Leila Maw Straus has lived in New York since leaving London in 1981. She is a graduate of Leeds University and LSE and has loved the theatre and the arts since she first worked in London in the seventies.
Whilst living in London, Straus worked for the Boston Consulting Group, ran her own Market Development Service, and worked in group corporate planning and evaluation of diversification opportunities for the Granada Group PLC. She then became Managing Director for Granada Television International in New York. She has served on several not-for-profit boards and is currently Chair of the National Theatre America Board.
Straus was recognised by the Queen in the 2014 New Year Honours list, awarded an MBE for her services to philanthropy and the arts. The Straus Family Foundation broadly aims to serve the common good and encourage equal opportunity. Her late husband Mickey was Chair of Guild Hall for many years.