Leslie Reid

Biography

Leslie Reid is a senior business executive, board director, and advisor with nearly four decades of leadership experience across banking, financial services, risk management, governance, operational transformation, organizational effectiveness, and international business. Leslie began her career with Scotiabank in 1987 and progressed through increasingly senior roles in Canadian and International Banking. Her experience spans frontline banking, financial planning, branch and district leadership, sales and service, organizational effectiveness, operational design, business support, risk management, internal controls, and Anti-Money Laundering. She has led and supported complex business transformation initiatives across the Caribbean and Central America, including operating model redesign, regulatory and control improvement, mergers, acquisitions, integrations, divestitures, business continuity, and digital transformation. She also brings extensive governance and board experience. Leslie served as a Director of Scotia Group Jamaica Limited from 2018 to 2022 and Scotia Investments Jamaica Limited from 2022 to 2025, where she also served as Chair of the Risk Committee. Her board and executive experience has given her deep expertise in corporate governance, strategic oversight, risk management, regulatory environments, and executive accountability. Today, Leslie is the founder of Thistle Rock Consulting Inc., where she advises organizations on Strategy and Business Performance, Process and Operating Model Improvement, Risk, Governance and Change, and AI and Digital Enablement. Her work focuses on helping leadership teams improve how they operate, strengthen governance, and identify practical opportunities to use technology and artificial intelligence responsibly. A growing area of Leslie’s practice is responsible AI adoption. She works at the intersection of business strategy, governance, employee adoption, and emerging technology, with expertise in AI readiness, generative AI, AI governance, workflow automation, AI agents, and human-in-the-loop decision-making. Leslie holds a Master of Business Administration from Dalhousie University and has successfully completed advanced studies in Generative Artificial Intelligence through the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Throughout her career, Leslie has been committed to leadership development, mentorship, and creating opportunities for others. Earlier in her career, she developed a Women in Business initiative that brought business leaders and entrepreneurs together for networking, professional development, and skills building. Her fields of expertise include business strategy, corporate governance, risk and control management, operational transformation, organizational effectiveness, change management, international banking, Anti-Money Laundering, responsible AI, generative AI, and digital enablement.