Our panel is tasked with the unenvious job of deciding each year who makes the list. So, how do people get on the Powerlist? It works like this. Powerful Media receives nominations for potential new Powerlistees and updates from the men and women who are already on the list. We put them through a test based on our definition of influence, which we define as; “the ability to positively alter events and change lives as demonstrated over a protracted period of time”. We give each nominee marks out of 10 on two indices, how influential they are among their immediate sphere of expertise and how far that influence reaches beyond that. The highest 150 are given to the panel to deliberate over, which they do for seven days, before locking themselves into a room for eight hours in August to deliberate. This year their focus was on trying to ensure that the number of women on the Powerlist was more reflective of the reality. Women had hitherto been underrepresented.

Dame Linda Dobbs – Chair

Legal consultant; Former High Court Judge

Following a successful career at the Bar, Dame Linda became Britain’s first black High Court judge. She was the senior liaison judge for diversity and the chair of the International and Magisterial Committees of the Judicial College. In 2013 she stood down to pursue other interests, both professional and charitable. Her legal consultancy conducts significant work in Africa and the Caribbean and her charities work mainly in Africa focusing on education. Dame Linda is also a Judicial Commissioner at the Investigatory Powers Commission.

Matthew Ryder

QC, Former Deputy Mayor of London for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement

A leading QC and part-time judge, Matthew was appointed the Deputy Mayor for Social Integra-tion in 2016 under London Mayor Sadiq Khan. He recently returned to his legal practice. Before joining the judging panel, Matthew was a fixture in the Powerlist top 10 for many years and has been a board member of a number of cultural and education organisations including the Black Cultural Archive in Brixton and the University of the Arts in London.

Dr Heather Melville OBE

Director & Head of Client Experience, PwC

Heather Melville is a thought leader on leadership, an innovator in business and has a notable track record of delivering strong financial performance and building high-performing inclusive teams across financial and professional services. This year Heather celebrates a 40-year career in the City, having established a purpose- and values-driven reputation, together with a gentle, focused yet persuasive style, that has helped both individuals and businesses to be successful. Her new role as Director and Head of Client Experience for PwC UK, sees Heather leading a dynamic team of data scientists, established marketers and client-feedback specialists.

Daniel Taylor

Managing Director, Metro Design Group

Metro Design was founded by Daniel Taylor in 1998, and remains the country’s only substantial black-owned business in the commercial design and fit-out industry. Daniel has built the company through mastering his skills within the design and build sector. This has enabled him to build an incredibly strong brand that is highly respected in the industry. His clients are predominantly blue-chip companies such as Boeing, the Conservative Party, the Unite Union, Harley-Davidson, Deutsche Finance and many more. A true family-run business, Metro Design moved into an incredible new state-of-the-art premises in Croydon in September 2018, and has been featured in a number of design publications. In 2019, Daniel received the MBE for his services in business design and workplace diversity.

Dr. Nicola Rollock

Associate Professor, Goldsmiths University, London

Nicola is an academic, consultant and executive coach specialising in racial justice. This January, she was appointed as the Specialist Adviser to the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry – the Macpherson Report 20 Years On – which is examining progress in meeting the 70 recommendations published in 1999. Nicola is a member of the Wellcome Trust’s Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group and the British Science Association’s Equality & Diversity Advisory Group. In 2017, she established ‘Women of Colour in the Academy’ to provide mentorship to scholars.

Tim Campbell MBE

Mayor’s Ambassador; Businessman

Tim hardly needs any introduction. He brings to the panel a wealth of experience from the worlds of business and recruitment. The former Powerlistee has been involved in a variety of enterprises and is the Mayor of London’s ambassador for Training and Enterprise while pursuing several other business interests.

Ijeoma Okoli

Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

A US lawyer with extensive experience advising on finance transactions for clients in Africa, Asia, Europe and the US, Ijeoma was one of the first lawyers in London with expertise in both EU and US post financial crisis regulation. She also serves on non-profit boards and is an advocate for increased gender and ethnic diversity in the City of London.