Fitch Ratings has announced that Stephen de Stadler, Managing Director, has been appointed to the newly created post of Regional Business Leader for Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa following a strategic decision to combine the oversight and management of the two regions.
De Stadler joined Fitch in 2002, taking up responsibility for the business management of the Sub-Saharan Africa region operating from Fitch’s Johannesburg office. In 2006, he relocated to Dubai to take up additional responsibilities for establishing Fitch’s Middle East office.
Following the recent decision to merge oversight of the two regions, Stephen will now return to Fitch’s Johannesburg office where he will take up the new, expanded role of Regional Business Leader for the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Roland Cooper, Director, in Johannesburg, and Jay Leitner, Senior Director, in Dubai will now undertake expanded business and relationship management roles in line with the move, with both continuing to report to de Stadler.
Fitch currently rates 255 entities and/or issuances within the region. These ratings extend across 17 countries, with the main business focus currently being on South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and the GCC States. The current ratings fall within the main areas of Fitch’s operations and expertise including sovereign and sub-sovereign entities, financial institutions, corporates and structured finance transactions.
Fitch has operated in both the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa since 2001 whilst companies which have subsequently been acquired by Fitch have been operating in the regions for a longer period of time. In line with its developing profile in these regions, Fitch has gradually expanded the number of analysts dedicated to the region.
Fitch now has 51 offices worldwide, and its operations span capital markets in over 150 countries globally.
Dual-headquartered in New York and London, Fitch Ratings is a global rating agency dedicated to providing value beyond the rating through independent and prospective credit opinions, research and data. Fitch Ratings’ global expertise draws on local market knowledge and spans the fixed-income universe. Fitch Solutions has offered a range of comprehensive data, analytical tools and risk services to fixed-income investors and other market participants.