Afua Kyei ranks as number one most influential Black person in the UK, while Joshua Siaw ranks fifth
The 2026 Powerlist, an annual ranking of the 100 most influential individuals of African, African-Caribbean, and African-American descent in the United Kingdom, features two prominent personalities of Ghanaian descent among the top 10.
The two personalities are Afua Kyei, Chief Financial Officer of the Bank of England, who occupies the number one spot as the UK’s Most Influential Black Person, and Joshua Siaw, a lawyer and legal practitioner who is a partner at the leading global law firm White and Case LLP and Director of the firm’s Africa Practice, taking the number five spot on the list.
Profile of Afua Kyei
Afua Kyei, who was born in London to Ghanaian parents, became the Bank of England’s first Black executive and its youngest executive director when she was appointed to the position at age 36.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she was also named among The Independent’s list of influential women in 2025 and recognised as Powerlist’s Executive of the Year for 2025.
Afua was additionally ranked as the number one female on the Empower Global Executives Role Models list in 2024 and received the Freedom of the City of London award in 2023.
She was named in the ‘2023 list of 100 Most Reputable Africans’ by Reputation Poll International. Afua was again named CFO of the Year 2021 by the Women in Finance Awards UK.
She was also a 2022 listee in the Britvic Kindness and Leadership, 50 Leading Lights UK campaign.
Afua, renowned for her skills and expertise in the banking and financial sector, has led global teams across dynamic markets in Central Banking, Investment Banking, and Retail Banking, having worked at the Bank of England, Barclays, UBS, and Ernst and Young.
The 43-year-old is one of the UK’s most senior finance leaders in charge of the financial governance of the Bank’s £1 trillion balance sheet and funding reforms.
Profile of Joshua Siaw
Ranking at number five as the fifth most influential Black person in the UK, Siaw is a Partner in White and Case’s Global Debt Finance Practice and serves as the director of the Firm’s Africa practice.
He provides expert guidance to corporates, governments, banks, and financial institutions in cross-border project development and finance transactions in Africa. With dual Ghanaian and British nationality, Joshua has a strong international perspective and extensive experience in African markets.
He has received accolades such as being recognised by Euromoney as “one of Africa’s Rising Stars” and by Forbes as “one of Africa’s most influential young business leaders.”
Joshua has also been honored as a “Young Business Leader of the Year” by the African Union and acknowledged by The Africa Report as “one of three individuals shaping Africa’s economic future.”
His influence is not limited to his legal career; he has consistently appeared on the Powerlist of Britain’s 100 most influential Black people and has been featured in Marquis Who’s Who in the World.
Joshua’s prominence even led to his selection as the only lawyer to join Prime Minister Theresa May on her trade mission to Africa.
He also sits on the board of the Global Britain Sub Group of the UK Board of Trade, promoting the UK’s trade and investment agenda with a focus on Africa. He is a member of the UK Government’s Africa Green Growth Advisory Council, which promotes sustainable economic development between the UK and Africa.
He is currently the Chair of the Africa Investors Group (AIG) and has held this position under three different UK Prime Ministers within both the Conservative and Labour governments.
Josh was recently appointed by the Duke of Edinburgh to the Board of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
The Powerlist 2026 top 10 individuals, including these two exceptional Ghanaians, represents a diverse array of fields, reflecting the multifaceted achievements and influence of black individuals in the UK.
The top 10 on the Powerlist 2026 are as follows:
1. Afua Kyei – Chief Financial Officer
Bank of England
2. Ian Wright MBE, OBE – Football Legend, Broadcaster
Advocate for Gender Equity in Sport
3. Dame Pat McGrath, DBE – Make-up Artist / Founder
Pat McGrath Labs
4. Pamela Maynard – Chief AI Transformation Officer, Microsoft MCAPS
5. Joshua Siaw, MBE – Partner White & Case
Power Partnerships: 4 Ghanaian couples shaping businesses and social change
6. Tunde Olanrewaju CBE – Senior Partner and Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company Europe
7. Steven Bartlett – Entrepreneur and Dragon, Dragon’s Den
8. Emma Grede – CEO and Co-Founder of Good American
9. Idris Elba, OBE – Actor, Producer, Philanthropist
10. Ije Nwokorie – Chief Executive Officer Dr Martens PLC
MAG/AE
The wait is over! The GhanaWeb Excellence Awards 2025 is officially launched. Let’s Celebrate impact, innovation and excellence across Ghana.
Who deserves to be honoured this year?
Nominate now 👉 https://ghanaweb.com/ghanaexcellenceawards/nominate
