Afua Kyei, the finance chief of the Bank of England, has been named the UK’s most influential black person.
The 43-year-old, who was appointed by Mark Carney, the bank’s former governor and now Canada’s prime minister, has replaced the CEO of the tech firm Forterro, Dean Forbes, in the top spot of this year’s Powerlist.
Kyei appeared third on the 2025 list behind Forbes and the president of international at the Bank of America, Bernard Mensah.
The list was started in 2006 to showcase black role models to young people across industries including business, science, technology and the arts. Speaking with the Guardian, Kyei described topping the list as an honour and recognition for the public sector.
Women occupy more than two in five seats on the boards of Britain’s biggest listed companies, according to a report published earlier this year that also found the number of female FTSE 100 chief executives dipped for a time to fewer than 10.
Kyei, who is also co-executive sponsor for diversity equity and inclusion as well as the bank’s climate change disclosure, said one of her aims was to help others fulfil their ambitions.
“There is a shortage in black leadership. If you look at the FTSE 350, if we look at the FTSE 100, 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 and they do not see role models,” said Kyei.
“I think the Powerlist is fantastic because it has provided visibility to the role models that are across every industry so that young people can look up and say, well, if they can, so can I.”
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Kyei is joined on the 2026 Powerlist by the footballer turned broadcaster Ian Wright, and the makeup founder and dame Pat McGrath. Previous women who have topped the list include the businesswomen Karen Blackett and Sharon White, while newcomers include the actor Cynthia Erivo and DJ AG, who encourages people to perform alongside him in the streets of London while he livestreams the results.
“There are some incredible role models from black leaders in the UK that really paved the way for a lot of people,” said Kyei.
The Bank of England has aimed for 10% of its graduate intake to be of black heritage by 2028, as well as up to 20% of senior managers to be of black or ethnic minority background. While further progress has been made at junior levels, Kyei said there was still work to do at executive level.
“We should reflect the society that we’re serving,” said Kyei, who is of Ghanaian heritage.
As finance chief, Kyei has helped steer the Bank through tumultuous periods including Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the cost of living crisis.
As chief financial officer, she is responsible for oversight of the Bank’s £1tn balance sheet, and for setting its strategy and resource allocation across budget, investment and human capital.
A student of chemistry, Kyei began her career in the private sector after graduating from Oxford and Princeton universities. Born in London to parents from Ghana, she was raised between Highgate, Wimbledon and Surrey as her mother worked for the NHS for more than three decades and her father worked in the oil industry, later helping found the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.
One turning point in her own journey, she recalled, came working part-time at Burberry’s flagship store in Mayfair, which she said gave her exposure to the business world while she was studying.
“It’s really important to be curious and to try new things and I think that’s been a common part of my journey,” she said, adding that balancing both her professional and personal aspirations had been equally important.
“I’ve enjoyed balancing my role with having a young family,” she added. “The things I wanted to achieve from a family standpoint as well as achieving my career aspirations, it’s important to be able to do both.”
Powerlist 2026 top 10;
Afua Kyei – Chief financial officer and executive director, Bank of England.
Ian Wright – Former Arsenal and England footballer, broadcaster and advocate for equity in sport.
Dame Pat McGrath – Makeup artist/founder, Pat McGrath Labs.
Pamela Maynard – Chief AI transformation officer, Microsoft MCAPS.
Joshua Siaw – Partner, White & Case.
Tunde Olanrewaju – Senior partner and managing partner, McKinsey & Company Europe.
Steven Bartlett – Entrepreneur and Dragon, Dragons’ Den.
Emma Grede – CEO and co-founder, Good American; founding partner, SKIMS.
Idris Elba – Actor, film-maker, philanthropist.
Ije Nwokorie – Chief executive officer, Dr Martens.
