Bank Of England CFO, Steven Bartlett, And Emma Grede Among Most Influential Black Brits
Afua Kyei, Chief Financial Officer at the Bank of England, has been named as the most influential Black person in the UK. The annual list, conducted by Powerlist, highlights the most powerful people of African, African-Caribbean, and African-American heritage.
As CFO, Kyei leads financial governance of the £1 trillion balance sheet, funding reforms, and upgrades to critical national infrastructure payments, while championing diversity and climate disclosure. “It is an incredible honour to be named Number One on the Powerlist in its 20th year,” she said in a press release.
“For me, this award is not about personal achievement – it is about representation, visibility, and possibility. I am especially delighted that someone from the public sector and financial services is being recognised in this way.”
Sir Lewis Hamilton, Edward Enninful OBE, Karen Blackett CBE, Dame Sharon White, and Dean Forbes are among the names of people who have been awarded the title Powerlist Number One over the years.
The Powerlist 2026: Top 10
- Afua Kyei – Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director, Bank of England
- Ian Wright – Football Legend, Broadcaster & 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, Dragon’s Den.
- Emma Grede – CEO and Co-Founder, Good American; Founding Partner, SKIMS.
- Idris Elba, OBE – Actor, Filmmaker, Philanthropist.
- Ije Nwokorie – Chief Executive Officer, Dr Martens PLC
Tech and Business Leaders Driving Change
Several of this year’s honorees are prominent figures in technology and business innovation. Entrepreneur Steven Bartlett remains one of the most visible voices in modern business. Alongside The Diary of a CEO, his hit podcast, he launched the launched the $100 million Flight Story Fund to back early-stage tech companies. In a LinkedIn post reflecting on his inclusion, Bartlett thanked Powerlist for “championing influential Black voices” and urged continued efforts to “level playing fields.”
At Microsoft, Pamela Maynard continues to drive innovation and transformation. Before taking on her current role, she led Avanade, a Microsoft–Accenture joint venture, to record growth—an achievement that earned her the title Black British Business Person of the Year in 2024.
Emma Grede, a force in both fashion and entrepreneurship, extends her influence beyond SKIMS and Good American as chair of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, a nonprofit pushing major retailers to dedicate a portion of their spend to Black-owned businesses.
Dr. Martens chief executive Ije Nwokorie, who previously held senior roles at Apple, shared that he was “honoured” to be included among this year’s Powerlist leaders.
About the Powerlist
The Powerlist was founded in 2005 by Michael Eboda to inspire others by showcasing Black role models across diverse industries – partly in response to a lack of mainstream recognition of Black achievement. “When we launched the Powerlist back in 2006, our aim was simple – to highlight role models whose achievements could inspire others,” Eboda said.
“To mark this 20th anniversary with Afua Kyei at Number 1 feels especially powerful – she embodies the leadership, resilience, and vision that the Powerlist was created to honour.”
Image credit: Sane Seven/ Steven Bartlett/Jamie McCarthy
