Société Générale has hired Hiroyuki Nishiguchi as director of project and export finance for Japan.

Nishiguchi is returning to the French bank having worked there from 2004 until July 2009. In the interim, he has been employed at a Japanese bank, believed to have been Tokyo Star Bank.

He will report to Atsushi Yamashita, head of loan syndicate and sales in Japan and Jose-Antonio Olano, head of loan syndication and distribution for Asia Pacific.

A Société Générale spokesperson tells GTR that the bank is expanding its presence in Asia, having refocused its strategy on Europe two years ago.

In an interview with the media in Tokyo, Yamashita said: “We will make the shift to a more aggressive mode from this year. Japan is a very critical market for project financing because it is home to many trading houses.”