According to the BBC, on Oct. 26, Edward Enninful OBE, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, earned the prestigious title of the UK’s most influential Black person, according to the Powerlist 2024, an annual recognition of individuals of African, African Caribbean, and African American heritage, now in its 18th year.
The list serves as a platform to celebrate Black role models, especially for the younger generation. Notable figures featured in this year’s roster include Afua Kyei, chief financial officer of the Bank of England, and Steven Bartlett, the well-known star of Dragon’s Den and a prominent podcaster.
Enninful, the first Black man to hold the esteemed position of editor-in-chief at British Vogue, recently announced his departure to focus on global brand expansion and new projects. Alongside this role, he also serves as the European Editorial Director of Condé Nast.
Enninful, aged 51 and originally from Ghana, describes his ranking as a great honor, “shines a light on Black people really breaking boundaries, who are unafraid and champion what it means to be truly diverse in their own industries,” he told the BBC.
Enninful’s remarkable journey began when he moved to London with his family at a young age. Scouted on a train during his teenage years, he briefly pursued a career in modeling. At 18, he embarked on his editorial career as the fashion director of i-D, a British youth culture magazine, thereby becoming the youngest person appointed as an editor at a prominent international fashion publication.
The Powerlist encompasses various influential individuals from various sectors, spanning from business, science, and technology to the arts. Some other notable names on this year’s list include Lord Woolley of Woodford, co-founder of Operation Black Vote and principal at Cambridge University’s Homerton College, and model and activist Munroe Bergdorf. Notable comedian Mo Gilligan and entrepreneur Patricia Bright are also featured. In previous years, luminaries such as Jacky Wright, former chief digital officer and corporate vice president at Microsoft US, seven-time Formula One champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, and former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman have occupied the No. 1 spot on the Powerlist.