FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak retained the top spot on the 2024 GG2 Power List for the third year in a row.

London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan, who has won a third term at City Hall in the mayoral elections in May 2024, was second on the list, with court of appeal judge, Sir Rabinder Singh, in third place.

Lord Jitesh Gadhia, chair of the British Asian Trust and Chanel CEO Leena Nair were placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Now in its 14th year of publication, the GG2 Power List is the definitive guide to Asians in positions of power and influence across the UK.

Rounding off the top 10 were tycoon Gopi Hinduja and family; high court judge Dame Bobbie Cheema-Grubb; businessman Lakshmi Mittal and his son Aditya; BBC’s first chairman of colour Samir Shah and recently appointed director of the National Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham.

The GG2 Power List recognises the 101 most influential south Asians in the country, from politics, business, entertainment and sport, among other sectors.

It is published by the Asian Media Group (AMG) and was unveiled at the GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards in central London on March 5, 2024.

This year’s list featured 32 women, with four of them in the top 10.

Claire Coutinho, the former secretary of state for energy security and net zero, and a rising star in the Conservative Party, is ranked 11th.

Other women on the list include Labour MP and current secretary of state for justice, Shabana Mahmood, (20); Dr Swati Dhingra, an academic and member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (22); Baroness Shriti Vadera, chair of Prudential (24); Nusrat Ghani, former minister of state at the department of trade and business (27); Bina Mehta, chair of KPMG (30) and judge Anuja Dhir (32).

New female entrants this year are Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (38); Halima Begum, CEO of Oxfam (68); Dr Joya Chatterji, a professor of south Asian history and a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge (74); playwright Lolita Chakraborti (79); and Ambika Mod, star of the hit Netflix series One Day (82).

Shailesh Solanki, AMG executive editor, said both the GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards and the GG2 Power List sought to encourage and motivate those striving to make Britain an inclusive, diverse and fair society at all levels.

More than 700 people attended the GG2 Leadership and Diversity Awards, with companies also recognised for their efforts in promoting diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace.