Commodity trade finance fund Scipion Capital has appointed Paul Baker as head of trade finance, a newly-created position.

In this role, Baker (pictured) will oversee the company’s trade functions, reporting to the firm’s chief investment officer, Nicolas Clavel. He previously worked within SMBC’s structured trade and commodity finance department – which recently underwent an overhaul – until November 2015.

Before his eight years at SMBC, Baker was director for metals and mining in the commodity finance department at West LB, and held a variety of trade finance positions at international financial institutions including Citi, UFJ Bank, UBS, ING and Paribas.

Scipion believes the creation of a dedicated head of trade finance position will allow it to strengthen resources and diversify its teams within the trade and asset-raising functions.

“Paul is a very strategic hire for us. He will play a crucial role in managing and building out our global trading desk, developing our trade finance facilities, and advising on key deals. Our investors and trade teams alike will strongly benefit from his long-standing industry experience, reputation and networks,” Clavel says in a statement.