Michelle Swanepoel

Michelle Swanepoel is Head of Financing and Securities Services for the Middle East and Africa at Standard Chartered, effective 1 July 2026. Based in Dubai, she leads the business across the region and is a recognised industry subject matter expert in post-trade servicing.

Swanepoel joined Standard Chartered in September 2017 as Regional Head of Business Account Management for the Middle East and Africa and was appointed Regional Head of Securities Services for Africa in May 2019. In September 2024 her role expanded to include Head of Markets for South Africa. Margaret Harwood-Jones, the bank's Global Head of Financing and Securities Services, said Swanepoel had played a strong leadership role in the evolution of post-trade servicing across Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting capital market development, regulatory reform, enhanced investor access and market infrastructure.

Career History

• Head of Financing and Securities Services, Middle East and Africa, Standard Chartered (from July 2026)
• Head of Markets, South Africa, Standard Chartered (from September 2024)
• Regional Head of Securities Services, Africa, Standard Chartered (from May 2019)
• Regional Head of Business Account Management, Middle East and Africa, Standard Chartered (from September 2017)

What Michelle Swanepoel brings to the Head of Financing and Securities Services role for the Middle East and Africa at Standard Chartered: nine years inside the bank's securities services and markets businesses, built on African capital market development and regulatory reform work, now applied to a franchise that spans both the Gulf and Africa.