Power 50 judges faced a difficult task in excluding from the final line-up some of the best known faces in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
It will seem odd to many that Redditch MP Jacqui Smith, recently appointed Home Secretary by Gordon Brown, is not regarded as one of the 50 most powerful individuals in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
While Ms Smith is undoubtedly a key national player, she did not score heavily in the Power50 criteria.
The judges were adamant that Power50 must have a distinctly local flavour and should not simply be a list of politicians as defined by the importance of their office or business people as defined by the value of their companies.
For the same reason, Sir Paul Scott-Lee, the Chief Constable of the West Midlands, did not make the final 50. The office of chief constable is certainly powerful and influential, but Sir Paul's past achievements and potential for future delivery were not felt to be exceptional.
Heading the list of those that nearly made it was Salma Yaqoob, the Respect Party councillor for Sparkbrook.
Ms Yaqoob, a relatively new arrival on the local political scene, impressed the judges with her intelligence, drive and commitment to inner-city Asian issues. There was general agreement that her career is only just beginning to take off and that she may feature in future lists.
Khalid Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, also drew admiration for being the city's only Muslim MP and for his influence behind the scenes. He was not, however, felt a significant enough player to make the final 50.
Similarly, John Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP for Yardley and chairman of the city council Lib Dem group, was recognised as a powerful force in Birmingham. There were others, though, more deserving than Mr Hemming.
Stephen Maddock, chief executive of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, rated highly on achievement and legacy categories, but did not quite make the final list.
Professor Michael Parkinson, who recently completed the visioning study for the Birmingham city centre masterplan, was considered to have huge potential. However, the judging panel felt the impact of much of Prof Parkinson's work was yet to be felt.
The long list from which the final 50 were chosen included many well known names from across the region.
The judges agonised over the merits of Paul Thandi, chief executive of the NEC Group, Conservative Party chairman and Meriden MP Caroline Spellman, Government Office chief executive Trudi Elliott and Birmingham City Council chief executive Stephen Hughes. None scored highly enough on the chosen criteria to get into the top 50.
