Standard Chartered Announces Group Chairwoman
Asia-focused British lender Standard Chartered has announced the appointment of a new chair of the group.
Standard Chartered has appointed Maria Ramos as group chair, according to a statement, subject to regulatory approval. Effective May 8 following the bank’s 2025 annual general meeting, she will succeed José Viñals who will retire from the board at the end of his nine-year term.
Ramos, 65, joined the board as an independent non-executive director in January 2021 and was appointed chair of the board risk committee and senior independent director in 2022. She has a wealth of experience from leadership positions in the private and public sector, including 10 years as CEO of Absa Group Limited (formerly Barclays Africa Group Limited).
Prior to that, she was the group chief of Transnet Ltd, a state-owned freight transport and logistics service provider, and the director-general of South Africa’s National Treasury.
Board Positions
In addition to her current board position at Standard Chartered, she is currently non-executive director on the board of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA as well as a member of the Group of Thirty, the international advisory board of the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and the Wits Foundation board of governors.
She also served on a number of international boards, including Sanlam Ltd (2004 to 2008), Remgro Ltd (2007 to 2009), and SABMiller plc (2008 to 2009). She was a non-executive director of The Saudi British Bank (2019 to 2020), Public Investment Corporation Limited (2019 to 2020) and chair of AngloGold Ashanti Limited (2019 to 2024).
«I am delighted to welcome Maria as the Group’s new Chair. Maria is a proven leader with deep industry experience and strategic vision. I very much look forward to working with her as we deliver the next phase of our growth. There is significant momentum in the business, and I am confident that Maria will help lead us as we innovate and execute for greater value for our clients and other stakeholders,» said Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters.
Ramos' appointment comes after an extensive global search process led by Phil Rivett, chair of the bank's election panel.
