SMBC Americas Holdings, Inc. (“SMBCAH”), a member of SMBC Group, announced today it has elected Kevin G. Chavers as an Independent Director, effective May 1, 2021. Mr. Chavers also serves as a member of the Audit Committee.

“I am extremely grateful to welcome Kevin to the board,” said Hiro Hyakutome, CEO of SMBC in the Americas, who is also President & CEO of SMBCAH. “Kevin provides our board with a unique background and perspective and we look forward to his expertise and guidance.”

Mr. Chavers has extensive experience in mortgage capital markets and housing finance policy in both the public and private sectors. He also has board experience, previously sitting on the trade group Structured Finance Association’s Board of Directors and the Investor Advisory Group of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (2015–2018).

Most recently, Mr. Chavers was a Managing Director and a member of the Global Fixed Income Securitized Asset Investment Team at BlackRock, where he has worked for the past 10 years, holding roles on the Global Public Policy Group and Financial Markets Advisory Group. He was also a member of BlackRock’s Government Relations Steering Committee and co-chaired the firm’s Black Professionals Network.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Chavers worked at Morgan Stanley, where he served as a Senior Relationship Manager with coverage responsibilities for the mortgage-related government-sponsored enterprises and other clients. He led the firm’s global mortgage operating businesses and their strategic repositioning. Mr. Chavers also headed strategy, execution, and banking for the mortgage principal finance team within the Securitized Products Group.

Mr. Chavers began his career with the law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in New York before serving as the President of Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) during the Clinton administration and as Majority Staff Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. After that, he spent five years at Goldman Sachs & Co. as a Vice President in the Mortgage Securities Department.

Mr. Chavers earned a Bachelor of City Planning degree from the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture and his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.

About SMBC Group

SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 85,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges. As of December 31, 2020, its total assets were $2.25 trillion.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia, the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate, institutional, and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organization’s extensive global network. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., SMBC Rail Services LLC, Manufacturers Bank, JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd.