Nick Leeson

Unlike most speakers, the story that Nick shares during his dinner speeches will leave your head spinning. Nick was a former derivatives broker whose illegal trading caused the collapse of one of the United Kingdom’s oldest banks – the Barings Bank. For his actions, he was sentenced to serve a hefty service in prison; his speeches will explain the risks that come with living in the grey area of business.

The interesting story that Nick has to tell? He hid millions of pounds in debt using a hidden account, allowing him to hide mistakes in his trading. Gambling larger amounts of money, and disclosing only the profit, thus securing larger amounts of money from the Barings Bank, which gradually ran into liquidity problems. Eventually, it all caught up with Nick and the market collapsed around him.

While his past might seem slightly questionable, anyone who has ever lived can teach a lesson from their experiences. In Nick’s case? He has become an active part of the financial community, both as a keynote speaker and an after-dinner speaker. Having made mistakes in the past, he is in the perfect position to advise on the ethics of doing business, and corporate responsibility.

Not many financial speakers can say they have had a film made based on them, but Nick Leeson can. A film called Rogue Trader was released in 1999, based on a book that Nick wrote. Using the public’s curiosity Leeson was able to raise knowledge of the hazardous state of the banking system.

As a motivational speaker, there is one thing that Nick excels at. His core beliefs are that anyone can have redemption. During speeches, he will often encourage people to be aware of their failings, and how to spot someone not being entirely honest. A truly incredible insight into corporate responsibility and the ethics of doing business, you won’t find many speakers like Nick.

Nick was also able to overcome adversity, through the multi-million dollar bill he was served after leaving prison to cancer that plagued his life during prison. You will find his work as a speaker inspiring.

“Nick Leeson was excellent on the day, very frank, open and honest and allowed for a substantial Q&A session which was very well received at the event. We would have no hesitation in recommending Nick to other organisations such as ourselves.” Elaine Maher, Irish Brokers Association.

“Nick Leeson gave one of the most interesting and thought-provoking talks of the weekend with his personal account of how he brought the UK’s oldest investment bank, Barings Bank to collapse through his fraudulent speculation.” Warwick Economics Summit 2011.

“Nick Leeson was informative, engaging and entertaining! He has an amazing story to tell and does a very good job of telling it. Not only that, Nick goes the extra mile and spent a lot of time with our guests before and after the event, He was great value for money.“ Neil Grimshaw, British Insurance Brokers Association.

“Nick Leeson was an excellent speaker. A story told in such a humble way, honest and to the point. A real insight into how things can go drastically wrong and the resulting consequences.” Steve Coates , Gazprom Marketing & Trading Limited

“Nick Leeson was very good for us. His subject matter was an excellent fit for our subject matter and he was a strong draw for our attendees. His presentation was factual, honest and compelling. I observed that the audience was truly interested in what he had to say. There didn’t seem to be any negative sentiment towards him or his prior actions. In fact, there was an employee of a bank sitting in the front row, closest to him, who was genuinely interested in how his situation went down. Nick also participated in a journalist interview from the Daily Telegraph. He was flexible and agreeable and the reporter seemed happy with the outcome. All in all, it was a successful day for Courion and Nick was instrumental in making that happen.” Doug Mow, Chief Marketing Officer, Courion Corporation.

“Mr Leeson shared his personal journey in a humble and direct manner.  His view was supported by the rest of the Board who found his story astonishing and recognised the lessons to be learnt.  The Secretariat department was especially pleased that Mr Leeson did not hurry through the delivery of his presentation and that he was willing to share his experiences in detail with the audience.  A truly thought-provoking experience.” Chairman, Exxaro Resources – South Africa.