Maria Ramos - 12th Edition Cover Icon

Celebrating 20 Years of Gender Empowerment With Our Cover Icon Catch Up

By Fiona Wakelin

Maria was appointed as Group Chair of Standard Chartered PLC in May 2025. She was previously appointed an independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered PLC and to the Court of Standard Chartered Bank in January 2021. She was appointed Senior Independent Director of Standard Chartered PLC in September 2022, stepping down prior to becoming Group Chair in 2025.

Maria served as Chief Executive Officer of Absa Group Limited (previously Barclays Africa Group), a diversified financial services group serving 12 African markets, from 2009 to 2019. Before joining Absa, Maria was the group chief executive of Transnet Ltd, the state-owned freight transport and logistics service provider, for five years. Prior to her CEO career, Maria served for seven years as director-general of the National Treasury (formerly the Department of Finance) where she played a key role in transforming the National Treasury into one of the most effective and efficient state departments in the post apartheid administration.

Maria has served on several international boards, including Sanlam Ltd, Remgro Ltd, and SABMiller plc. She was a nonexecutive director of Saudi British Bank, Public Investment Corporation Limited and Chair of AngloGold Ashanti PLC before stepping down in May 2024. She was also a nonexecutive director of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA before stepping down in March 2025.