Afua Kyei Remarkable Figure in British Finance
Afua Kyei stands as a remarkable figure in British finance, not just for the roles she holds, but for the journey she has taken to reach them. The Bank of England’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Kyei, has topped the 2026 Powerlist as the UK’s most influential Black person. She is also an Executive Director at the central bank. Kyei, 43, is one of the UK’s most senior finance leaders, responsible for the financial governance of the Bank’s substantial balance sheet, which peaked at over £1 trillion during the COVID-19 pandemic. She joined the Bank in 2019 and was the first Black senior executive appointed to a leadership role there. The annual Powerlist, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, highlights people of African, African Caribbean, and African American heritage who have a positive influence on British society. Other notable figures in the 2026 top ten include former footballer and broadcaster Ian Wright and make-up artist Dame Pat McGrath. Kyei takes the top spot from tech CEO Dean Forbes, who led the 2025 list.
Raised in London to Ghanaian-heritage parents, Afua’s early life set the tone for a broad and ambitious trajectory. Her mother moved from Ghana to the UK to study midwifery and worked for the NHS for decades, while her father likewise came to Britain on scholarship to study engineering. Afua attended Old Palace School in Croydon and then read Chemistry at Somerville College, Oxford. Her undergraduate and master’s work focused on organic chemistry and anti-tumour molecules, and she was awarded a Junior Research Fellowship at Princeton University in the United States. These early academic credentials show a mind tuned for precision, experimentation and transformation.
Transitioning from the world of chemistry into finance might seem like a sharp pivot, but for Kyei it represented a parallel commitment to making a difference. After training as a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young in London, she entered investment banking at UBS during the global financial crisis. Later, at Barclays, she held senior finance roles including Chief Financial Officer of Mortgages and worked on major strategic cost transformation programmes. These roles sharpened her technical skills and gave her deep experience in managing complex financial organisations.
In June 2019, Afua joined the Bank of England as CFO and Executive Director. At 36, she became the first Black senior executive in the Bank’s 329-year history. In her role she oversees finance, strategy, performance and tax, and is deeply involved with the Bank’s balance sheet and key infrastructure systems. For example, she is a Director of the Bank’s Asset Purchase Facility Fund and the Alternative Liquidity Facility, and a member of the Executive Board that is overseeing the renewal of the UK’s Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, which processes hundreds of billions in payments daily.
Her tenure has coincided with seismic events: Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic financial disruption, and the cost-of-living crisis. Under her stewardship the Bank’s balance sheet expanded to more than £1 trillion, a figure she speaks of with both respect for its scale and awareness of the responsibilities it implies. It’s this kind of crisis-era leadership—technical, courageous, visible—that helped elevate her profile and put her in the top slot of the 2026 Powerlist.
But the significance of her role goes beyond numbers and systems. Kyei is co-executive sponsor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at the Bank and co-sponsor for its climate change disclosure agenda. She frequently speaks about the importance of representation, not just for her own journey but for the young Black and Brown students who look for role models. In her own words: “There is a shortage in Black leadership. If you look at the FTSE 350 … we do not see Black chairs, we do not see Black CEOs. I think one of the challenges is that young people cannot see themselves represented.”
Her topping of the Powerlist in 2026 is thus deeply symbolic. It signals not just personal achievement but marks a step in the narrative of Black British leadership and influence. The list, now in its 20th year, recognises and amplifies the work of people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage in the UK across business, politics, culture, arts and sport. For Kyei to be named number one reflects her impact, but also the hunger for change in the institutions she serves.
Beyond the boardrooms and balance sheets, Afua is a person with values shaped by her beginnings and by her belief in service. Her early ambition was to be a doctor—to help people directly. That mission persists now as she helps steer the UK economy and its institutions. Her scientific training gives her a distinct perspective in finance: one that emphasises experimentation, rigour, curiosity and change. It’s a rare blend in the world of central banking.
In conversations she emphasises the importance of purpose and governance: strong systems, clear culture, inclusive leadership. She speaks with humility about her own evolution and about the path she is helping create for others. As the Bank of England continues to modernise, adapt and respond to external disruption, she frames her role as being part of something bigger than herself—a mission to serve society, not just to manage numbers.
Her leadership also makes visible the changing face of British finance—an industry long criticised for its exclusivity. Kyei’s presence and profile challenge assumptions and open doors. She is not just a finance executive. She is a symbol and an enabler of transformation—of institutions, of careers, of representation.
In short, Afua Kyei marries technical mastery, institutional leadership and a conscious commitment to inclusion. Her journey from chemistry labs to boardrooms, from Ghanaian-heritage homes to the pinnacle of UK central banking, offers a blueprint for what leadership can look like when anchored in integrity, skill and vision. The fact that she has been named the UK’s most influential Black person in 2026 is both fitting and necessary—a recognition of her impact, and a call to keep moving forward.
