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It’s not about money. That’s what the new Bank of England Deputy Bradley Fried says, in this exclusive

December 31, 2014 10:12
Fried: 'The BoE is arguably one of the most powerful unelected bodies in this country. With that comes a huge responsibility to make sure that it serves the public.'

BySandy Rashty, Sandy Rashty

5 min read

Bradley Fried, 49, could be described as the perfect antidote to the typically hard-nosed British financier.

The Cape Town-born investor — who signs off as “Brad” in e-mails ahead of our meeting — has a warm manner, infectious laugh and rarely wears a tie to work — not exactly what most people might expect of a man so embedded in our leading financial institution.

In November, he was appointed deputy chairman of the Bank of England (BoE) after joining as a director two years ago — the first South African believed to have held the role. Now, he works closely “with, not for” its governor, Mark Carney, whom he describes as “an extraordinary man, a wonderful guy to learn from”.

We met at his investment firm’s office before walking across the road to get a “proper cup of coffee” on Marylebone High Street — much to his assistant’s annoyance, and his amusement on telling her so. There, over toast for him and croissant for me, I found that Fried was more willing to talk about Golders Green, his support for the UJIA charity and investment opportunities in Israel, than about UK monetary and fiscal policy.