (Fashion Brand)
5. White & Case law firm partner Joshua Siaw,
6. Senior partner Tunde Olanrewaju of the consulting firm McKinsey
7. Marshmallow, an insurance company founded by Alexander and Oliver Kent-Braham
8. Adejoke Bakare, chef and proprietor of Chishuru, a restaurant with a Michelin star
9. St. James’s Place fund manager Justin Onuekwusi
10. Microsoft’s chief AI transformation officer, Pamela Maynard
