Speaker Biography

Jeremy Leach, Finmark Trust, South Africa

Originally trained as an accountant with a focus on international taxation and employee benefits, Jeremy worked for various international organisations such as Deloitte, Ernst & Young and Bankers Trust in the UK and Australia.  He was involved in microfinance with Opportunity International in a voluntary capacity for a number of years before pursuing a career change, completing postgraduate studies in International Development at the University of Bath.  Following the MSc he joined the UK’s Department for International Development, where he remained as a consultant focusing on private sector policy in developing countries.

Jeremy is now executive director at FinMark Trust, an organisation which supports innovation in the provision of financial services to low-income consumers in the countries of the Southern African Customs Union. In particular, he leads the insurance and transaction banking themes.

He is a Chartered Certified Accountant and has an MSc in International Development (Bath, UK).  He sits on the board of St Peter’s Child Care, a long-term foster care programme for children with HIV/AIDS in South Africa.