Bafta winner Mia McKenna-Bruce and One Day stars among Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe

Bafta winner Mia McKenna-Bruce and One Day leads Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall are among the stars listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.

McKenna-Bruce, 26, who won the rising star gong at the Baftas earlier this year, has been recognised as a young changemaker for her award-winning performance as Tara in How To Have Sex. Dealing with issues of consent and sexual assault, the actress also won best lead performance at the British Independent Film Awards.

She is joined on the list by the two stars of Netflix’s One Day, Mod, 29, and Woodall, 27.

One Day, about the friendship and romance between two people who meet at university, became the streaming service’s most-watched series globally within the first week of its release and has since been praised for being one of the few shows to cast a South Asian woman as a romantic lead.

The list aims to spotlight “disruptors and changemakers who are redefining their respective fields” and features several women and non-binary celebrities that are speaking out on issues such as sexual assault and transgender representation.

McKenna-Bruce has pushed for greater education on consent, while Mod has called for more diversity in casting.

Also listed are The Last Of Us actor Bella Ramsey, 20, and Doctor Who’s Yasmin Finney, 20. The former, who came out as non-binary in January 2023, has criticised awards shows for continuing to use binary categories and called for the entertainment industry to make more space for gender non-conforming performers.

Finney, who is the first openly transgender actor to appear on Doctor Who, has also been a vocal advocate for greater trans representation.

The social impact of those nominated is one of the factors the list uses to decide who they will ultimately feature. The other factors include their revenue, scale of reach and potential.

Forbes usually receives more than 200,000 submissions to the list a year. These are sorted into a shortlist by writers and editors based on recommendations from industry experts and list alumni.

The shortlist is then assessed by an independent panel, which, this year, included singer Rina Sawayama, The White Lotus star Simona Tabasco and Olympic athlete Sir Mo Farah.

Also on the list are several of the Sex Education cast, including lead Asa Butterfield, 27, Barbie star Emma Mackey, 28, Mimi Keene, 25, Sami Outalbali, 25, and Connor Swindells, 27, who most recently appeared in Scoop as paparazzi photographer Jae Donnelly. Their co-star, Ncuti Gatwa, now 31, made the list in 2020.

Other notable names include musician PinkPantheress, 22, who won Billboard’s producer of the year in March, Love Island host Maya Jama, 29, and 2023’s Uefa women’s player of the year Aitana Bonmati, 26.

In the sport category, Bonmati is joined by darts player Luke Littler, 17, Grand Slam winner Aryna Sabalenka, 25, F1 driver Lando Norris, 24, and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, 20.

The youngest on the list is 14-year-old Alisha Weir, best known for Matilda: The Musical. The Irish actress and singer appeared in Wicked Little Letters earlier this year and will play a vampire ballerina in Abigail, in cinemas next week.

Kristin Stoller, senior editor of Forbes Under 30, said: ““This year’s Under 30 Europe cohort showcases how a new generation of leaders are creating meaningful long-term change worldwide and inspiring others to do the same.

“Their leadership and achievements across business, culture, sports, science and beyond illustrate how you can make a lasting difference to society from an early age.”