Mashreq CIB has hired Sherjan Qaisrani as global head of trade sales within its Dubai office, effective immediately.

In the role, Qaisrani will spearhead Mashreq’s trade sales business across several markets within its global network, including the UAE, UK, US, Hong Kong, India, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.

Reporting to Mashreq’s global head of transaction banking, Vivek Batra, he will work to drive client adoption of various products, including structured trade solutions.

Qaisrani joins after an 11-year stint at SMBC, where he most recently served as head of structured trade and commodity finance for the Middle East. Prior to this, he worked at Standard Chartered for about a decade.

Qaisrani tells GTR that there are significant flows of goods such as energy, automotives, soft commodities, fertilisers and capital goods in the Middle East, either originating in the market or being imported.

“Mashreq Bank, with its strong presence within the Middle East region as well as international locations like UK, US, Hong Kong and India, is well poised to cater to the growing needs of its clients,” he says.

He adds: “The plan is certainly to develop trade sales into a more sophisticated business with a greater focus on structured transactions, bringing more value to the bank and to the clients.”