The finance chief of the Bank of England has been named as the UK’s most influential black person by the Powerlist 2026, which also recognises the likes of former footballer Ian Wright and entrepreneur Emma Grede.

Afua Kyei, who is also the executive director of the central bank, took the top spot in this year’s rankings.

Ms Kyei said she was “delighted that someone in the public sector and financial services is being recognised in this way”.

The executive is responsible for overseeing the financial governance of the Bank’s balance sheet, which grew to more than £1trn at its peak during the Covid pandemic.

Her role also involves directing the vehicle which carries out the Bank’s quantitative easing programme – one of the tools to bring down interest rates.

She joined the central bank

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