ING Bank has announced new appointments for two members of its leadership team in Asia. Aart Jan den Hartog was appointed head of commercial banking in Greater China and Mongolia on January 1, while, Robert Scholten was appointed head of real estate finance (REF) for Asia Pacific on February 1.
In his current role, Hartog assumes responsibility for the continued growth of ING’s businesses in the Greater China region and Mongolia. He will be based in Shanghai and will work closely with current clients and expand the client base to support more Asian corporates keen on investing in Europe. Hartog will report directly to Mark Newman.
In Hartog’s prior positions with ING Bank in Asia, he held regional responsibility as head of structured finance risk management and head of structured acquisition finance and sponsor coverage, before his most recent role as head of real estate finance for Asia Pacific.
“A big part of our strategy in Asia is to be a strong partner for our European clients in the region and to be the primary bank for Asian clients expanding into Europe where ING has a well-entrenched presence. To deliver on this strategy, we are constantly building on and complementing the local knowledge, sector expertise, and deepening the client relationships that our leadership team has,” said Mark Newman, CEO of ING Commercial Banking in Asia.
Scholten will be based in Singapore, with a mandate to grow REF’s business and platform in Asia Pacific. He will additionally direct the marketing efforts in servicing ING Bank’s Asian-based clients who are investing in the European real estate sector, such as non-bank financial institutions, corporates and REF clients.
In the past few years, such outbound investment into Europe has witnessed a significant growth in volume, a trend likely to continue in the foreseeable future and Scholten will take advantage of this opportunity to leverage ING’s extensive network and REF presence in Europe. He reports functionally to Jan-Evert Post, member of the global management team for Real Estate Finance, and hierarchically in the region to Basheer Buhari, head of lending services Asia.
A 25-year ING veteran, of which 23 were spent in Asia, Scholten brings a wealth of experience in both the region and within the Bank. He has held senior positions as country head ING Commercial Banking Indonesia and head of loan syndications Asia Pacific, before his most recent role as head of commercial banking Greater China and Mongolia.
