The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) has named Pancaran Affendi to head its global corporate sector in Indonesia, making him the first non-Japanese to take the role.

As deputy general manager, executive vice-president of global corporate, Affendi will be responsible for banking all local and international multinationals and financial institutions in Indonesia. Trade finance will come under his remit when servicing those businesses that require it.

Affendi has more than 17 years of experience in banking, both on the corporate and investment banking side, having worked for both local and foreign banks in Indonesia. Before joining BTMU, he held senior positions in a number of banks, including ABN Amro, BCA, DBS and RBS. In each of his previous roles, he was charged with growing the bank’s Indonesian business.

He joined BTMU in 2008 to head up corporate banking and financial institutions. In his new role, he will report to Yusuke Katsuta, who is the general manager in Jakarta. Katsuta welcomed him to the role, saying: “Along with attracting world-class talent from outside the bank, one of my top priorities is growing our existing leadership team. Pancaran has demonstrated the ability to think strategically and proven to be a strong leader which earned him the respect from his peers, customers and partners.”

He added: “Pancaran’s promotion is part of BTMU’s overall strategic intent to leverage on local talents to further spur the growth of our global banking business here.”