Ian Stern, executive director and deputy head for Sub-Saharan Africa, structured finance at Crédit Agricole has left the bank.

Based in London, Stern had worked for the French institution since 2007. He specialised in structured trade finance and commodity finance across Sub-Saharan Africa covering sectors such as energy, metals and mining.

He is currently on gardening leave, but market sources suggest he will be joining a large international bank active in structured commodity finance in the coming months.