Ian held responsibility for Standard Chartered’s commodities exposures in China, both first from a structuring and relationship perspective, and then in a risk management role where he had approval authority over a USD7 billion portfolio. Ian has been involved in commodity and trade finance since joining Standard Chartered in London in 1995, giving him experience working with traders and commodity flows across Europe, the Middle East and North-East Asia, covering all of energy, metals, and softs. In China in particular he headed up a team that grew to be 30 people with USD90 million of annual revenues, having previously built up the UAE team from a zero base.

During his time in Hong Kong, he was part of the team that was voted Structured Trade Finance bank of the year in North-East Asia. He has also won two Trade Finance magazine Deal of the Year awards, in 2008 and 2010.

Since leaving banking he has worked with a number of Chinese start-ups and SMEs to provide guidance on fund raising, capital structures, and liquidity management. He also built from scratch a financial professionals network through his role as Country Manager, China for Planet of finance.

A graduate in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Warwick, Ian is also a qualified Corporate Treasurer as member of the ACT, and is a member of Mensa. He has lived in Shanghai for over 15 years, where his proficiency in Mandarin not only facilitates his direct involvement in the Chinese market but also reflects his dedication to immersing himself in the regions where he operates. This is further evidenced by his authorship of two books about his life and experiences in China. He is Chairman of and a player in the Shanghai International Football League, and a volunteer English teacher in a local Chinese school.