Our Management

Thierry d’Argent was appointed CEO, SG London Branch and Group Chief Country Officer, UK and Ireland in May 2023. Thierry began his career in 1988 at Oliver Wyman; he served as deputy Cabinet Director in the Brussels Federal Government between 1991 and 1992. He then joined Barings and then JP Morgan in 1998 to develop its investment banking franchise in Europe; in 2001, he became Head of Mergers & Acquisition for JP Morgan in France. Thierry joined the Mergers & Acquisitions team of Societe Generale in 2009 and was appointed Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions in 2010. He became Global Head of Corporate Finance in 2012 and Co-Head, latterly Head, of the Coverage and Investment Banking division in 2015, following which he was appointed Deputy Head of Global Banking and Advisory in July 2019.

Thierry graduated Summa cum laude from the Solvay Business School and the University of Brussels.

Olivier Balpe began his career in 1988 working with fixed income trading teams in Citibank and CACIB in Paris and New York. He moved in 1999 to a project’s management role in the CACIB Capital Market department. In 2002, he joined Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking in the Capital Market Department as head of projects and organisation for Equities and Derivatives followed by several MARK COO positions, mainly in the Equities and Derivatives fields. From 2018 to 2024, Olivier oversaw major Group programme: IBOR transition, ESG and more recently IRRBB Transformation. In October 2024, Olivier was appointed Chief Financial Officer, UK and Ireland, and CFO, SG London Branch.

Anne Chassereau joined Societe Generale in 1997 as part of the General Inspection department. She then moved to the Strategic and Acquisition Finance Department, where she successively supervised the New York team in 2008, and the Paris team in 2012.  Anne joined RISQ in 2016, first as a Deputy Head of RISQ/CIB in 2016, and in 2017, as Head of Credit Risks – Corporate and Investment Banking for the AMER Region, based in New York. In October 2022, Anne was appointed Head of RISQ UK, Chief Risk Officer, SG London Branch.  

Mouhammed (Mo) Choukeir was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of SG Kleinwort Hambros Bank Limited in June 2020.  Prior to this, Mouhammed was Deputy CEO and Chief Investment Officer.  Mouhammed is also a member of the Societe Generale Private Banking Executive Committee and the SG Kleinwort Hambros Bank Limited Board.

As CEO, Mouhammed is responsible for overseeing the implementation of Kleinwort Hambros’ strategy to grow and transform the business across target markets.  Mo will focus on strengthening the bank’s long-standing foundations, working with a talented and diverse pool of employees to deliver exceptional client service.

Mouhammed is a frequent speaker at conferences and events, and a regular contributor with the BBC, Bloomberg and CNBC. Under his leadership as CIO, the investment team secured a number of industry awards and accolades for excellence and investment performance including Investment Team of the Year.

Mouhammed joined Kleinwort Benson in 2011 and moved across to SG Hambros Bank Limited as part of an acquisition in 2017.  Prior to this, Mo was Head of Multi-Asset Class Investing at Morgan Stanley for Europe, Middle East and Asia, where he was responsible for managing portfolios for private (UHNW individuals and family offices) and institutional (endowments, charities) clients.  Before moving to Morgan Stanley in 2002, Mouhammed spent his early career in the fixed income division of Citigroup’s Investment Bank in New York, London and Madrid.

Mouhammed has a master’s degree in Finance with distinction from London Business School, and a Bachelor’s Degree with first class honours from the University of London, King’s College. He is also a CFA charter holder from the CFA Institute.  Mouhammed is a Board Member for several charities, including the King’s College London University endowment and Tangled Feet, a performing arts charity tackling social issues. Mouhammed enjoys taking part in long-distance triathlons and Ironman challenges.

Albert Loo began his career in 1991 at Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking as part of the IT team. He was appointed Head of Middle Office for Interest Rate Derivatives in 1994 and took charge of the Front Office Risk Management of Europe & Asia in 1996. In 1999, he joined the interest rate derivatives sales team responsible for French corporates and in 2001, he oversaw the French sales team for corporates & local authorities. In January 2006, Albert was appointed Deputy-Head of European Sales in Interest Rate Derivatives. In 2007, he became Global Deputy-Head of Interest Rate & Foreign Exchange Derivatives and then in 2008, Global Co-Head of Interest Rate and Forex Derivatives Sales for Issuers. He was named Co-Global Head of Sales for Fixed Income & Currencies in April 2012 and in 2015, Global Head of Sales for Fixed Income & Currencies and Co-Head of Cross Asset Sales. In 2018, he was appointed Global Deputy Head of Sales for Global Markets. In June 2022, he was appointed UK Head of Global Markets.

Albert holds a PhD in Thermodynamics from Paris 7 University, is graduated from AgroParisTech Engineer School and holds a Master's degree in Financial Markets from ITM.

Rajeev was appointed UK Chief Operating Officer and UK Head of Global Banking Technology & Operations in March 2024. Rajeev’s previous position in Societe Generale was the Head of Chief Controls Office for Societe Generale’s Wholesale banking division in London (2018 - 2024). Previously, Rajeev was working in the Global Markets division as the UK Chief Operating Officer (2011 - 2018) and the Global Chief Controls Officer (2016 – 2018). Rajeev joined Societe Generale in 2005 as the Head of Internal Audit in London, and then went on to become Chief Financial Officer for the Middle East Region from 2007 to 2010, being based in Dubai. Rajeev initially began his career with KPMG in 2000 within the Financial services Audit department in London. Rajeev is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a BA (Hons) in Accounting, Finance and Business Administration from University of Kent in Canterbury.

The Head of UK Wholesale Banking Compliance has oversight of the Compliance perimeters for Societe Generale London Branch (SGLB) & Societe Generale International Limited (SGIL), being the two entities through which the Wholesale Banking business is executed for Societe Generale in the UK. The execution of the Compliance support model is through SGLB Compliance, the management of which is under the responsibility of the Head of UK Wholesale Banking Compliance.

Mike Phillips is the Head of UK Wholesale Banking Compliance, with Compliance oversight responsibility for all corporate & investment banking and transaction banking activities undertaken by the firms in the UK. He is the SMF16 for SGLB.  He joined Societe Generale in June 2008. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1992 and joined the Securities & Futures Authority, working in the UK regulator’s Surveillance Division, with responsibility for private client and on-exchange derivatives firms. He moved to UBS’ London Compliance Department in 1997, joining the Equities Compliance team before establishing a ‘risk assessment’ team that was responsible for undertaking Compliance risk reviews within London and the European region. He joined Lehman Brothers in London in 2002 as the Head of Central Compliance, the role also encompassing oversight of Compliance Monitoring, the European Compliance function, the Private Client & Asset Management businesses and the Anti-Money Laundering function.

_{Vijay began his career at HSBC in London in 2003. He joined Societe Generale in London in 2007, initially within the Debt Capital Markets team, and has since held various roles in the UK, including UK Head of Development & Structured Export Finance, where he successfully delivered many financings for EM Sovereigns, Export Development Guarantees for UK corporates, and Project Finance transactions, as well as in Cross Business Development in GLBA where he led various regulatory, governance, and management initiatives for the business unit.} 

_{Vijay holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, and a B. Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.}

In July 2024 John was appointed UK Head of Global Transaction & Payment Services. John joined Societe Generale London Branch in 2021 from Banco Santander, where he spent eight years building-out the Santander CIB Cash Management and Liquidity franchise in London. Prior to 2013, John held a variety of senior product, sales, management and client coverage roles at Barclays and RBS / NatWest in London. He is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and served in the Royal Regiment of Artillery before beginning his financial services career in 2008. 

Elham Shahbandi joined Societe Generale as Regional Chief Audit Executive in August 2022. She came from Barclays, where over ten years she held a number of senior responsibilities including Head of EMEA Markets and Global Head of Macro, Credit and Securitised Products; Head of US and EMEA Markets; and Chief of Staff to the Chief Internal Auditor for Barclays Bank Plc (consisting of Investment Bank, Capital Markets, Private Bank, Corporate Bank and Cards & Payments). Prior to that, Elham spent 7 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where she held Risk and Internal Audit roles. The risk role included responsibility for oversight of Liquidity risk management and Recovery and Resolution for the U.K. legal entities. In Audit, she was responsible for Global Commodities and EMEA Rates and FX. Elham started her career as a Financial Controller at American Electric Power (in London) and trained for her Chartered Accountancy qualification with Pannell Kerr Forster. She has a degree in accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics.

Lindsay Sides was appointed General Counsel, London in March 2024. Lindsay joined the London Legal Department of Societe Generale in 2007 and worked in the Corporate Finance team covering M&A and equity capital markets, before moving to the COO SEGL UK role in 2016. Before joining SG, Lindsay spent seven years in private practice at Herbert Smith Freehills, where she trained and qualified as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales. Lindsay studied Law at the University of Warwick and Nottingham Law School.

Jazz joined Societe Generale in 2007 and as UK Group Head of Communications oversees Press, Editorial & Social Media, Corporate Engagement, as well as Corporate Social Responsibility. He is also Global Head of Communications for the Global Banking and Advisory business, as well as SG Group International Communications Advisor. Jazz is a Trustee of the SG UK Foundation which, as an independent registered charity, funds several key strategic ventures as well as providing matching donations to support the charitable fundraising and volunteering efforts of Societe Generale employees. Jazz sits on the UK Executive Committee for SG London Branch and is a member of the Global Communications Executive Committee for Wholesale Banking.

Prior to joining Societe Generale, Jazz held a number of senior Communication and Marketing roles at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, including Spokesperson where he travelled extensively across Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, acting in an advisory capacity to the Bank’s president. Jazz holds a Degree in Chemistry and Computer Science, and qualifications with The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

In July 2024 Emma Steck was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer, UK. Emma joined Societe Generale in 2013 and has held several senior positions including UK HR COO and Head of HR Client Partnering, where she was responsible for overseeing the SGLB HR Business Partners and Advisory teams, Employee Relations and Recruitment. Prior to this, Emma has worked in several HR roles at UBS in both the UK and US, in a career spanning over 20 years. Emma holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication & Philosophy.

Zvi Wohlgemuth joined Societe Generale in 2007, responsible for Project Finance and Middle East loan sales. In 2015, he was appointed Head of EMEA Project, Asset Financing & CEEMEA Loan Syndicate before being appointed UK head of Global Banking & Advisory in March 2022. He previously held positions at HSBC and RBS working on a wide range of landmark transactions in Project Finance and Infrastructure. He holds a Bachelors degree (hons) in Civil and Structural Engineering from University College London.