Dean Forbes, who started his career at a contact center after failing as a professional football player, is currently the head of a software company.
He rose from “abject poverty” in a south-east London estate to the position of CEO at the Swedish software company Forterro.
A “professional and career high” was described by Forbes as being at the top of the Powerlist 2025.
Despite growing up in a Lewisham housing estate with only one parent, he told the news that his crippled mother always gave her kids hope and pushed them to be optimistic.
He claimed to have had a “whale of a time” growing up in a neighborhood that “looked after each other” despite having little money.
He and his two brothers claimed that his mother instilled in them the values of “raising our expectations,” “never being victims,” and “not dwelling on misfortunes.”
He claimed that despite experiencing homelessness twice as a teenager, he and his family always viewed these as short-term obstacles to be surmounted.
Despite his efforts, he was unable to secure a spot at Crystal Palace Academy.
He cites that setback as a turning point in his success because it strengthened his resolve.
“Thanks to that disappointment and rejection, it put me on this path which is beyond my wildest dreams,” he stated.
