Real Estate Finance Executive Vice President, Investment Banking

A prominent financial institution, Standard Bank Group, is seeking a seasoned professional to spearhead its Real Estate Finance (REF) division within its Investment Banking arm, based in Cape Town. This senior executive role is pivotal in driving the growth and strategic direction of real estate finance solutions across the region, demanding a blend of commercial acumen, leadership capabilities, and deep expertise in complex debt structuring. The successful candidate will be instrumental in shaping the bank’s approach to real estate finance, aiming to solidify its position as the preferred lending partner for a diverse range of clients.

The Executive Vice President Role

The core of this position lies in proactively identifying, structuring, and executing substantial real estate finance transactions. This involves cultivating and nurturing relationships with key clients, understanding their complex financial needs, and developing bespoke lending solutions. The Executive Vice President will work collaboratively with Client Coverage teams, regional leadership, and sub-segment specialists to identify and pursue new lending opportunities. A significant aspect of the role will be to provide end-to-end oversight of these transactions, from initial origination and structuring through to final execution, ensuring a seamless and high-quality client experience.

Furthermore, this role carries a strong mandate for revenue growth and market share expansion. The incumbent will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies to enhance the bank's lending pipeline, increase profitability, and bolster its presence in the real estate finance market. This requires a data-driven approach to analysing market trends, client behaviour, and portfolio performance to identify strategic opportunities and optimise returns for both clients and shareholders.

Key Responsibilities and Strategic Imperatives

The responsibilities of the Real Estate Finance Executive Vice President are multifaceted, encompassing both strategic leadership and operational oversight. Key duties include:

• **Driving Regional Growth:** Defining and monitoring data requirements, analysing market and client trends, and identifying strategic avenues to expand the lending pipeline, boost revenue, and capture greater market share.
• **Portfolio Performance Management:** Owning and delivering on regional portfolio objectives, including profit, revenue, and asset growth. This involves leveraging data insights to track progress, identify deviations, and implement corrective actions to optimise client and shareholder returns.
• **Origination Strategy and Deal Selection:** Leading the identification, evaluation, and pursuit of strategically important opportunities, carefully balancing mandate viability, deal feasibility, and the probability of closure against client needs, risk appetite, and overall business strategy.
• **Trusted Advisory:** Acting as a leading advisor to clients by providing expert insights, thought leadership, and innovative debt solutions. This includes leading complex client engagements, refining proposals, and driving post-pitch activities to successfully conclude transactions.
• **Deal Execution Oversight:** Providing strategic supervision of transaction delivery across the region. This involves reviewing and approving financial models, deal structures, term sheets, and lending solutions, while ensuring strict adherence to quality, compliance, and commercial viability throughout the deal lifecycle.
• **Risk Management and Balance Sheet Optimisation:** Actively monitoring portfolio risk, exposure, and key risk metrics. The role requires leading interventions for watchlist and non-performing loans, and partnering with Coverage, Risk, and Distribution teams to ensure efficient capital allocation and balance sheet capacity.
• **Governance and Compliance:** Overseeing due diligence processes, approval mechanisms, policy implementation, integrity assessments, and ensuring full compliance with all CIB risk, regulatory, and business control requirements.
• **Stakeholder Relationship Management:** Building and leveraging strong relationships with internal teams (Client Coverage, REF Specialists, Transaction Management, Risk) and developing external networks to enhance market access, strengthen the franchise, and foster cross-sell opportunities.
• **Talent Development:** Leading and developing high-performing teams, setting performance expectations, providing coaching, and fostering a culture that promotes leadership, diversity, inclusion, and strong business performance.
• **Market Insight and Strategy:** Monitoring macroeconomic, industry, and client developments to contribute to REF strategy, client planning, and risk appetite frameworks, translating market intelligence into actionable opportunities that enhance lending capabilities and client experience.

To excel in this role, candidates will typically possess a post-graduate degree in Finance and Accounting, with 8-10 years of experience in Real Estate Finance within Investment Banking. This should include a proven track record in concluding and leading complex debt solutions across diverse portfolios, managing transformative initiatives within debt solutions in a dynamic market, and leading teams. Experience in partnering with specialist risk areas and interpreting regulatory frameworks is also essential. Strong behavioural competencies such as decision-making, confidence, strategic thinking, and people development, alongside technical skills in deal appraisal, financial analysis, and market knowledge, are critical for success.

This Executive Vice President position at Standard Bank presents a significant opportunity for a driven and experienced finance professional to make a substantial impact on the real estate finance landscape in South Africa. It offers a platform to shape strategy, lead high-calibre teams, and contribute directly to the growth and success of a leading financial services group.

Qualification: Post Graduate Degree in Finance and Accounting

Experience Required
Lending - Real Estate Finance
Investment Banking
8-10 years
Concluding and leading complex Debt Solutions across multiple portfolios i.e. products, sectors, clients and / or countries, complex debt structuring including deal expertise, lobbying for support from Corporate Functions and collaborating with various product teams across a large bank. Managing disruptive transformation of Debt Solutions in an evolving macro client context.

8-10 years
Experience in coaching, managing, leading and coordinating teams with a proven track record of delegating and prioritising task, setting KPI's and conducing performance discussions

8-10 years
Partnering specialist risk areas to align to business risk management requirements, policies and procedures Portfolio monitoring to manage risk and exposure. Working with and interpreting relevant regulatory frameworks.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Challenging Ideas and Making Decisions
• Conveying Self-Confidence and Seizing Opportunities
• Developing Expertise and Developing Strategies
• Empowering Individuals and Valuing Individuals
• Understanding People and Upholding Standards

Technical Competencies:

• Deal Appraisal and Deal Negotiation
• Economic Research and Financial Analysis
• Local Market Knowledge and Product Knowledge (Investment Banking)
• Strategic Planning and Reporting, and Financial Analysis
• Deal Appraisal, Deal Negotiation and Financial Analysis
• Economic Research, Local Market Knowledge and Strategic Planning and Reporting
• Product Knowledge (Investment Banking) and Local Market Knowledge