About Ruth Leas

Ruth Leas is CEO of Investec Bank plc, the main banking subsidiary of Investec plc, a FTSE 250 listed company which houses the Investec Group’s UK and non-Southern African operations. Throughout her 20+ year career with Investec, Ruth has occupied roles that have helped fuel the development of the business. Prior to CEO, Ruth was Chief Risk Officer of Investec Bank plc and responsible for risk management including credit risk, liquidity risk, market risk, and operational risk. Ruth also managed the rating agency relationships for the Investec Group in the UK. Ruth joined Investec in 1998, starting out in South Africa at Investec Bank Ltd. as a banker in the Financial Products business, where she was involved in derivative structuring and sales. She moved to London in 2002 and was appointed Co-Head of US Principal Finance in 2004, focusing on structured credit and credit derivatives. In October 2008, Ruth joined the credit team within Group Risk before moving in 2012 to head Investor Relations in the UK. In 2013, she was appointed Head of Risk Management and in July 2016 was appointed as an Executive Director to the Board of Investec Bank plc. Ruth was appointed as Chief Risk Officer in June 2017. Ruth holds an M. Phil Degree from Cambridge University, as well as a degree in economics from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. At the end of her Honours year, Ruth was awarded the Gold Medal of the Economics Society of South Africa for the best Economics Honours Thesis in South Africa. Ruth is married and has three children. Inspired by the opportunities that await. “Continual becoming, never being ...”