Nicholas William Leeson is a former derivates trader and broker who was responsible for the collapse of Barings Bank, one of the most respected and oldest financial establishments in Great Britain. He started his career in a clerical position at a private bank, Coutts, before working briefly for Morgan Stanley. Leeson arrived at Barings in 1989 with promise and skill. Although denied a broker’s license in England owing to a fraud in his application, Leeson was sent by the bank to manage its International Monetary Exchange chapter in Singapore. He authorized many dubious transactions in his capacity as the overseer of trades in Singapore, eventually earning the sobriquet of ‘The Rogue Trader’. He started off on a positive note in Singapore and earned hefty profits from speculative investments. Things changed within two years and the bank realized that its losses had reached 200 million pounds due to Leeson. He pushed Barings further into insolvency when he gambled on the stability of Asian markets, and the investments began dwindling after the Kobe earthquake. He soon fled Singapore, and Barings had to declare insolvency. He was sentenced to six years in prison, but was released after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He turned over a new leaf and currently advises people on risk management and corporate responsibility.