Sharon White, Chairwoman of John Lewis Partnership

Sharon White was voted by The Voice as the 7^th most powerful black woman in Britain. And this year she replaced Sir Charles Mayfield as the Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership. Formerly a British civil servant, White was active during the premiership of Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and David Cameron, and helped oversee the British government’s response to the 2008 Global Recession.

She is the first person of color to be made Permanent Secretary to the British Treasury. And only the second woman after Dame Anne Mueller in 1987. As well as chairing the John Lewis Partnership, which enjoys annual revenue of £10bn, White is also the CEO of Ofcom.