Leonard Cirota
About Leonard Cirota
Leonard Cirota serves as the Credit Investments Desk Head and Portfolio Manager at Investec in London, United Kingdom, a position he has held since 2019. With a background in accounting and finance from the University of Cape Town and the London School of Economics, he has extensive experience in credit analysis and portfolio management across several financial institutions.
Work at Investec
Leonard Cirota has been serving as the Credit Investments Desk Head and Portfolio Manager at Investec since 2019. In this role, he oversees credit analysis, execution, and risk management for corporate credit positions within the portfolio. He chairs the investment committee for the Credit Investments Desk, where he reviews investment opportunities and manages overall exposure. Cirota leads a team of seven senior portfolio managers, focusing on proprietary risk-taking in fixed income investments, including RMBS, CLO, AT1s, and corporate bonds.
Previous Experience in Finance
Prior to his current role at Investec, Leonard Cirota held various positions in the finance sector. He worked at Bank of America as a Portfolio Management Analyst for ten months in 2005. He then joined Credit Suisse, where he served in Credit Proprietary Trading from 2006 to 2009. Cirota returned to Investec, where he worked as a High Yield/Distressed Portfolio Manager in Credit Investments from 2012 to 2019, and as an Equities Proprietary Trader from 2009 to 2012. He also worked as a Desk Analyst at Investec for 11 months in 2012.
Education and Expertise
Leonard Cirota holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Cape Town, which he completed from 2000 to 2003. He furthered his education at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), earning a Master of Science in Accounting and Finance from 2004 to 2005. His academic background provides a strong foundation for his expertise in credit analysis and portfolio management.
Responsibilities and Leadership
In his role at Investec, Leonard Cirota is responsible for communicating budgets and limit requests to the executive committee and board. He acts as a resource for new business evaluation and capital optimization, providing commercial opinions in the bank's senior Credit Risk committee. His leadership extends to managing a team of senior portfolio managers, ensuring effective risk management and investment strategies within the Credit Investments Desk.