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Maria Ramos is the Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Africa Group Ltd and serves as a member of the Executive Committee of Barclays PLC.

Ramos has responsibility for executing the Group's Africa strategy across 13 African operations, serving some 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 Ltd, the state-owned freight transport and logistics service provider for five years. This was after successfully serving as Director General of the National Treasury for seven years.

An accomplished academic, who has taught at various institutions, Ms. 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.

She is also the recipient of Honorary Doctorates from the Stellenbosch and Free State Universities.

Ms. Ramos led Transnet through a massive financial, cultural and operational turnaround. During her tenure as Director-General of the National Treasury (formerly the Department of Finance), she played a key role in transforming the Treasury into one of the most effective and efficient state departments in the post-Apartheid administration.

She has successfully been ranked in Fortune magazine's annual ranking survey of the 50 most powerful women in business. In 2012 she was ranked 11th and was the only African on the list.

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

In the past, she served as a Non-Executive and Independent Director on the Boards of Sanlam Ltd, Remgro Ltd and SABMiller PLC, and currently serves on the Board of Richemont SA. Ramos is also a member of the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum's International Business Council and the Executive Committee of Business Leadership, South Africa.