Job Summary

With an increasing strategic focus on deepening client relationships across Southern Europe, Standard Chartered Bank is seeking an accomplished Executive Director to lead the Italian Corporates franchise. Based initially in Paris and joining our Milan Branch as the project matures, this senior hire will act as a trusted strategic advisor to a select portfolio of leading Italian corporate clients.

The Executive Director will be accountable for client revenues, profitability, and risk management, driving the bank’s franchise growth across corporate and investment banking products, with a strong emphasis on non-financing revenue generation. This is a highly visible, client-facing role with regular engagement at C-suite and board level.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and lead the relationship strategy for a portfolio of major Italian corporate clients, driving profitable growth and long-term strategic engagement.
• Act as the primary relationship manager and trusted advisor, anticipating client needs and mobilizing the bank’s global network and product expertise.
• Deliver on all financial performance targets (revenues, costs, return on risk-weighted assets) while ensuring the highest standards of compliance and risk discipline (AML, CDD, credit)
• Originate new opportunities across corporate banking and investment banking solutions, with a focus on transaction banking, markets, and advisory services.
• Engage senior decision-makers within client organizations to transition from transactional coverage to strategic partnership
• Collaborate closely with product partners (e.g., Financial Markets, Transaction Banking, Corporate Finance) and industry sector specialists to deliver seamless client solutions.
• Maintain strong working relationships with Credit, Legal, Compliance, Risk, and other key internal stakeholders.

Skills and Experience

• 10+ years in corporate or investment banking with extensive exposure to large multinational corporates, ideally in Italy or Southern Europe.
• Proven success in origination, relationship management, and strategic advisory at Executive / C-suite level.
• Deep understanding of corporate banking products, particularly transaction banking, financial markets, and advisory solutions.
• Strong track record in P&L accountability, including revenue growth, risk management, and capital allocation.
• Expertise in regulatory frameworks (AML, CDD, credit risk) and ability to influence governance and risk management.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to coach, develop, and inspire high-performing teams.
• Fluent in English and Italian; French is an advantage.

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.