NEW YORK – September 15, 2026 – SMBC Group today announced that Ron Dodge has joined the firm as Head of Artificial Intelligence for the Americas Division.

A managing director based in Charlotte, Ron will partner closely with business, technology, and data leaders across the organization to advance SMBC’s AI strategy, expand enterprise adoption of AI capabilities, and help drive innovation at scale.

Ron brings more than two decades of experience leading technology, engineering, and transformation initiatives across financial services and technology organizations. Most recently, he served as Head of Applied Data and AI at Ally Financial, where he established and scaled the organization’s AI platform. His experience also includes leadership roles at Microsoft and Wells Fargo.

Greg Keeley, SMBC International Chief Information Officer and Americas Chief Operating Officer, commented, “As SMBC accelerates the use of data and artificial intelligence across the organization, Ron's leadership will help build on the strong foundation already established and support the next phase of scaling AI, driving innovation, and delivering meaningful outcomes for clients and employees across the Americas.”

About SMBC Group
SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 150 offices and 120,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and ADRs on the New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), SMBC Americas Holdings, Inc., SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Nikko Securities Canada, Ltd., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., SMBC MANUBANK, JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd. (collectively, SMBC Group Americas Division).

For more information, please visit www.smbcgroup.com.

Contact: MediaRelationsAmericas@smbcgroup.com