Maria Ramos (64)
Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairperson
MSc, BCom (Hons), Banker Diploma, Certified Associate of the Institute of Bankers (SA)
Appointed: 1 June 2019 and as Chairperson on 5 December 2020
Board committee memberships:
- Nominations and Governance Committee (Chairperson)
- Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee
Maria Ramos is an independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered Plc and serves on the board of Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA. She recently served as independent non-executive director on the boards of the Public Investment Corporation and Saudi British Bank. She also co-chaired, the United Nations Secretary General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Before joining Absa Group (previously Barclays Africa Group Limited) as the group chief executive, Ms. Ramos served as the chief executive of Transnet Limited. This followed an eight-year tenure as director general of South Africa’s National Treasury.
Ms. Ramos has in the past served as a non-executive and independent director on the boards of Sanlam Ltd, Remgro Ltd and SABMiller Plc. She was a member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council and member of its executive Committee and its chairman for two years.
She is a member of the Group of Thirty and serves on the International Advisory Board of the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University.