The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has hired Roberto Leva as trade and supply chain finance relationship manager. He moves from JP Morgan, where he started in 2008 as a graduate, rotating for two years in different positions in Frankfurt, London and New York, followed by eight years in the trade finance team in London.

In his new role, Leva will be based at ADB’s headquarters in Manila, and will report to Steven Beck, head of trade and supply chain finance.

Speaking to GTR about Leva’s appointment, Beck says: “We’re very pleased to welcome Roberto to the team. He’ll look after a portfolio of countries in our trade finance business including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia and Nepal. Roberto’s enthusiasm and innovative ideas fit well in the team. He’ll be great with clients, supporting their business in developing Asia, while leading the industry on the sustainability agenda.”

Leva is also co-leader of the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) sustainability working group, which recently launched global best practice guidelines for sustainable trade finance.

Through a questionnaire, the guidelines provide clarity to banks on the implementation of sustainability policy and standards in order to discourage inaccurate use of the term and to prevent greenwashing, a practice in which trade transactions are inaccurately labelled as sustainable without any means of verification.

Leva will continue his work on sustainability at the ADB, running the multilateral’s sustainable trade finance initiative, which will see him coordinate closely with partner banks, the ICC, and ADB’s sister multilaterals to help trade move up the sustainability curve.