Jeremy Leach, FinMark Trust, South AfricaJeremy is executive director at FinMark Trust, an independent Trust focused on catalysing innovation in the provision of retail financial services to low-income consumers in Africa. Through its mission of 'making financial markets work for the poor', FinMark Trust works with policy makers, supervisors and innovative commercial and non-commercial providers to enhance access to retail financial services. Originally trained as an accountant with a focus on international taxation and employee benefits, Jeremy has worked for various international organisations such as Deloitte, Ernst & Young and Bankers Trust in the UK and Australia. Through pro-bono work with Opportunity International, he became involved in micro-finance before pursuing a career change and completing postgraduate studies in International Development at the University of Bath. Jeremy then joined the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) where he focused on private sector policy in developing countries before joining FinMark Trust. Jeremy is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and has an MSc in International Development (Bath, UK). He sits on the boards of St Peter’s Child Care, a long-term foster care programme for children impacted by HIV/AIDS in South Africa and the South African Savings Institute (SASI) which is aimed at encouraging greater saving in South Africa. |