Ruth Leas

Spear’s Review

Ruth Leas is CEO of Investec Bank, the main banking subsidiary of Investec, a FTSE 250 company which houses the Investec Group’s non-Southern African operations, including those in the UK, US, India, Ireland and the Channel Islands. 

Leas joined the company in 1998 and has held a number of roles in the UK and South Africa that have helped fuel the development of the business. She moved to London in 2002 and was appointed co-head of US principal finance in 2004. In 2016, she was named executive director to the board of Investec Bank, then chief risk officer the following year. In 2019, Leas was promoted to chief executive officer. 

As a female leader within the male-dominated financial services sector, Leas is passionate about driving belonging, diversity and inclusion at a company and industry level.