Member of the Advisory Board, Cambridge Judge Business School
CEO, Investec Bank
Cambridge affiliations
- MPhil Management Studies, Trinity Hall (1996)
Professional history
Ruth Leas is CEO of Investec Bank, which includes the Investec Group’s businesses in the UK and Europe, Channel Islands, United States and India. Investec is a FTSE 100 company. Investec Bank’s activities include corporate and investment banking, private banking and wealth management. Ruth was appointed CEO of Investec Bank plc (IBP) in 2019. In the early years of her tenure, Ruth led the Bank through a critical period of transformation, and Ruth has since focused the business firmly on impactful growth and new opportunities. Ruth began her career with Investec in 1998, and occupied roles in the UK and South Africa that have helped fuel the development of the business. Ruth spent 10 years in client-facing roles in derivative structuring and sales, credit derivatives and structured credit. Ruth moved from Johannesburg to London in 2002 and was appointed Co-Head US Principal Finance in 2004. Ruth also then held roles in Credit, Head of UK Investor Relations and Head of Risk Management, where she gained deep knowledge and experience across multiple areas of banking as well as exposure to key stakeholders. Ruth has served on the IBP Board since 2016 when she was appointed as an Executive Director, then as Chief Risk Officer from 2017 and CEO from 2019.
Ruth holds an MPhil degree from the University of Cambridge, as well as a degree in economics from University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. At the end of her Honours year, Ruth was awarded the Gold Medal of the Economics Society of SA for the best Economics Honours Thesis in South Africa.
Society and charity work
Ruth sits on Cambridge Judge Business School’s Advisory Board and the CityUK Business Council. Ruth also serves as one of the 30 CEO members of the UN Global Investors for Sustainable Development (UN GISD).
Ruth is also deeply committed to driving change across the industry, in particular in supporting and encouraging the younger generation, and women in particular, in navigating the very real challenges presented in entering and progressing a career in the workplace. She spearheads the Investec Female Leaders Network – a community focused on championing women in the workplace – and leverages her convening power and professional experience to help create a dedicated environment in which female colleagues can learn, grow and collaborate.
Ruth holds a particular passion for promoting entrepreneurialism and actively participates in the Investec Beyond Business Programme – a social enterprise incubation programme backing promising social entrepreneurs across East London. As one of the few female CEOs in the FTSE 100, Ruth is focused on driving belonging, diversity and inclusion at Investec and in the financial services industry.
In 2024, Ruth was awarded the Freedom of the City in recognition of her leadership of IBP, as well as the leading role she plays in the industry driving diversity and inclusion.
