HSBC Australia has promoted James Hogan as head of its commercial banking group.

Hogan will be responsible for driving the bank’s commercial strategy in Australia to support internationally-oriented companies with their banking and financing needs.

Paulo Maia, chief executive officer of HSBC Australia, says: “HSBC is seeing growing demand from businesses in Australia for international and cross-border banking and we are committed to increasing our presence here to meet this demand.

“For small to medium businesses in Australia, this means providing transactional banking and a range of international products and services including foreign exchange, trade finance and payments and cash management.”

Hogan moves over from his role as CEO of HSBC in Iraq.

He has more than 20 years of international banking experience working within commercial banking, global transaction banking, global banking and markets, operations and strategy.

Hogan succeeds Noel McNamara who has stepped up as chief executive officer of HSBC’s operations in New Zealand.