SMBC Group appointed Juan (JC) Kreutz as Americas Head of Structured Finance Solutions and Deputy Head for the Americas business.

Based in New York, Kreutz will oversee the bank’s structured product businesses, including project finance debt & advisory, real estate finance, leveraged finance, fund finance, transportation, leasing, and global trade finance, while also overseeing SMBC’s Latin America region.

“JC has made a significant impact on the SMBC Americas business in his 10-plus years with the bank, helping to sustain SMBC’s leading position in U.S. project finance and advisory, while also growing our footprint in Latin America,” said Hirofumi Otsuka, Chief Executive Officer, SMBC Americas Division. “Under JC’s leadership, SMBC will continue to evolve and diversify our business model to best serve our clients.”

Before being appointed to his current role, Kreutz was General Manager of Global Structured Finance for SMBC Americas, where he oversaw several industry groups in North and South America, including power & new energies, infrastructure, real estate, municipal finance, and Latin American corporate finance.

Prior to SMBC, JC built out the Debt Capital Markets (DCM) Group at BBVA Securities, where he also served as the Head of Natural Resources DCM. He previously held roles in energy finance and investment banking at Barclays, WestLB, Credit Suisse, and Merrill Lynch. JC holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration from The Stern School of Business at New York University.

Kreutz succeeds Carl Adams, who has retired after 12 years of leadership with the bank.