Singapore, 13 April 2022 – MUFG Bank, Ltd. (MUFG) today announced the appointment of Ms. June Raj as Managing Director & Head of Origination, Asia Pacific Aviation, responsible for the strategic growth of the bank’s aviation financing portfolio in the region. She reports jointly to Messrs. Olivier Trauchessec and Vicente Alava-Pons, Managing Directors, Co-Heads of Global Aviation based out of New York and London respectively, and Mr. Tatsuya Konishi, Managing Director, Head of Asian Investment Banking Division (AIBD) in Singapore. Ms. Raj will be based in Singapore.
Aviation finance remains a crucial growth pillar for MUFG. Shortly after the conclusion of MUFG’s acquisition of DVB Bank SE's (DVB) aviation finance lending business in November 2019, the bank established the Global Aviation Finance Office (GAFO) as part of its broader global corporate banking business to manage its aviation portfolio and the coverage of aviation clients on a worldwide basis. With key hubs in London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo, GAFO has played an instrumental role in building resilience in MUFG’s aviation portfolio amid the COVID-19 pandemic while also successfully delivering a number of new transactions across a range of aviation products.
Ms. Raj’s appointment is therefore aimed at further deepening MUFG’s foothold in Asia-Pacific aviation, better positioning the bank to capitalise on the much-anticipated recovery in the sector as borders re-open globally, while enhancing connections between regional industry clients and the bank’s global network.
Ms. Raj has over 20 years of business development and origination & distribution experience in the aviation and transportation sectors. A recipient of the prestigious Singapore Airlines (SIA) Overseas Scholarship, Ms. Raj began her career familiarising herself with different aspects of the aviation business through a fast-tracked general management training programme within the company. She was with Standard Chartered Bank for over 12 years between 2007-2019 and contributed to the development of its transportation finance and leasing business and developed senior relationships with key airlines across the Asia Pacific while based out of Hong Kong and Singapore. Before joining MUFG, Ms. Raj was Senior Vice President, Marketing and Trading, Asia, for private equity firm Castlelake, where she led the origination and execution of deals for its in-house aviation team.
Mr. Richard Yorke, Executive Officer and Head of Global Corporate & Investment Banking for Asia Pacific, said: “COVID-19 has exacted a heavy toll on society and industry, especially in sectors like aviation. June’s arrival at MUFG marks an important turning point for the bank as we accelerate the build-out of our best-in-class regional team to help clients ride the tailwinds of the post-pandemic global recovery. With June’s wealth of experience in client delivery, technical expertise and network of relationships, I am confident she will further differentiate MUFG as a market leader in the aviation sector in Asia.”
On her appointment, Ms. Raj said: “MUFG is an established brand name, with a strong balance sheet, international presence, as well as extensive expertise in capital markets. It is indeed an honour to be part of such an experienced team, and I look forward to building on the bank’s track record of excellence in the Asia-Pacific aviation market.”