Ruth Leas admits that her first year as chief executive of Investec Bank was a challenge. She took charge just four months before the UK went into its first Covid lockdown, and the same year the bank rolled out an overhaul that cut hundreds of jobs — even as rivals paused restructuring programmes during the pandemic.

Leas is a two-decade veteran of the South Africa- based bank, and has worked across its derivatives business, in investor relations, and as chief risk officer. She took the reins in November 2019, and within four months was leading the bank virtually as the UK went into lockdown.