Hamed Farhadi Joins Bank of the West to Head Global Trade Solutions

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of the West announced today that Hamed Farhadi has joined the bank as Senior Vice President, Head of Global Trade Solutions.

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"With his extensive experience in trade finance, Hamed Farhadi will play a key role in 2013 and beyond in further expanding our Global Trade Solutions business, which is an important offering for our clients and our bank," said Senior Executive Vice President Jean-Marc Torre, Head of Bank of the West's Commercial Banking Group.

Farhadi joins Bank of the West from BNP Paribas, where he served as a senior marketer and structurer on the Global Trade Solutions Supply Chain Management team in Paris since 2006. Farhadi helped to optimize working capital for BNP Paribas' corporate clients with facilities that allow companies to manage receivables, payables and inventory.

His background with BNP Paribas will be particularly useful in leveraging their network for Bank of the West's corporate customers in the United States. He will assist in bringing creative trade solutions, such as innovative supply chain financing structures, to Bank of the West's clients.

From 2001 to 2006, Farhadi was a senior trade manager in charge of BNP Paribas' Trade Center in San Francisco, where he helped provide trade finance solutions to engineering procurement and construction companies and large technology companies. He initially joined BNP Paribas' San Francisco office in 1999 to manage and grow a portfolio of middle market importers and exporters.

Prior to joining BNP Paribas, Farhadi worked in the US banking industry, in trade finance, mortgage banking, and branch management. He earned a pre-PhD in Law & Economics of International Trade from University of Paris – Sorbonne and is a graduate of the Institute of International Relations, and the School of Higher Studies in Social Sciences, in Paris.

About Bank of the West:

Founded in 1874, $63 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com), Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender, offers a full range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 700 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 200,000 employees.

SOURCE Bank of the West