Leech joined the British Property Federation as chief executive in January 2015, having previously spent nine years as director general of the Food & Drink Federation. She began her working life as a police constable in the Metropolitan Police Service and subsequently held a number of senior roles in the civil service. Her role is to champion a diverse, successful and sustainable UK real estate sector that is recognised for the positive economic and social benefits it delivers to communities across the country. Leech is a trustee of the property industry charity LandAid and a member of the Council of the University of Essex. She was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to the food and drink industry.