Semih Ozkan is leaving Deutsche Bank to join SMBC’s global trade finance department as regional product leader for structured trade finance.

In his new role, which he will start next week, Ozkan will be responsible for marketing export credit agency-backed finance and commodity finance in the Middle East region. He will continue to be based in Dubai, and will report to Naokazu Sasaki, SMBC’s regional head of global trade finance.

Ozkan has more than 15 years of experience in financial institution (FI) and corporate coverage and sales, most recently as corporate trade finance sales director at Deutsche Bank in the Middle East.

Before that he spent more than six years with Standard Chartered Bank as FI trade finance and cash management sales director and head of Northern GCC and Iraq, and has also worked for Tekstilbank (currently ICBC Turkey).

Ozkan is also the chairperson of the Middle East regional committee for the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA).