Afua Kyei was appointed CFO of the Bank of England in 2019 when she was 36 years old. Since then, she has been at the core of the Bank’s leadership and decision making, overseeing the financial governance of the Bank’s balance sheet, which at its peak, grew to over £1 trillion during the Covid pandemic. She has also been responsible for updating the Bank’s funding mechanism as reflected in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. 

The mother of three describes the “privilege of serving the UK” by playing a leadership role through the three major global events of Brexit, the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Her role also includes working with the Bank’s subsidiary Asset Purchasing Facility Fund, the vehicle that performs quantitative easing. She is also a member of the bank’s Executive Board, overseeing the upgrade of the UK’s Real Time Gross Settlement System, which processes more than £750bn payments daily.

Afua, who is of Ghanaian heritage continues to pave the way for minorities by driving cultural change within organisations. When a 2021 review of the BoE’s ethnic diversity showed that the financial institution was still falling short, Afua was named Co-Executive Sponsor of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) and quickly had an opportunity to make an impact. Afua’s dedication to D&I has also driven conversations with G7 ambassadors and board members of FTSE 100 companies to help work with the BoE to foster the changes needed.

In recognition for her contribution to Great Britain during the pandemic and her commitment to D&I , Afua was awarded CFO of the Year 2021
by the Women in Finance Awards, UK. 

She was also included on Who’s Who 2022 list and named on the 2023 ‘100 Most Reputable Africans’ list by Reputation Poll International. The list features individuals who demonstrate integrity, visibility and impact. In 2023, Afua was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.