Page 77 - 2018 Powerlist

Walter H White
Partner, McGuire Woods Politics, Law & Religion

Walter was the brains behind the seminal 2017 London
Conversations, a five-day series of events in June during
which more than 150 senior African American executives
and business people joined a number of black Britons to
debate a range of issues at some of London’s iconic venues
(Westminster Palace, Mansion House, the London Stock
Exchange, the Bank of England).
Walter almost single-handedly designed the programme
and organised the sponsorships for what many described as
the first step to a ‘black Davos’.
For more than a decade Walter has been a partner in
the London practice of McGuire Woods, one of the world’s
leading law and government relations firms.
However his real influence is now being seen in his
activities outside the office, where he is at the centre of a
serious and sustained effort to enhance business contacts
between black Britons and African Americans.
In 2015 he hosted the London Conference, in which more
than 200 leading African Americans came to the UK to meet
some of their British counterparts – many of whom were
from the Powerlist.
Prince Edward, the CBI and the Institute of Directors
were all involved in some capacity or other. Because of the
success of that initiative, another, even larger, conference is
being planned for 2018.
Joshua Siaw

Partner, White & Case

Joshua is global partner at White & Chase’s Global Banking
Practise, a role he has held since November 2014.
He advises governments, corporates, banks and other
financial institutions on finance transactions and cross-
border project development.
This well-connected lawyer has extensive knowledge
of African markets and he has worked on a number of
landmark deals across the region. Joshua, who has dual
Ghanaian and British nationality, is also a member of the
board of trustees of the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, a
charity set up by the former Nigerian president dedicated to
advancing human security in Africa.
The King’s College London graduate is responsible for
expanding W&C’s business in Africa, and positioning it
as the go-to law firm for both government and the private
sector. His personal ambition is to help drive intra-
Africa trade which he believes is one of the key answers
to the continent’s challenges. In June 2017 he received
the prestigious Professional of the Year award from the
Ghana United Kingdom Achievement Awards, the leading
business and innovation awards institute that celebrates,
acknowledges and supports Ghanaian-based businesses
and individuals in the UK.
In April he was named by Business World Magazine as
one of the 20 most influential Ghanaian business leaders
under the age of 40.
Joshua runs his own mentorship programme, mentoring
more than 50 secondary school students from disadvantaged
inner-city state schools in London and encouraging them to
pursue more traditional professional career paths such as
law, medicine and banking.

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