MOVES- Banking veteran Walid Hassouna has been appointed chief executive officer of EFG Hermes Finance and group head of debt capital markets as of yesterday, according to a company statement. EFG Hermes Finance is headed by Wael Ziada, who will become executive chairperson. Hassouna joins EFG Hermes from Banque Audi Egypt and has closed structured and project finance transactions worth more than USD 15 bn over his career. “Hiring someone of Walid’s calibre will help us expedite our expansion plan not just on the EFG Hermes Finance front, but just as importantly in establishing a strong presence for EFG Hermes in the region’s fast-growing debt capital markets,” said EFG Hermes Group CEO Karim Awad. “With more resources at hand, we now look forward to the roll-out of new businesses in the short term,” Awad added. EFG Hermes Finance is a greenfield, the seeds of which were sewn last year with the launch of EFG Hermes Leasing; the platform acquired Tanmeyah, the top private-sector microfinance player, earlier this year.