Mr. Renaud Simons represents the Firm’s EU Desk. He is responsible for developing relationships with European clients and providing market expansion support to European clients wanting to invest in India. He carries 30 years of experience in banking and finance, growing and developing business contexts, launching and developing new activities, leading acquisition projects, managing crisis situations, and overseeing business integrations.
After studying Economics and Finance from the University of Namur, Belgium in 1988, Renaud worked with Generale Bank, the leading bank of Belgium, for 11 years, including his tenure as Country Risk Manager in Italy. After the takeover of Generale Bank by Fortis Group, he became in 2000 the CEO and Country Manager of Fortis Bank Italy. During this period, he developed from scratch different verticals such as commercial banking, leasing, factoring, merchant banking, private banking, and asset management.
In 2008, he was appointed CEO of Fortis Lease Italy, and a few months later, he was also appointed General Manager of Fortis Lease Romania IFN in Bucharest. From 2010 till 2017, he worked with GE Capital, including his stint as CEO of GE Capital Finance Italy, the factoring business service line. Currently, he is Executive Director of a Swedish digital trade finance platform and also provides consulting on various projects such as mergers and acquisitions, receivable finance, and corporate debt. He is the official advisor for economic and foreign trade matters of the Belgian Embassy in Rome. He is proficient in English, French, Italian, and Dutch.