Wells Fargo hires for EMEA real estate team: IFR
Wells Fargo has hired James Hawkins in its commercial real estate team for Europe, Middle East and Africa to lead its capital markets efforts, including focusing on structured finance.
He is based in London and reports to Nicola Free, head of CRE for EMEA.
Hawkins joined from Standard Chartered, where he was in its global credit markets team for almost two years, according to his profile on LinkedIn. He previously spent 11 years at Barclays, including in securitised product solutions and real estate, his profile showed.
Source: IFR
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
2 days ago
- The National
TV art guru jailed for 2.5 years for deals with suspected Hezbollah financier
An art expert who appeared on a BBC auction show was jailed for two-and-a-half years on Friday after a series of deals with a suspected Hezbollah financier. Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, also known as Ochuko, sold artwork worth around £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities for alleged laundering for the Lebanese group. A regular on the Bargain Hunt programme, Ojiri was arrested two years ago by officers from the UK's National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit. The investigation centred on alleged terrorist financing and money laundering by Mr Ahmad, an art collector and diamond dealer. Mr Ahmad, 60, a dual Belgian- Lebanese citizen, is under sanction s by Britain and the US. He has been accused of using the UK's fine art market to run an international financing operation for Hezbollah which is proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation. The art dealer's connection to the investigation into Mr Ahmad was first revealed by The National on Thursday, when he was charged. Ojiri is known for his appearances on the BBC's Bargain Hunt and has also appeared on the BBC's Antiques Road Trip. Ojiri had admitted to eight charges of failing to disclose his dealings with Mr Ahmad, which took place between October 2020 and December 2021, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000. Prosecutor Lyndon Harris told the court hearing in May that Ojiri 'engaged in sales of artwork to Nazem Ahmad, a suspected terrorist financier'. Following the introduction of new money laundering regulations in January 2020 that brought the art market under the supervision of UK Customs, Ojiri is said to have discussed the changes with a colleague, indicating awareness of the rules, he told the court. 'At the time of the transactions, Ojiri knew Mr Ahmad had been sanctioned in the US,' Mr Harris said. 'He accessed news reports about Mr Ahmad and engaged in conversations with others about that, which indicates that he had information about Mr Ahmad.' Mr Ahmad was first accused by the US Treasury in 2019 of laundering substantial amounts of money and being involved in the smuggling of 'blood diamonds' for Hezbollah. He was sanctioned, then in April 2024 charged by the US along with eight associates with offences relating to breaching sanctions regulations. Police swooped on the high-security depot near London's Heathrow Airport in 2024, taking away nearly two dozen works of art belonging to Mr Ahmad, which they believe would probably have funded Hezbollah.
The National
2 days ago
- The National
Will Europe's shift on Israel's war in Gaza change anything?
Too little, too late. This was the sentiment echoed among critics in the international community after Europe started taking a new, critical stance on Israel's war in Gaza in recent weeks. For Palestinians actually in the strip, it is certainly too late, with the death toll from 19 months of war at more than 54,200. But what of the new stance itself? In late May, the EU announced it would launch a review of its relations with Israel. The move was backed by 17 of 27 states and could lead to a suspension in whole or in part of the EU-Israel agreement, the legal framework that governs their bilateral economic co-operation. In Germany, new Chancellor Friedrich Merz questioned the future of arms sales to Israel; in France, President Emmanuel Macron has been rallying global support to recognise Palestinian statehood; and in the UK, the government issued sanctions against several illegal Israeli settlers and paused trade negotiations. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the motives and timing of Europe's shifting position on Gaza and asks whether these measures will make any difference to the war. We hear from former German ambassador Heinrich Kreft and Hugh Lovatt, senior Mena policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Editor's note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our two-minute listener survey. Click here.
Zawya
3 days ago
- Zawya
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Appoints Group Chief Financial Officer Ayo Adepoju as Group Executive Director
The Board of Directors of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) ( the parent company of the Ecobank Group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ayo Adepoju, the current group chief financial officer (CFO), to the Board as Group Executive Director, effective June 4, 2025. Ayo brings two decades of broad-based leadership experience and deep institutional knowledge as a proud product of the Ecobank Group. His expertise spans financial management, capital markets, strategic planning, capital raising and structuring, treasury management, investor relations, business performance management, governance, enterprise transformation, financial due diligence, internal control, and risk-based audit. As a distinguished finance executive, he has been instrumental in shaping the Group's financial transformation, capital strategy, and long-term resilience. Since joining Ecobank in 2012, he has held several key leadership positions, including Group Financial Controller, Group Head of Business Performance and Analytics, and currently Group CFO. Over the years, Ayo has led numerous strategic initiatives, including landmark capital market transactions such as Eurobonds, Basel III-compliant instruments, and sustainability-linked debt. These efforts have significantly enhanced Ecobank's presence in international capital markets and strengthened transparency and investor engagement. Prior to joining Ecobank, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in London and Lagos, serving in the Financial Services Practice. Commenting on the appointment, Papa Madiaw Ndiaye, Chairman of the Ecobank Group, stated: 'On behalf of my fellow directors, I commend Ayo for his outstanding performance and warmly welcome him to the ETI board. His proven leadership has fostered trusted relationships with the Board and made this appointment both natural and strategic for the Group's future. I believe that Ayo embodies Ecobank's renewed talent philosophy, a homegrown leader with global exposure and a compelling track record. His intellect, integrity, and impact-driven leadership have long been evident. His appointment to the Board is a testament to our belief in recognizing and elevating excellence from within.' Jeremy Awori, Group Chief Executive Officer, added: 'Ayo has played a critical role in strengthening Ecobank's financial resilience and enabling sustainable business growth. His ability to manage complexity, innovate in financial strategy, align finance with enterprise-wide transformation, and lead collaboratively has made him a critical member of our executive team. I look forward to deepening our partnership as we drive forward our Growth, Transformation and Returns strategy.' Ayo holds a First-Class Honours degree from the University of Lagos and is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK. He also holds an MBA from Warwick Business School and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University, USA. He has completed executive education programs at Wharton, London Business School, and most recently in 2024, the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. An official member of the Forbes Finance Council, he is also a published author and respected thought leader in finance and organizational strategy. This appointment reinforces Ecobank's continued commitment to nurturing internal talent and promoting leadership excellence across Africa. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated. Media Contact: Christiane Bossom Group Communications Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Email: groupcorporatecomms@ Tel: +228 22 21 03 03 About Ecobank Group (or 'Ecobank Transnational Incorporated' or 'ETI'): Ecobank Group is the leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise. Present in 35 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 15,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 32 million customers. For further information, please visit
