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board and management Executive committee

board and management Executive committee

Leon Barnard is the Chief Executive: Business Banking at Absa Group, responsible for leading the Business Banking franchise across the Group’s Pan-African operations. He assumed the role on 1 June 2026.
He is a senior banking executive with extensive experience across business and commercial banking, customer strategy and pan-African operations. Leon has a strong track record of leading large-scale banking businesses across multiple markets, with a focus on delivering growth through customer-centric propositions, product innovation and scalable operating models.
Leon has held various executive roles at Standard Bank, mainly in Personal and Business Banking where he led multiple business units including VAF, Card and Acquiring, Lending, Liabilities, Diners Club, and Bancassurance with P&L accountability, focusing on Agriculture, Trade, and China segments, and led payments and digital strategy. His experience spans the full spectrum of banking services, from banking the unbanked markets, enterprise and SME banking to retail and commercial client solutions.

Qualifications: B Juris from UNISA, Executive Development Programmes from GIBS and the IESE Spanish Business School.

Leon Barnard is the Chief Executive: Business Banking at Absa Group, responsible for leading the Business Banking franchise across the Group’s Pan-African operations. He assumed the role on 1 June 2026.
He is a senior banking executive with extensive experience across business and commercial banking, customer strategy and pan-African operations. Leon has a strong track record of leading large-scale banking businesses across multiple markets, with a focus on delivering growth through customer-centric propositions, product innovation and scalable operating models.
Leon has held various executive roles at Standard Bank, mainly in Personal and Business Banking where he led multiple business units including VAF, Card and Acquiring, Lending, Liabilities, Diners Club, and Bancassurance with P&L accountability, focusing on Agriculture, Trade, and China segments, and led payments and digital strategy. His experience spans the full spectrum of banking services, from banking the unbanked markets, enterprise and SME banking to retail and commercial client solutions.

Qualifications: B Juris from UNISA, Executive Development Programmes from GIBS and the IESE Spanish Business School.