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Financial risk & governance expert

Nick Leeson

Risk Management

Business Ethics

Corporate Governance

Transform risk management and ethical leadership with Nick Leeson, speaker on financial risk and corporate governance. Nick works with financial institutions to prevent misconduct and strengthen oversight, delivering powerful insights from his experience in the Barings Bank collapse.

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Trusted by NBCUniversal, INTL FCStone, Thomson Reuters, Kraft Heinz, Projective Group

Nick Leeson

Dublin, Ireland

Starting from

£6–10k

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Dublin, Ireland

Starting from

£6–10k

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+44 203 835 2929

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Nick Leeson's biography

Educator

Finance

Author

Inspirational

At a glance

Former derivatives trader behind Barings Bank collapse
Best selling author and subject of Hollywood movie, Rogue Trader
Sought-after speaker on accountability, ethics, compliance and risk management

Nick Leeson is best known as the rogue trader who brought down Barings Bank, one of the oldest and most prestigious financial institutions in Britain. His actions, driven by unchecked ambition and mounting pressure, resulted in losses of over $1.3 billion and exposed critical flaws in risk management and regulatory oversight. His story remains one of the most infamous financial scandals in history. Nick began his career as a clerk at Coutts Bank before rising through the ranks of various financial institutions. By the early 1990s, he was entrusted with a key trading role at Barings, overseeing operations on the Singapore Monetary Exchange. Initially seen as a star performer, he concealed mounting losses in a secret account, hoping to recover through increasingly risky trades. When the losses spiraled out of control, Barings collapsed, leading to his arrest, conviction, and a prison sentence in Singapore. After serving four years in prison and surviving a battle with cancer, Nick rebuilt his life, studying psychology and forging a new career as a speaker and commentator on financial risk, corporate misconduct, and resilience. His firsthand experience offers a unique perspective on the consequences of poor oversight and personal decision-making under pressure. His insights continue to be relevant in an era where financial scandals and regulatory failures remain a pressing concern.

Nick's showreel and videos

Topics, sessions and talks

The Failings of Barings Bank: Risk, Compliance And Transparency

Nick Leeson’s actions brought down Barings Bank, but the financial world has since seen even more audacious cases of rogue trading and corporate malpractice. Despite regulatory reforms, gaps in oversight, weak compliance structures, and a failure to learn from past mistakes continue to leave institutions vulnerable. With first-hand experience of the consequences of unchecked risk, Nick offers a candid exploration of corporate responsibility, regulatory blind spots, and the ongoing challenges in financial governance. Audiences gain a stark reminder of why transparency matters and how businesses can protect themselves from history repeating itself.

Rogue Trading - An Insider’s Perspective

Nick Leeson’s meteoric rise and dramatic fall from grace remain one of the most infamous financial scandals in history. As the trader whose unchecked risk-taking led to the collapse of Barings Bank, Nick takes audiences behind the scenes of the high-stakes world of investment banking, revealing how ambition, pressure, and human error can spiral into disaster. With gripping detail and raw honesty, he unpacks the mechanics of rogue trading, the psychology behind his decisions, and the wider implications for financial institutions today. His story is both a cautionary tale and an unparalleled insight into the darker side of finance.

Why we recommend booking Nick

Gain a deeper understanding of financial risk, corporate accountability, and the human factors behind major failures. Nick Leeson’s story provides an unfiltered look at how small missteps can escalate into large-scale disasters, equipping your organisation with valuable lessons on compliance and risk management.

Check Nick's availability

Trusted by NBCUniversal, INTL FCStone, Thomson Reuters, Kraft Heinz, Projective Group

Testimonials

Nick was exceptional at our Risk forum and feedback from all those who attended was very positive and constructive. He did an excellent job of highlighting the importance of communication and internal structuring to ensure a robust, proactive, controlled and transparent risk management program. A great hour with us and certainly one I hope we can repeat again in the future.

INTL FCStone

The feedback on Nick from our attendees was universally excellent. Nick had obviously spent a good amount of time in preparing for the event and understood our solutions, the audience, the key themes we wanted to cover, and was eager to ask a number of questions that would allow him to optimise his involvement. I would definitely recommend Nick (and in fact already have!) without hesitation. Great job!

Thomson Reuters

Nick captivated the room, speaking openly and honestly from his experiences and giving great insight into how innocuous, if unwise, decisions can add up to catastrophic headlines. Anybody with any responsibility for implementing or using risk controls should take heed of his stark warning as to how ticking boxes cannot stand in for a rigorous understanding of the underlying business. Thought provoking and eye opening!

Projective Group, Projective Group

Featured Projects

Rogue Trader: How I Brought Down Barings Bank And Shook The Financial World

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How do I book Nick Leeson for my next event?

Email nick.leeson@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience. As speaker agents, PepTalk can secure Nick Leeson for commercial and corporate events, conference keynotes, leadership talks, celebrity brand endorsements & partnerships, personal appearances, and motivational speaking engagements. We can assist with enquiries about Nick Leeson's speaking fees, availability, and booking process for private business functions, industry conferences, and team events. Please note, for media interviews, autographs, charity appearances, or personal matters, we recommend contacting Nick Leeson directly.

What is Nick Leeson's speaking style like?

Nick delivers candid, insightful talks on risk, resilience, and decision-making under pressure. His presentations draw from real-life experience, offering practical lessons on oversight and personal responsibility in finance.

What topics does Nick Leeson specialise in?

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