Darlene R. Davis joined SMBC Leasing and Finance as managing director. Davis will be based in New York and report to Stephen Perry, president of SMBC Leasing and Finance.

Davis will be responsible for managing the U.S. marketing team and overseeing the origination, transaction structuring, and execution of deals throughout the Americas.

“We are very excited to have someone with Darlene’s background and transaction experience lead our origination efforts,” said Perry. “Darlene’s expertise in transaction structuring and lease accounting will allow SMBC to be a leader in tailored leasing and asset finance solutions for our global customer base.”

Darlene brings 30 years of in-depth experience representing banks, leasing companies, and other financial institutions. Prior to joining SMBC, Darlene served as shareholder, director, and president and chief operating officer at Ober, Kaler, Grimes and Shriver, and later as a shareholder at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, where she worked with clients to structure, document, close and syndicate complex commercial finance transactions and created innovative solutions to meet the needs of her clients.

Davis has received numerous industry awards during her legal career and has authored many articles in the financial services arena, including on the topics of synthetic leasing and structuring leases, and has been a frequent lecturer on various financing topics.

SMBC Leasing and Finance has been in the leasing and asset finance business for more than 25 years and has offices in New York, London and Sydney.