Events

Eyal Ben-Amram, EVP and CIO of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, one of the top 10 global carriers. Eyal is leading the modernization of the IT systems and implementation of smart systems and Digital platforms. ZIM is leading the transition of the industry toward electronic B/L based on Wave platform.

Stacey Facter has been Senior Vice President for Trade Products at BAFT for the last six years. Ms. Facter is responsible for managing all the Association’s activities related to trade products and serves as the primary subject matter expert for trade issues, overseeing and managing BAFT’s trade councils, committees and working groups and helps members develop guidance tools for the trade industry. Ms. Facter serves as a public spokesperson for the organization to stakeholders, regulators and policy makers on industry matters affecting the international trade finance community and is BAFT’s primary technical resource for trade related education and training.Ms. Facter has more than twenty-five years of experience in international banking, including over twenty years with JP Morgan Chase Bank, covering emerging markets, international trade finance, cash and risk management, and securities collateral management.

Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO Financial Group. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America as well as process oversight in Europe and Asia. Mr. Girard has over 30 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO Financial Group. During his career with the Bank, he has covered every role in Import, Export, Standby Letters of Credit and Collections as well as integral operations leadership roles throughout the evolution of BMO’s trade finance business. He has been Chair of the BAFT Southeast Committee from 2011 to 2017. He is a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist and currently Chair of the BAFT National Commercial Letter of Credit Committee since 2017.

Whit Knapp is the Chairman of GTBInsights, LLC a US-based firm providing advisory, strategy and educational services on DL/blockchain technology for Global Transaction Banking to banks and fintechs. He brings to this work decades of hands-on transaction banking experience to understand the implications of today’s rapidly evolving financial technology. After 25 years in transaction banking in the US, Europe and Middle East, and before founding GTBInsights, LLC in 2011, Whit spent 20 years providing market research to the banking industry. In 1992, he founded the Financial Institutions Group practice at Louis Harris and Associates in New York. Under his leadership, that practice developed into a firm which today is called FImetrix LLC, a provider of competitive insights and intelligence in international payments, trade, and supply chain services to major banks across the globe.

Rebecca Liao is Co-Founder and COO at Skuchain, a top blockchain company that provides an end-to-end platform for trade and supply chain, and a 2019 World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer. She was a member of Secretary Clinton’s foreign policy team for her 2016 presidential campaign, responsible for Asia trade and economic policy. Rebecca was previously Director of Business Development and head of Asia at Globality, Inc., a B2B platform for AI-powered procurement of professional services. She began her career as an international corporate attorney at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and Fenwick & West LLP, representing clients in Asia, North America and Europe on domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity investments, debt financings and public offerings of debt and equity.

Mr. Robert Marchal is the Facilitator of the Trade Finance Maintenance Working Group, and he is responsible for the evolution of the SWIFT MT messages category 4 (Collections) and 7 (Documentary L/Cs, guarantees and standby L/Cs). Mr. Marchal is also the Facilitator of the Trade Finance MT 798 Working Group, where he is responsible for bank to corporate communication. He is a member of the Legal and Digitization groups in the BPO Project’s International Chamber of Commerce, the Council on International Standby Practices (CISP), the ISO 20022 Trade SEG (Standards Evaluation Group), and the ISO 20022 Payments SEG.

David Meynell is the founder of TradeLC Advisory, an advisory and consultancy service, and the co-owner of www.tradefinance.training, an online training platform for all aspects of trade finance. He previously worked for Deutsche Bank for over 30 years in a number of international locations, culminating as Global Head Trade Product Management for Financial Institutions. David is Chief Examiner for the Certificate in International Trade Finance (CITF®) and Senior Technical Advisor for the ICC Banking Commission.

Samantha Pelosi joined BAFT in 2016 as a Senior Vice President to define its payments and innovation strategies and increase its visibility in financial crime compliance. Samantha currently focuses on application of innovative technologies like blockchain in banking, faster payments systems, and reversing the worldwide decline in correspondent banking relationships. Samantha came to BAFT from the payments from the Federal Reserve Board. As a manager in the payments systems division, Pelosi formulated U.S. public policy and led all initiatives related to retail payments. In the consumer protection division, she wrote regulations implementing the Dodd-Frank Act at the height of the 2008-2009 financial crisis as a senior attorney. Before the Federal Reserve, Pelosi served as global head of regulatory compliance at Travelex Global Business Payments (now Western Union Business Solutions).

Gadi Ruschin commands over a decade of experience serving global clients in the international trade arena. Gadi leverages his knowledge of the industry and its digitization needs to help Wave deliver new digital communication protocols designed to replace antiquated methodologies.

John Taylor specializes in international law, finance, trade and corporate governance. He is a director of the Centre for Applied Sustainable Transition Law (CASTL) and an Honorary Professor at Queen Mary University of London. He advises banks and other clients on cross-border sustainablility, financial regulation and international business opportunities. He has held legal and banking positions in the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and EBRD, where he was General Counsel. His other experience has been in law firms in Australia, the US and the UK and in an international investment bank, a private equity firm and a large fund management group. He is an Honorary Member of BAFT and has been a member of BAFT’s Europe Council since 2010.

Michael Vrontamitis is the Lead Industry Principal for Finastra’s Lending Business Unit, which covers Cash Management, Trade and Working Capital Management, Retail and Corporate Lending. He also advises several start-ups, including Kountable Inc, and is a member of the World Trade Board. A renowned industry thought leader, he is particularly passionate about the intersection between sustainability, technology and finance and the impact digitalization can have in narrowing the trade finance gap and enabling sustainable supply chains. Prior to Finastra, Michael spent 25 years with Standard Chartered, spanning both wholesale and retail clients, as well as investor relations, working in Hong Kong, London and Singapore. He was the Global Head of Trade Finance Product, and most recently responsible for the bank’s trade finance business with European and American headquartered companies. He also looked after sales, product, distribution, service and implementation in Europe and the Americas.

Ansab Ali is a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Accounting, Finance and Management Information Systems who works in the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Inc., KMMG, Finance Department as a Senior Treasury Specialist in the area of Letters of Credit. This program was created at the beginning of his employment for the sale of vehicles to potential customers in the Middle East and South America. He is responsible for reviewing and insuring payment remittances are received and applied correctly for the sale of all vehicles utilizing letters of credit.

Mr. Frank Fortes is the Senior Trade Finance Expert, responsible to provide legal advice on complex trade finance transactions and training on Trade-based money laundering & sanctions. Mr. Fortes has over 10 years of experience in Trade Finance and International Business Law which he mainly built in one of the Trade Finance leading banks, the HSBC Group. Prior to joining the Toronto-Dominion Bank, he held various senior positions as Legal Counsel at HSBC France or Manager of the International Guarantees Unit of HSBC Canada. He is also CITF (Certificate in International Trade and Finance) and CSDG (Certificate for Specialists in Demand Guarantees) certified.

Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO Financial Group. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America as well as process oversight in Europe and Asia. Mr. Girard has over 30 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO Financial Group. During his career with the Bank, he has covered every role in Import, Export, Standby Letters of Credit and Collections as well as integral operations leadership roles throughout the evolution of BMO’s trade finance business. He has been Chair of the BAFT Southeast Committee from 2011 to 2017. He is a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist and currently Chair of the BAFT National Commercial Letter of Credit Committee since 2017.

Jeremiah Glock comes to us with over 50 years of experience in Global Trade Operations, with 25 years at Citi in various positions. For the last 14 years he has been one of Citi’s Global Trade Advisors, assisting with providing guidance in all functions of Letters of Credit (Advising Commercial / Standby L/C’s and Examination of Documents), Import and Export Collections, Reimbursements and Compliance and Potential Risk items. Mr. Glock is CDCS (Certified Documentary Credit Specialist) certified and also represents Citi as the Vice Chair on the Southeast Letter of Credit Committee which includes the Collection Committee.

Ukamaka Okpara is currently a Service Specialist at the Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group. Her eleven years of Trade Finance experience includes a Senior Trade Finance Analyst at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce where she has spent the greater portion of her Trade Finance career. Her experience in this market includes product coverage on Documentary Collections, Export Letters of Credit and extensive knowledge in Standby Letters of Credit and Guarantees. She is CAMS (Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist), CDCS (Certified Documentary Credit Specialist) and CSDG (Certified Specialist in Demand Guarantee) certified. Ukamaka is a member of the BAFT Southeast Letter of Credit Committee.

Fiore (Frank) Petrassi began his career with Harris Bank and Bank of Montreal (US) and is now Vice President, Global Product Manager for Standby Letters of Credit and Letters of Guarantee with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is a long standing member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit and Trade Finance Committees and was BAFT North Central Standby Letter of Credit Committee Chair from 2006-2009 and member of the BAFT Automatic Extension Sub-Committee. He was the Co-chair of the IIBLP Government Mandated Letters of Credit Committee and member of the IIBLP Council on International Standby Practice (CISP).

Kristine Siebel is currently at Societe Generale in their Trade Finance Group, previously she had been a Senior Credit Officer for Royal Bank of Canada responsible for their Captive Reinsurance Business in New York. Prior to joining RBC, Ms. Siebel was Assistant Vice President and Standby Letter of Credit Risk Officer for JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York. Ms. Siebel has been in Trade Services for over 35 years beginning with JPMorgan Chase’s predecessor bank Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company. Ms. Siebel has extensive experience in both the issuance and the risk aspects of Standby Letters of Credit. She has been a member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit Committee since its inception in 1994 and is currently the Chair.

Having started his career as a document examiner under Commercial Letters of Credit with the then ABN Amro, India, he is now heading the Trade Guarantees Expertise Desk with the Trade Finance Competence Centre of BNP Paribas, Brussels, Belgium. With 10+ years of his exciting journey in traditional Trade Finance he has had the opportunity to don several hats. Some of his previous positions include Senior LC Officer, BNP Paribas Montreal, Canada, Trade Finance Trainer for SBLCs and Commercial LCs, Client Service Manager - Trade Finance CIBC, Montreal, Canada. His most recent accomplishment is the title holder of the “ICC Belgium Registered Trainer of the Incoterms® rules 2020.

Jennifer Stephens is an Assistant Manager in the Sales and Distribution Department (S&D) at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, where she has worked for 10 years in the Logistics & Sales areas of the company. Jennifer oversees the S&D team with customer set up, order management, contract & LC draft review and approval, freight & sales analysis, vehicle processing and sales target achievement. Jennifer has 22 years in Logistics, Import/Export Compliance and C-TPAT auditing with large, reputable corporations, such as Yamaha Corporation and Panasonic Automotive. Jennifer is currently in the process of completing her CES certification with NCBFAA.

Ms. Marilyn Williams is a graduate of Concordia University, Montreal, QC. with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Graduates Studies in Instructional Administration and a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. She has over 26 years of experience with Trade Finance Operations in a number of Leadership roles. During her tenure with the organization she has worked as a Business Consultant, accountable for business controls and compliance related activities. She has also supported Operational Risk Management for Business Banking. With her passion coupled with her dedication for Trade, she has held the position of Senior Manager Trade Finance Operations; providing leadership for the Division. She is currently working on Special Projects/training supporting Trade Finance. Marilyn is a member of the BAFT South East/West Workshop Planning Group and BAFT South East Letter of Credit Committee.