• Published on 27 April 2022
• 1712 Views
• Print

SMBC appoints head of M&A advisory of structured finance business in Asia Pacific 

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC) announced the Singapore-based appointment of Simone Chirolli as head of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory of structured finance department, Asia Pacific (SFDA), effective 19 April 2022. 

In this newly created role, Chirolli is responsible for leading SMBC’s M&A advisory efforts in Asia in the energy and infrastructure sectors covering renewables and digital infrastructure, among others.

Chirolli joins SMBC from J.P. Morgan, where he was the head of infrastructure investors coverage for Asia (ex-Japan) and executive director in the energy, power and renewables team. He spent over 11 years at J.P. Morgan, and he focused mainly on large mergers and acquisitions in the energy and infrastructure space. 

Chirolli also brings with him a wealth of M&A experience, having worked, among others, on the sale of a $1.2 billion listed telecom tower company in Indonesia, the sale of a 1.8 GW power plant in Korea, the sale of oil and gas fields and of gas transmission pipelines in New Zealand and the creation of a joint venture between a leading independent power generation company in Indonesia and a Japanese power company. Chirolli has over 18 years of industry experience, and has previously held various roles at Merrill Lynch, Accenture and Unicredit.   

Chirolli reports to Tomofumi Watanabe and Luca Tonello, co-general managers of the structured finance department, Asia Pacific Division at SMBC.

Tonello said, “APAC’s green economy holds tremendous growth potential today, from opportunities in the blue and green hydrogen value chain to the expansion of core infrastructure such as roads, data centres and renewable energy storage. Looking ahead, SFDA will continue to prioritise sustainable energy and infrastructure development in the region, with a focus on supporting energy transition, digital connectivity renewables, and minimising our carbon footprint”. 

Watanabe said, “SMBC is one of the trusted market leaders in sustainable and green finance, and I look forward to working closely with our teams across the region to accelerate our clients’ sustainability journey and deliver real business value across the entire ecosystem”.

Among other credentials, SMBC has recently been named the Best Global Bank of the Year in 2021, for the third consecutive year and seven times in total, by Project Finance International (PFI). 

Re-disseminated by The Asian Banker