Paris-headquartered Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) announced last Tuesday (July 4) Anurag Poddar’s appointment as head of Financial Sponsors Group for Asia Pacific, effective July 1. He has relocated to Singapore for the position.
Poddar has been with the bank for the past seven years in New York, serving most recently as managing director in the Financial Sponsors Group. In his new role, he takes responsibility for leading the firm’s coverage of Apac financial sponsors as well as global financial sponsor clients that have an Asian presence.
Having been active in banking for over 20 years, Poddar has accumulated experience and expertise with such clients across varied mandates, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), infrastructure, debt and equity financings, risk solutions and global markets offerings, the release detailed.
In his new capacity, he will report to Sanjeev Kumar, senior country manager for Singapore, and head of Southeast and South Asia; and to Aurelien Lasjunies, head of Coverage for Asia Pacific.
Yoan Quere and Bill Ernest were appointed global co-heads of Financial Sponsors Coverage for Natixis CIB in May 2023. Ernest will take over Poddar’s portfolio of clients in New York, Lasjunies confirmed with FinanceAsia.
Discussing Poddar’s appointment, Lasjunies said, “Anurag has been instrumental in establishing and growing our relationships with key global financial sponsor clients over the past seven years and his connectivity within the global Natixis network will benefit our clients in the region.”
He pointed to increased demand from the bank’s clients to think globally.
“On the one hand, major US and EU asset managers are expanding into Apac, and on the other, leading Apac players want access to the West.”
Once settled, Poddar will prioritise deepening and broadening the firm’s partnerships with both types of clients, Lasjunies explained.
He said that the Natixis team is “bullish” on the opportunity presented by Asia, and that this is reflected by sponsor demand for capital.
In particular, Lasjunies noted demand for new physical, digital and social infrastructure across the region, and the significant risk capital required to bring billions of people within the region “into the global economic fold”.
“We see our sponsor clients stepping up to answer these challenges – from dedicated Asian private equity and growth funds, to infrastructure funds, climate and green funds,” he said.
“The Apac region is a key pillar of growth for Natixis CIB, as well as for our financial sponsor clients, where significant capital will be required to address the region’s development goals and challenges in the coming years,” Kumar commented in the release.
