An organization’s financial foundation is crucial for its survival with a capable finance leader overseeing its affairs.
Since 2019, Afua Kyei has been at the helm as the Chief Finance Officer and Executive Director at the Bank of England resigning from her role as Chief Financial Officer at Barclays Bank from 2012 to 2019. Her dedication and contributions have been instrumental in steering the bank towards growth and stability.
At the heart of the Bank’s decision-making processes, Afua has been responsible for Finance, Strategy, Performance, and Tax. She holds dual roles as a co-executive sponsor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and for the Bank’s Climate Change disclosure efforts.
Being an integral part of the Bank’s leadership, Afua has managed the financial governance of the Bank’s balance sheet, which expanded to over £1 trillion during the Covid pandemic. Additionally, Afua spearheaded the update of the Bank’s funding mechanism, as evidenced by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023.
As a member of the Bank’s Executive Board, she operationalizes the Energy Markets Financing Scheme and oversees the upgrade of the UK’s Real-Time Gross Settlement System. Afua is also a prominent keynote speaker representing the Bank at international events such as the IMF, G20, and COP, engaging with businesses and communities.
Afua, recognized as CFO of the Year 2021 at the Women in Finance Awards UK, was also named in the Cranfield FTSE Board Report ‘100 Women to Watch 2022’ and the Kindness & Leadership, 50 Leading Lights UK campaign in 2022. She was listed among the ‘2023 100 Most Reputable Africans’ by Reputation Poll International and awarded the Freedom of the City of London in the same year. Additionally, she was named the third most influential Briton of black heritage in the Powerlist 2024.
Within 2007 to 2012, she served as an Investment Banker at UBS (2007-2012) in the Financial Institutions Group and in Mergers and Acquisitions, Group Strategic Advisory during the Global Financial Crisis.
In 2000 to 2004, she attended the Somerville College, Oxford University where she read Chemistry and published an international science journal after being selected to be a member of Professor Sir Jack Baldwin’s research group. She continued to pursue her Master’s Degree at Princeton University having awarded a Junior Research Fellowship in Organic Chemistry.
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Afu’s leadership and expertise reflect her outstanding contributions to the financial sector and her significant influence both nationally and internationally.