Standard Chartered has appointed former Absa CEO Maria Ramos to succeed José Viñals as group chair as he approaches the end of his nine-year term.
Subject to regulatory approvals, Ramos will assume her new position following the company’s 2025 Annual General Meeting on 8 May 2025, when Viñals will retire from the board.
Ramos joined the board of Standard Chartered as an independent non-executive director in January 2021, and she was appointed chair of the board risk committee and senior independent director in 2022.
Her appointment comes after an extensive global search process led by Phil Rivett, chair of the selection panel.
“Today’s announcement of Maria’s appointment concludes a rigorous and wide-ranging search process for José’s successor, in which the Board considered a diverse range of experienced and highly qualified candidates from across the globe,” Rivett said.
“Maria is an experienced Chair who benefits from a successful career across the private and public sectors. Her knowledge of the banking sector, as well as a deep understanding of the Group’s unique footprint stood out.”
Ramos is a seasoned leader and former banker, with a wealth of experience from leadership positions within the private sector and government, including 10 years as CEO of Absa Group Limited (formerly Barclays Africa Group Limited). She has extensive international non-executive and chair experience as well as a deep understanding of operating across emerging and developing markets.
Ramos is currently a non-executive director on the board of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, from which she will retire after 13 years on 31 March 2025.
She is a member of the Group of Thirty, sits on the International Advisory Board of the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and on the Wits Foundation Board of Governors.
Before joining Absa, Maria was the group chief executive of Transnet, and prior to her chief executive career, she served as director-general of the National Treasury.
Ramos said that she had experienced the degree to which the organisation was trusted and valued by so many clients and stakeholders across many of the world’s most dynamic markets in her four years on the board.
“I am honoured to take on the role of Chair at Standard Chartered at an important time in its continued transformation. I look forward to working closely with the board, Bill, the management team and our global colleagues to deliver the next phase of the Group’s strategy and unlock the enormous opportunities and growth potential of our business,” she said.
BUSINESS REPORT