Maria Ramos

Maria Ramos   (banker)
Born	22 February 1959 Lisbon, Portugal
Nationality	South African
Alma mater	Institute of Bankers, University of the Witwatersrand, the University of London
Spouse	Trevor Manuel
Member of	Blavatnik School of Government/Staff and Advisory Council, Council on Foreign Relations/Global Board of Advisors, Group of Thirty, WEF/Global Leaders for Tomorrow/1998
Interests	Great Reset
Member of the Executive Committee of the International Business Council at the World Economic Forum. In 2021, she was appointed to the World Bank–International Monetary Fund High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery and Growth, which sounds suspiciously like the Great Reset.

Maria Ramos is a South African businesswoman, banker and corporate executive who has been serving the chairperson of AngloGold Ashanti since 2020. She was previously chief executive officer (CEO) of Absa Group Limited. Prior to joining Absa in March 2009, she was the CEO of Transnet. This was after serving as director-general of the National Treasury, manages national economic policy, prepares the South African government's annual budget and manages the government's finances

She is a Member of the Executive Committee of the International Business Council at the World Economic Forum (WEF). She was selected a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the WEF in 1998; and since 2008 is married to Trevor Manuel, himself a Global Leader for 1994.

She co-chaired (alongside Achim Steiner) the United Nations' Task Force on Digital Financing of Sustainable Development Goals from 2018 to 2020. In 2021, she was appointed to the World Bank–International Monetary Fund High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery and Growth setting the agenda for "a sustained transformation based on new perspectives and models of growth and development," which sounds suspiciously like the Great Reset.

Early life

Ramos was born in Lisbon, Portugal, on 22 February 1959, the oldest of four daughters. Her parents emigrated to Mozambique and then South Africa in the mid 1960s in search of better opportunities. Ramos was six when her family began their new life in Vereeniging, about 58 kilometres (36 mi), by road, south of Johannesburg.

Ramos matriculated in 1977 and went to work for Barclays in Vereeniging as a waste clerk, which involved collecting paperwork such as deposit slips and cheques, from behind the tellers and manually processing them.

In the search for a scholarship, Ramos discovered that her bank had a scholarship scheme where they supported employees to complete a university commerce degree. Upon applying, she discovered that it was only open to men. A long battle ensued, with Ramos surmounting various obstacles in her attempt to get the rules changed; eventually she was told that if she sat the basic exams and passed, they would consider her. She drove from Vereeniging to Johannesburg three nights a week after work to evening classes held by the Institute of Bankers, and passed the exam in record time, earning a Banker's Diploma.

Academic life

An accomplished academic, who has taught at various institutions, Ramos obtained an Institute of Bankers’ Diploma (CAIB) in 1983. She followed this with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in 1986, a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Economics (also from Wits) in 1987 and a Master of Science (Economics) from the University of London in 1992.

Career

Early in her career, Ramos served as Director-General of the National Treasury from 1996 to 2003.

Ramos was the Chief Executive Officer of Absa Group Limited for ten years, until February 2019. She held responsibility for executing the Group’s strategy across 10 African operations, serving 15 million customers through more than 11,000 outlets.

Prior to joining Absa as Group Chief Executive in March 2009, she was the Group Chief Executive of Transnet Limited, the state-owned freight transport and logistics service provider for five years.

In addition to her role at Absa, Ramos has in the past served as a non-executive and independent director on the boards of Sanlam Limited, Remgro Limited and SABMiller Plc, and currently serves on the board of Richemont SA.

Other activities

Ramos has in the past served as chairperson of the Banking Association of South Africa. Appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, she co-chaired (alongside Achim Steiner) the United Nations' Task Force on Digital Financing of Sustainable Development Goals from 2018 to 2020. In 2021, she was appointed to the World Bank–International Monetary Fund High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery and Growth, co-chaired by Mari Pangestu, Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, and Nicholas Stern.

Other roles include:

• Bretton Woods Committee, Member of the Advisory Council (since 2020)
• Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Member of the International Advisory Board
• World Economic Forum (WEF), Member of the Executive Committee of the International Business Council
• Board of Business Leadership South Africa, Member

Recognition

She has successively been ranked in Fortune magazine’s annual survey of the 50 most powerful women in business for a number of years running, having most recently been ranked 11th in the Europe, Middle East & Africa Region for 2015.

Her contribution has been recognized through numerous awards. She was named CNBC Africa Woman Leader of the Year (2011), and was awarded the Wits Business School’s Management Excellence Award (2010). She was named the Sunday Times Business Times Business Leader of the Year in 2005 and Businesswoman of the Year by the SA Businesswomen’s Association in 2001.

 

Events Participated in

Event	Start	End	Location(s)	Description
WEF/Annual Meeting/2011	26 January 2011	30 January 2011	World Economic Forum Switzerland	2230 guests in Davos, with the theme: "Shared Norms for the New Reality".
WEF/Annual Meeting/2012	25 January 2012	29 January 2012	World Economic Forum Switzerland	2113 guests in Davos
WEF/Annual Meeting/2013	23 January 2013	27 January 2013	World Economic Forum Switzerland	2500 mostly unelected leaders met to discuss "leading through adversity"
WEF/Annual Meeting/2014	22 January 2014	25 January 2014	World Economic Forum Switzerland	2604 guests in Davos considered "Reshaping The World"
WEF/Annual Meeting/2016	20 January 2016	23 January 2016	World Economic Forum Switzerland	Attended by over 2500 people, both leaders and followers, who were explained how the Fourth Industrial Revolution would changed everything, including being a "revolution of values".
WEF/Annual Meeting/2017	17 January 2017	20 January 2017	World Economic Forum Switzerland	2950 known participants, including prominently Bill Gates. "Offers a platform for the most effective and engaged leaders to achieve common goals for greater societal leadership."
WEF/Annual Meeting/2019	22 January 2019	25 January 2019	World Economic Forum Switzerland

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References

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