Leanne Wood (born 13 December 1971) is a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from March 2012 to September 2018, and has served as Member of the National Assembly (AM) for Rhondda since 2016.
Born in the Rhondda, she has been an Assembly Member since 2003, having represented the South Wales Central region as an Additional Member until 2016, when she was elected AM for Rhondda.
Ideologically, Wood identifies as a socialist, republican and proponent of Welsh independence.
She was the first female leader of Plaid Cymru and the first party leader to be a Welsh learner rather than already being fluent in the Welsh language.