Events

Mike leads International Trade at Synovus Bank and has 20+years of experience in international banking, trade sales, trade operations, and risk management. Prior to Synovus he worked at Bank of America and Zions Bancorporation. He is a trusted advisor and transaction structuring specialist for trade products and is the International “Go-To-Guy” for Synovus bankers and their clients. He is on the BAFT Americas Council and Co-Chairs initiatives for Regional Banks. Mike holds an MBA in Supply Chain and Operations from Purdue University, a BA in Finance from Brigham Young University, and is fluent in Spanish.

David Berse is Managing Director at LiquidX, a global provider of technology solutions for trade finance and working capital. David has considerable corporate banking experience, having spent the 12 years prior to joining LiquidX developing and structuring innovative transaction banking and liquidity solutions. David was previously a Sales Director at Bank of America, helping multinational corporations optimize working capital, improve liquidity, and increase treasury efficiency by devising global trade finance and cash management solutions. Previously, David managed a team of cash management sales specialists at Deutsche Bank, focused on structuring cash management, liquidity, and FX solutions for global multinationals. Prior to that, David served various roles at J.P. Morgan, including a Treasury Services Advisor and a Liquidity Solutions Specialist. David has his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers and his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Mark Garfield’s current role is Head of Global Financial Institutions at Zions Bancorporation responsible for foreign bank relationship development. He joined Zions Bancorporation in 2005. He has over 30 years of banking experience with 25 years in international banking management covering trade finance, trade services, foreign exchange, correspondent banking and product development. Throughout his career he has worked closely with corporate and commercial entities in the Midwest and Western U.S. providing banking support for cross-border trade. Mr. Garfield currently serves as a Director of BAFT and Chair of the Utah District Export Council. He served on the DEC National Advisory Board and Board of the World Trade Center, Utah.

Takis Georgakopoulos is Chief Operating Officer at Fiserv, Inc., with responsibility for overseeing Technology and Merchant Solutions. Before becoming Chief Operating Officer, Georgakopoulos served as Executive Vice President and a member of the Management Committee at Fiserv, Inc. working closely with the Fiserv executive team to drive positive client outcomes and deliver best-in-class technology across the enterprise. Georgakopoulos is an accomplished business leader with expertise in payment solutions and merchant services. Prior to joining Fiserv, he served as Global Head of Payments for J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank, where he was responsible for all aspects of the business, including technology, product, sales, and operations. Earlier in his career, Georgakopoulos was a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he advised major banks and asset managers, and helped lead McKinsey’s Asset Management practice. He currently sits on the boards of the Neuroscience Institute and Columbia University’s Business School Program for Financial Studies as well as its Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Brian Gordon started his banking career at National Bank of Commerce in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1989 while attending the University of Nebraska. In 2000 he joined Wells Fargo (via acquisition) where he focused his calling in the 7 states surrounding Missouri as a business development officer for the Wells Fargo HSBC Trade Bank. He then joined Sovereign Bank in the Mid-Atlantic & New England markets to build from scratch a structured trade finance group. Before returning to the Midwest to join Commerce Bank, he was with HSBC in New York City as an international business development officer covering CT, NJ, NY, PA, MD, VA, and Washington DC.

Gerardo Gutierrez-Olvera joined Grupo Financiero BANORTE 11 years ago as Executive Director, responsible for Trade Finance and International Business. BANORTE is the second largest bank in Mexico, and the only one among the 6 largest banks in the country that is managed by a Mexican management team. Gerardo joined BANORTE after more than 20 years of comprehensive and substantial experience in the international banking arena with Banco Santander and Bank of America, working for those institutions both, at a local and regional level, in Mexico City, Monterrey, New York City, Madrid (Latin American Division) and Hong Kong (Asia-Pacific regional hub). His main focus has been on the development, management, sales, operations, and growth of business lines related to trade & supply chain finance, global payments, corporate banking, financial institutions, correspondent banking and treasury services. Under Gerardo’s leadership Banorte was named Best Service Trade Finance (Mexico) in Euromoney’s Trade Finance Survey 2024, and Best Trade Finance Provider in Mexico by Global Finance in 2019.

Tom Jalics is the chief investment strategist for Fifth Third Bank. He is responsible for leading the Investment Management Group’s asset allocation process, which informs the manage- ment of more than $50 billion in assets under management. With over 20 years of industry experience, Tom has been a sought-after industry expert and commentator, having been quoted in the media including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Business News, The Economist and Reuters.

Grant Leach is a partner at the law firm of Husch Blackwell LLP where he practices in the International Trade & Supply Chain working group with a focus on export compliance and foreign investment.  Grant has over 15 years’ experience working in international law and routinely works with clients ranging from sophisticated multinationals to startup technology companies in regulated industries such as aerospace or defense contracting.  He was formerly an in-house attorney at an international agricultural equipment manufacturer and he tries to use that previous experience in providing clients with practical advice on complicated issues.

Kim McKenna is the Executive Director of International Services at Northwest Bank, where she leads the bank’s newly launched division focused on delivering global banking solutions to both personal and business clients. In this role, she oversees services such as international wire transfers, foreign exchange hedging, global trade, international check clearing and banknotes. Prior to joining Northwest Bank, Kim served as CEO of Forex Consulting Services, advising regional banks on enhancing their international service capabilities. Her extensive background includes a decade at Rockland Trust, where she managed a comprehensive suite of international services, and earlier leadership roles at Sovereign Bank and Bank of Boston as Vice President of Foreign Exchange Sales. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. On the side, she DJ’s weddings and is an avid cyclist.

Daniel Pinho was appointed the Vice President of Operations and Business Management at BAFT on July 31, 2023. Daniel previously was the SVP & AGM at PNC's Trade Finance group.  He has over 20 years of experience in structured trade financing programs.  Prior to joining PNC, Daniel was a Manager at UPS Capital Business Credit where he supervised the Export Credit Agency Operations group.  He also served as the Director of Trade Finance at a consulting firm in Brazil. Pinho also previously served on BAFT's North American Council and co-chaired the Structured Trade and Export Finance Committee. He is a member of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting and is chair of the board of Ten Thousand Villages in Pittsburgh, a fair trade nonprofit organization.

Karen Pinkall serves as Director, Global Banking at FNBO. In that role, Karen manages a team that oversees trade finance operations for the bank. In addition to offering trade solutions to customers, Karen and her team conduct training to customers, prospects and bank professionals. Karen is a 1996 graduate of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in international affairs. She went on to earn a Master of Arts degree from Florida State University in 1997 where she studied international affairs. Karen’s previous work experience includes working in financial crimes compliance at FNBO, international trade at Wells Fargo Bank and retail banking at Wells Fargo Bank. In the community she is the immediate past president and serves on the board of the Midwest International Trade Association, an organization that promotes global trade through educational events, networking events, and an annual trade conference each year. She currently resides in Omaha with her husband Andy, and their children, Lily and Anna.

John Rodriguez is the General Manager for Banco Internacional de Costa Rica .S.A. (BICSA), Miami Representative Office, responsible for the bank’s regional trade finance strategy to drive commercial sales, building its loan portfolio, and expanding the client base.  John has expertise in   commercial lending, trade finance, supply chain finance, risk participations, factoring, structured trade finance and credit risk insurance mitigation. John developed market opportunities in financial services with a focus in the Americas in FIG and Corporate Banking having worked with top tier banks and fintech throughout his three-decade career; always applying sound Risk and International Portfolio Management best practices.  He has served on the BAFT Board and is a past-Chair of the Florida International Bankers Associations (FIBA).  He is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking (ABA) and holds an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in business administration from Rutgers University.

Mr. Michael Salerno is the Vice President of Global Banking at First National Bank of Omaha where he manages a diverse portfolio of corporate and correspondent bank customers. He consults with trade and treasury management professionals to help define, create, and implement effective trade finance, global payments and international risk management solutions. Mr. Salerno specializes in providing foreign exchange and international payment solutions for financial institutions. He is the Treasurer for both the Nebraska District Export Council and the National Association of District Export Councils.

Sue-Ellen Speight is a Senior Vice President at StoneX Inc, a global Fortune 500 financial services institution. Sue-Ellen specializes in Global Cross-Border Payments in emerging markets with a focus on Regional Banks and Fintech. Having been with StoneX in the Global Payments team for eight years, Sue-Ellen offers keen insight into the challenges facing the Banking Sector, prevailing technology trends and payments best practice. The global payment sector has benefited from recent initiatives to increase transparency and innovations spurred by Fintechs though in many Frontier Markets the regulatory and operational challenges remain. Sue-Ellen and StoneX are committed to bringing access and efficiency to the ‘final mile’ of payments in challenging markets. For Financial Institutions, this means accessing local market insight as well as improving operational efficiency to deliver payments to almost all markets within two days. Formerly a Partner in a UK Consultancy specializing in Operational Efficiency, then transplanted to San Francisco as Strategy & Operational roles in several start-ups, Sue-Ellen brings a global perspective and practical understanding of how human processes can be given Super-Powers through technology. She is an active participant in the Bay Area Payments community, regular contributor to the Australian-American Incubator Mentorship program run by the Australian Consulate and Activator for the SHE-EO Investment Network. In her down time, Sue-Ellen is an amateur astronomer and enthusiastic hiking buddy to an intrepid ten-year-old Brittany pointer. Sue-Ellen holds a Bachelor of Commerce - Business Finance & Commercial Law from the University of Queensland in Australia, graduated the Executive Program in Strategy & Organization Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and holds Certificates in Foundations of Design Thinking and Organizational Thought to Action from IDEO.

Rod Springhetti joined Zions Bancorporation in March 2021 as the Director of Enterprise Payment Strategy. In this role, he leverages insights from the rapidly evolving payments ecosystem to guide strategic initiatives across all customer segments at Zions. Prior to joining Zions, Rod built a 30+ year career in the FinTech industry, primarily leading Product Management organizations that served the top 200 banks. His journey began in the 1980s as an Assembler programmer, and throughout his career, he has remained a passionate technology enthusiast—always exploring innovative technologies to solve real-world business challenges.