Standard & Poor's appoints Suzanne Smith to head South and Southeast Asia ratings analytics

Mumbai: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services today announced the appointment of Suzanne Smith, managing director, Ratings, South & Southeast Asia. Smith will lead the credit ratings analytical teams based in Mumbai and Singapore, covering all credits, including sovereigns, corporates and financial institutions in the region.

Speaking on the appointment, Yu-Tsung Chang, executive managing director, Asia-Pacific Ratings, said, ''Ms. Smith is noted for her high standards of client service and thought leadership. Her deep experience with Standard & Poor's as an analytical leader and her strong understanding of a cross-section of industries make her ideally placed to address the growing demands of the South and Southeast Asia region.''

Smith, a 13-year Standard & Poor's veteran, recently relocated to Mumbai from New York where she held senior managerial and analytical positions in project finance, energy and utility ratings and risk management for financial institutions. Smith brings both a global and regional credit perspective to her new leadership role, including strong knowledge of Asian markets, especially Greater China where she was based for several years.

With the continuing development and growth of the financial markets in Asia-Pacific, the South and Southeast Asia regions have become increasingly important for Standard & Poor's. The South Asia region has witnessed tremendous growth in the past few years and Standard & Poor's continues to work closely with its subsidiary in India, CRISIL, to support the development of the South Asian markets as they become more open and integrated with the global financial markets. Southeast Asia also offers considerable opportunity for Standard & Poor's to serve and contribute to the region's fast growing markets as they deepen, become more sophisticated and globalise.