Nick Leeson

Biography

Few stories have dominated the world’s headlines quite like the collapse of Barings. Trusted with the finances of royalty and aristocracy for two hundred years, the bank was brought down by the covert trading activities of just one man, leaving behind losses of £860 million.

Forever dubbed the ‘Rogue Trader’, Leeson’s own account of his rise and fall is both candid and compelling. He took some of the greatest gambles of all time and found himself sucked into a terrifying spiral of loss that rocked the City to its foundations and threatened to destroy his life.

Nick Leeson came from humble beginnings in Watford and worked his way to the heart of a cut-and-thrust empire: the SIMEX money market. After his spectacular fall from grace Nick spent four and a half years in a Singapore jail, contracting cancer of the colon and seeing the end of his marriage.

His speech reveals the pressures, the series of errors and the amazing chain of events that make the true story as crisp as any thriller. It also demonstrates the risks to which financial institutions in particular can still be exposed as well as the toll on individuals. As part of his presentation Nick is prepared to answer questions on any aspect of his experiences.

After completing a psychology degree, Nick Leeson became CEO of Galway United Football Club. He still makes some reparation to Barings from his earnings.