SMBC Americas Holdings elects independent director and chairman of the risk committee

Global financial group SMBC Americas Holdings (SMBCAH), a member of SMBC Group, has elected Reuben Jeffery III as an independent director and chairman of the board, effective September 1, 2020.

SMBCAH elected Anthony Murphy as an independent member of the board, effective August 19, 2020, and chairman of the risk committee. Murphy is also a member of the boards of directors of SMBC Capital Markets and SMBC Nikko Securities America.

“I would like to warmly welcome Reuben and Anthony as independent directors to the SMBCAH Board,” said Hiro Hyakutome, CEO and head of SMBC Americas Division and president and CEO of SMBCAH.

“They join our organisation at an exciting time, as we drive our strategy forward—building deeper client relationships and further expanding our global reach and scale.

“The addition of these independent directors complements our current board of directors’ skills and experience, providing SMBC Group in the Americas valuable perspectives and strategic guidance as we continue to execute our strategy, drive profitability, and enhance value for our stakeholders,” Hyakutome said.

Prior to his election to the board of directors of SMBCAH, Jeffery was president and chief executive officer of Rockefeller Financial Services, a firm offering global family office, asset management and strategic advisory services to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, institutions and corporations.

Before that, he served in the US government as under secretary at the US Department of State for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs. He also served as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and as special assistant to the President on the staff of the National Security Council.

Murphy is a managing director at Promontory Financial Group, an IBM Company, which provides strategic and risk management advice to international financial sector institutions and public sector authorities. In his role at Promontory, Murphy is responsible for the strategic coordination and development of all service offerings in Promontory’s core US practice. He also offers specialist advice to clients in governance, enterprise risk management and market integrity.

Prior to his current role, Murphy spent 20 years at HSBC Holdings in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as CEO, global banking and markets, Americas.

He also served on the management committee at Bridgewater Associates. He started his career in actuarial consultancy and in fixed-income trading and research at several London firms.