When you walk into the headquarters of the Bank of England on Threadneedle Street, you are entering one of Europe’s most powerful financial institutions. The person who oversees its finances is Afua Kyei, the bank’s Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of Finance, Strategy, Performance and Tax. She joined the institution in June 2019 and now finds herself at the apex of British and global finance, and in October 2025 she was named the UK’s most influential Black person by the annual Powerlist.
Kyei’s early ambition was in the sciences. A graduate of Somerville College at the University of Oxford, she studied chemistry and published research on anti-tumour molecules. A Junior Research Fellowship at Princeton University followed, and then she pivoted into finance. After becoming a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young, she moved into investment banking at UBS during the global financial crisis.
Her private-sector experience extended to Barclays Bank, where she held senior roles including CFO for Mortgages and Director of Business Planning. In 2019 she joined the Bank of England and quickly became a key figure in its executive team.
Steering a £1 Trillion Balance Sheet
The responsibilities entrusted to Kyei are formidable. She oversees the Bank’s financial governance, including a balance sheet that, at its peak during the Covid-19 pandemic, exceeded £1 trillion. She is a director of the Bank’s Asset Purchase Facility Fund and the Alternative Liquidity Facility, and she played a central role in the institution’s response to major shocks including Brexit and the gilt-market crisis.
Kyei also led the financial reform for the bank’s funding mechanism under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, and oversaw the upgrade of the UK’s Real Time Gross Settlement system, a critical national infrastructure processing over £700 billion each day.
Visibility, Representation and Public Purpose
The October 2025 Powerlist accolade recognised more than Kyei’s professional achievement. It pointed to her role as a visible figure in public service and finance, and as a bridge between under-represented talent and institutions that shape nation-level economies. She told Sky News that the honour was “about representation, visibility and possibility”.
In her role as co-executive sponsor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at the Bank, Kyei has been outspoken about the importance of inclusive leadership. She has emphasised the connection between diverse talent and better organisational performance. “If we don’t get DEI right, our thinking becomes out of touch very quickly,” she said in a public speech.
Balancing Public Service and Personal Purpose
Kyei speaks pragmatically about the purpose behind her work. For her, being CFO of one of the UK’s most influential institutions means more than managing numbers. It means overseeing an institution the public trusts with monetary stability and financial infrastructure in a world of unceasing complexity. “The things we do affect every household and business in the country,” she said.
Despite the weight of her role, Kyei also emphasises balance. She has spoken openly about being a mother of four young children and navigating a demanding career with personal commitments. Her message to younger professionals is clear: leadership is not just about position, it is about purpose, and it must reflect the lives of those who do the work.
The significance of her appointment and recognition lies in its timing and context. She stands out not only as someone who has achieved personal success, but as someone who reshapes possibility. For young people of African heritage, for women in finance, and for those aiming at public-sector leadership, her example signals that institution-level power is no longer reserved; it is accessible and earned. The fact that someone in financial services, previously under-represented in such lists, now tops the most influential categories suggests an industry shift in values and expectations.
For an executive whose responsibilities include strategy, tax, performance, and financial governance, the next phase likely involves navigating digital currencies, climate change finance and evolving regulatory frameworks. With the Bank of England signalling greater emphasis on sustainable finance and infrastructure modernisation, Kyei’s role will remain pivotal.
More importantly, she continues to carry a message: that leadership must be visible, inclusive and aligned to public purpose. In her own words, “We should reflect the society that we’re serving.”
The journey from chemistry researcher to one of the most powerful figures in British finance is rare. But for Afua Kyei, the journey is also deliberate, driven by intellect, informed by experience, and guided by a sense of service. At 43, she stands at the nexus of capital, policy and representation. Her role matters not just for the institution she serves but for the generations who will follow.
