A man who was twice homeless as a teenager and later became a millionaire entrepreneur has topped a list celebrating influential black Britons.
Dean Forbes started his career in call centers after failing to make it as a professional footballer and is now the owner of several software companies.
He worked his way up from “abject poverty” on an estate in southeast London to become CEO of Forterro, a Swedish software company.
Forbes said being at the top of the 2025 Power List is a “career and career high.”
He told the BBC that although he grew up in a single-parent family on a housing estate in Lewisham, his disabled mother always encouraged her children to be positive and gave them hope.
He said growing up was “a great time” despite having little money and living in a local community that “looked after each other”.
He said his mother taught him and his two brothers to “raise our expectations,” to “never be a victim” and not to dwell on misfortune.
He was homeless twice as a teenager, but he said he and his family always viewed those as temporary challenges to overcome.
He managed to gain a place at Crystal Palace Academy, but was unsuccessful.
He points to that failure as a key moment in his eventual success because it made him more determined.
“Because of that disappointment and rejection, it set me on this path that was beyond my wildest dreams,” he said.
He had been borrowing money to “keep up appearances” from friends such as then-footballer Rio Ferdinand, who was “paying well”, but he ended up with a debt of £88,000.
To start clarifying this, he got a job at a Motorola call center and was quickly promoted.
He jumped to a software company called Primavera, which he helped build and made his first million when the company was sold to Oracle: he received equity.
From there, Forbes rose to become CEO of two software companies, KDS and CoreHR, gaining equity and making millions each time.
He also owns a stake in Forterro, which he says has annual revenues of more than €300m (£250m) and profits of €130m.
Despite his wealth, he said he never wanted to “lose a pound’s worth”.
He bought his mom a house and his children “have never faced anything I’ve had to deal with.”
He now describes celebrities such as Ferdinand and actor Idris Elba as close friends.
But he told the BBC that his roots remain very important to him and he wants to inspire and provide opportunities to people who don’t have advantages in life.
Forbes and his wife Danielle founded Forbes Family Group, a charitable organization serving people in underserved communities.
They are working to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage and set positive role models.
“My experience made me painfully aware that there is so much talent in these communities — you just have to open a crack” and give people a chance, he said.
Forbes said that when he was growing up, the only successful black people he saw seemed to be in entertainment, sports or criminal gangs “doing something disgusting.”
He said he hopes to make business success more “relevant” through mentorship and networking programs.
He now ranks No. 1 on the 2025 Power List after ranking second last year.
The annual Power List was first released in 2007 to provide young black men with role models, According to powerful media reports.
Forbes replaced Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, at the top of the list.
