David Leal ’03

Chief Executive Officer at CurrentWare
BS 2003, Rice University
MBA 2012, Dartmouth College

Term as President: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Get to Know David

Executive Biography

David Leal is chief executive officer at CurrentWare, a private equity-backed software company focused on developing products to improve employee productivity and increase return on investment in human capital.

Previously, Leal was co-founder and CEO-in-residence at Gulmohar Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in technology and tech-enabled services companies. He earlier established a career as an investment banker at Bank of America’s Global Corporate and Investment Bank and at Independence Point Advisors. He has advised on and executed more than $200 billion in mergers and acquisitions, debt, and equity capital markets transactions for clients, including several landmark deals in the technology, media, telecom, and energy transition industries. Before entering finance, Leal worked in the semiconductor and software industries in various leadership roles.

At Rice, Leal has served on reunion committees, including as co-chair of his 15- and 20-year reunions, as a volunteer with the Rice Alumni Volunteers for Admission, and as a member of the Society of Latino Alumni at Rice, in addition to his service on the Association of Rice Alumni board and its executive committee.

What part of serving on the ARA Board are you most excited about?

I am excited about working with a talented group of people to advance the interests of alumni from all over the world. Rice has a diverse alumni base with a rich tapestry of life experiences, and I am looking forward to tapping into the talents and perspectives of our alumni.

What is your favorite “Only at Rice” memory or story?

One of my favorite times of day was sitting down for lunch on any given weekday at a random table at the South servery. Only at Rice can you find a renowned piano player, an engineer, an All-American athlete, a sociologist and a physics professor at a lunch table having an enthralling conversation about powderpuff football.

If you could give one piece of advice to Rice students, what would it be?

Make friends with as many of your classmates as humanly possible. Whether or not you can tell currently, your classmates will go on to do magnificent things in the world and staying in touch with them will continue to inspire you throughout your life and your career.