Jul 30, 2026 · 22 min · 11 segments
In this episode of Women Who Make It Happen, host Michelle Khan sits down with Nisrin Abouelezz, Managing Director and Head of Africa Group at SMBC.Nisrin shares her incredible journey from a…
Could you introduce yourself and talk through your career a little bit to date?
I am Managing Director and Head of Africa Group at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, SMBC.
My role entails establishing relationships, originating business, structuring solutions for a wide range of clients across the African continent.
And in fact, I worked for a short period of time in the publishing, um, industry.
When my environment changed, I, and changed and I moved to London, um, I shifted focus towards business, and quite unexpectedly, I came across a job at an American bank.
It was not what I had planned, but very quickly I realized that it really aligned with my interests and strengths.
Um, what I was drawn to in the financial industry was the, um, analytical, uh, ability that it required, the global exposure, and the role that finance played, uh, in economic development, and that really helped me or motivated me to build a career in that space.
That was another step into the unknown for me because I did not have any prior experience, um, covering the African markets.
I was, however, very fortunate to work with someone who was deeply passionate about the business-
Could you introduce yourself and talk through your career a little bit to date?
I am Managing Director and Head of Africa Group at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, SMBC.
My role entails establishing relationships, originating business, structuring solutions for a wide range of clients across the African continent.
And in fact, I worked for a short period of time in the publishing, um, industry.
When my environment changed, I, and changed and I moved to London, um, I shifted focus towards business, and quite unexpectedly, I came across a job at an American bank.
It was not what I had planned, but very quickly I realized that it really aligned with my interests and strengths.
Um, what I was drawn to in the financial industry was the, um, analytical, uh, ability that it required, the global exposure, and the role that finance played, uh, in economic development, and that really helped me or motivated me to build a career in that space.
That was another step into the unknown for me because I did not have any prior experience, um, covering the African markets.
I was, however, very fortunate to work with someone who was deeply passionate about the business-
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