Events

2021 Virtual Trade Finance Workshop

Overview
Program
Speakers
FAQ's
Sponsorship
Event Materials

Register today to join BAFT’s 2021 Virtual Trade Finance Workshop from February 17 – 19. Our traditional in-person workshops hosted annually in Toronto, Canada and Tampa, Florida have been combined into one unique virtual offering building on the success of BAFT’s 2020 Virtual Trade Finance Workshop.

The 2021 Virtual Trade Finance Workshop is broken down into three four-hour modules each targeted to group sessions into a larger overarching related topical areas including 1) Enforcement & Compliance 2) Digitization and 3) Trade and Letters of Credit. This specific workshop offers sessions covering a variety of topics including antiboycott, force majeure, vessel tracking, ICC opinions and drafts, OFAC sanctions, trade-based money laundering, SWIFT updates in 2021, demand guarantees and more.

The smaller size of this workshop optimizes interactive discussions amongst attendees and speakers with a targeted audience of 150 individuals. In addtion to thought leadership sessions and panels, the 2021 Virtual Trade Finance Workshop will also feature a variety of ‘Ask the Expert’ and ‘Birds of a Feather’ open forums allowing attendees to pose questions to speakers, panelists, industry leaders and peers. With no set agenda, attendees can leverage learnings and insight from industry experts in these open interactive forums, and ask questions in real-time related to sessions, presentations, or other areas of interest that were not covered.

Key Virtual Event Features

  • Access both live and on-demand sessions (available for streaming and download)
  • Message, connect and schedule meetings with fellow attendees and speakers
  • Manage your own session schedule
  • Ask questions to speakers and participate in real-time polls
  • Take notes on sessions and email them to yourself after the session
  • Download speaker presentations, sessions handouts, supporting documentation and exhibitor flyers

Who Should Attend

Bankers, importers, exporters, brokers, providers/suppliers and others involved in trade operations and LC document preparations who want a deeper dive discussion on trade finance related topics and other current trade industry issues.

Those with CDCS, CSDG, CSCF or CTFC certifications should attend to receive CPD credits for recertification. Attendees will receive 4 CPDs per day for attendance or a total of 12 for all three days.

Awarding Institution

Qualification or Certification

Credits Available

BAFT & The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF)

Certificate for Documentary Credit Specialist (CDCS®)

12 CPDs (4 per module)

The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF)

Certificate for Specialist in Demand Guarantees (CSDG)

12 CPDs (4 per module)

The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF)

Certificate in Supply Chain Finance (CSCF)

12 CPDs (4 per module)

The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF)

Certificate in Trade Finance Compliance (CTFC)

12 CPDs (4 per module)

Why You Should Attend

  • Earn 12 CPDs online for recertification from BAFT and LIBF for CDCS, CSDG, CSCF, and CTFC certifications from the comfort of your home or office
  • The workshop is spread over 3 days into 4 hour sessions per day so you still have time to work each day while participating in sessions
  • You no longer need to worry about traveling or incurring costs for hotel rooms and airfare
  • The online format allows attendees from multiple time zone spread across multiple countries to participate
  • You can network with your colleagues and peers in this online interactive format
  • Get the latest updates on trade finance during the pandemic, industry updates in 2021, trade digitization, enforcement and compliance, SBLCs/LCs, and more

Attendee Testimonials

“It went incredibly well – fantastic information. Much better than expected for a virtual event. Please keep the virtual workshops coming in the future years as it much easier to get the expense approval. Thank you to everyone for all the hard work put into this fantastic event!”

“The guest speakers were top notch experts in each of their respective fields, and the information they shared is very relevant to our industry. Useful information for me to take back to my job particularly the SBLC sessions.”

“Very valuable updates and overviews. The various cases presented inspired practical thinking on management of a variety of scenarios in trade. Also, excellent discussions on the relevance and role or supply chain financing and open accounts.”

Full Workshop Team Rate:

BAFT is offering a team rate discount available for 5 or more individuals to attend the full 2021 Virtual Trade Finance Workshop from the same institution. Save $75 USD per person when registering 5 or more attendees. Please note the team rate discount is only available for BAFT members. Contact [email protected] today to avail the team rate for your institution.

Program

February 17, 2021
February 18, 2021
February 19, 2021
February 17, 2021 - Module 1: Enforcement & Compliance

06:00 PT / 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT

Welcome & Introduction

Stacey Facter
Senior Vice President, Trade Products
BAFT

Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations
BMO Financial Group

06:10 PT / 09:10 EST / 14:10 GMT

Global Heads of Trade Open Forum - A View from the Top

A unique session to meet global heads of trade from Commerzbank, Societe Generale and Standard Bank of South Africa. This is your opportunity to ask these distinguished global trade heads questions on trade, the economy, career and a changing banking environment.

Subject Matter Experts

Marie-Laure Gastellu
Global Head of Trade Services
Societe Generale

Vinod Madhavan
Group Head, Trade
Standard Bank

Enno-Burghard Weitzel
Head of Product Management Trade Services
Commerzbank

06:55 PT / 09:55 EST / 14:55 GMT

Financial Crime & Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML)

Has COVID made crime easier? We hear so much about fraud in PPE. What are the criminals up to now?

Kim Manchester
Managing Director
ManchesterCF Financial Intelligence

07:35 PT / 10:35 EST / 15:35 GMT

Sanctions and Compliance - Hear from OFAC

Directly from OFAC on the latest: sanctions with Russia & Cuba & Venezuela? OFAC expectations regarding what banks are expected to know regarding vessel stop and ship to ship transfers? Our speaker will address it!

Moderator

Stacey Facter
Senior Vice President Trade Products
BAFT

Guest Speaker

Bridget Van Buren
Sanctions Compliance Officer,
Office of Foreign Assets Control
U.S. Department of the Treasury

08:15 PT / 11:15 EST / 16:15 GMT

Stretch Break

08:20 PT / 11:20 EST / 16:20 GMT

Antiboycott!

What’s new in Antiboycott language & regulations? Our speaker will walk you through.

Cathleen Ryan
Director, Office of Antiboycott Compliance
US Department of Commerce

08:50 PT / 11:50 EST / 16:50 GMT

Vessel Tracking – Where Do Different Banks See Risk?

Different banks have different vessel tracking philosophies. Hear from different banks regarding their ideas of risk and their different tracking programs. What are the risks and thoughts on programs options available. Join us for this robust conversation.

Moderator

Rajan Sharma, ACAMS
Director, Trade Finance Risk Control
Scotiabank

Speakers

Rashid Hasan, CDCS, ACAMS
Senior Manager, Transaction Risk and Compliance, Trade Operation
RBC Investor and Treasury Services

Eileen O’Dea, CDCS
Director, Trade Finance Operations
People’s United Bank

Edward Stoltenberg, ACAMS
Director, AML Risk Management
Citi

09:20 PT / 12:20 EST / 17:20 GMT

Compliance Going Digital

Jason Grasso
AML and Financial Crimes Business Development Leader
SAS

09:55 PT / 12:55 EST / 17:55 GMT

It's a Wrap – Day 1

Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations
BMO Financial Group

10:00 PT / 13:00 EST / 18:00 GMT

Birds of a Feather – Open Forum

Different banks have different vessel tracking philosophies. Hear from different banks regarding their ideas of risk and their different tracking programs. What are the risks and thoughts on programs options available. Join us for this robust conversation.

February 18, 2021 - Module 2: What's Changing in the Digital World?

06:00 PT / 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT

Welcome

Stacey Facter
Senior Vice President, Trade Products
BAFT

Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations
BMO Financial Group

06:05 PT / 09:05 EST / 14:05 GMT

The BAFT DLPC: What Is It? Where Is It Used?

Every trade transaction ultimately requires a payment commitment. As trade transactions move to the digital world, this Workshop will provide an understanding of the BAFT Distributed Ledger Payment Commitment – the DLPC , its origins, functionality, and how it provides a legal framework and interoperability for payments in digital trade transactions today.

Moderator

Whitman Knapp
Chairman
GTBInsights

Panelists

Rebecca Liao
Co-Founder and COO
Skuchain

Samantha Pelosi
Senior Vice President, Payments and Innovation
BAFT

John Taylor
International Advisor, Centre for Commercial Studies
Queen Mary University of London

06:55 PT / 09:55 EST / 14:55 GMT

ICC Digital Rules

Digitization is moving forward how are the rules of the LC road changing to support this advancement?

Dave Meynell
Independent Trade Advisor & Consultant
TradeLC Advisory

07:40 PT / 10:40 EST / 15:40 GMT

Stretch Break

07:50 PT / 10:50 EST / 15:50 GMT

SWIFT 2021

SWIFT ISO 20022 + GPI + File Act +2021 new message types

Robert Marchal
Standard Business/Analyst
SWIFT

08:20 PT / 11:20 EST / 16:20 GMT

Trade Digitalization in 2021

How the jig-saw is coming together and what it means for you.

Michael Vrontamitis
Co-chair, ICC Working Group on the Digitization of Trade Finance & Advisory Board Member
ICC Banking Commission

09:05 PT / 12:05 EST / 17:05 GMT

Technology Presentation featuring e-Bills of Lading

Eyal Ben-Amram
Executive Vice President & Chief Information Office
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, Ltd.

Gadi Ruschin
CEO
WAVE BL

10:00 PT / 13:00 EST / 18:00 GMT

It's a Wrap – Day 2

Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations
BMO Financial Group

Stacey Facter
Senior Vice President, Trade Products
BAFT

10:05 PT / 13:05 EST / 18:05 GMT

Birds of a Feather – Open Forum

This is your opportunity to ask questions that were still outstanding from Monday and today’s sessions. This is an open forum to discuss pressing questions and issues you’ve been yearning to ask your peers and subject matter experts in a small group discussion. Attendees will break into smaller groups for an interactive conversation on the following topics: eBils of Lading & Digital Signatures, SWIFT Messaging

February 19, 2021 - Module 3: Trade and Letters of Credit in Detail

06:00 PT / 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT

Welcome

Kristine Siebel
Chair, BAFT North American Standby/Guarantee Committee
Societe Generale

06:05 PT / 09:05 EST / 14:05 GMT

Single Issue Question

Commercial & Standby Letters of Credit. This is a favorite session – join the conversation and see if you know the answers to these questions!

Moderator

Kristine Siebel
Chair, BAFT North American Standby/Guarantee Committee
Societe Generale

Speakers

Frank Petrassi
Vice President
J.P. Morgan

Vivek Singh, CDCS CSDG
Senior Trade Expert
BNP Paribas

06:55 PT / 09:55 EST / 14:55 GMT

ICC Opinions Updates

What are those experts coming up with next? Hear about the ICC opinions rendered during this pandemic.

Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations
BMO Financial Group

07:30 PT / 10:30 EST / 15:30 GMT

Stretch Break

07:40 PT / 10:40 EST / 15:40 GMT

Demand Guarantees

Demand Guarantee and payment challenges under the current climate.

Ukamaka Okpara, CDCS, CSDG

08:10 PT / 11:10 EST / 16:10 GMT

Force Majeure

David Jachimowicz
Senior Legal Counsel, Global Trade and Receivables Finance
HSBC Bank Canada

08:40 PT / 11:40 EST / 16:40 GMT

Voice of the Customer

What does the next generation of employee’s look like?

Moderator

Jeremiah Glock, CDCS
Vice President and Trade Advisor
Citi

Speakers

Ruxandra Cravcenco, CDCS
Executive Director & Operations Manager
JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Tiffany Bjorlie, CDCS
Officer, International Trade Service Specialist II
BOK Financial

08:30 PT / 11:30 EST / 16:30 GMT

Demand Guarantees

Demand Guarantee and payment challenges under the current climate.

Ukamaka Okpara, CDCS, CSDG, CAMS
Service Specialist
BMO Financial Group

08:40 PT / 11:40 EST / 16:40 GMT

Voice of the Customer

Moderator

Jeremiah Glock, CDCS
Vice President and Trade Advisor
Citi

Speakers

Ansab Ali
Senior Treasury Specialist
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia

Jennifer Stephens
Assistant Manager of Sales & Distribution
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia

09:10 PT / 12:10 EST / 17:10 GMT

Ask the Expert Forum

Join this popular session and ask all those questions that you and your team have been discussing. What do the experts think?

Moderator

Marilyn D. William
Senior Manager, Trade Finance
CIBC

Experts

Frank Fortes
Senior Trade Finance Expert
TD Financial Group

Jeremiah Glock, CDCS
Vice President and Trade Advisor
Citi

Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations
BMO Financial Group

Kristine Siebel
Chair, BAFT North American Standby/Guarantee Committee
Societe Generale

10:00 PT / 1:00 EST / 18:00 GMT

It's a Wrap – Day 3

Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations
BMO Financial Group

Kristine Siebel
Chair, BAFT North American Standby/Guarantee Committee
Societe Generale

Speakers

February 17, 2021
February 18, 2021
February 19, 2021
February 17, 2021 - Module 1: Enforcement & Compliance
Stacey Facter
Stacey Facter
Senior Vice President, Trade Products
BAFT

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.

Marie-Laure Gastellu
Marie-Laure Gastellu
Global Head of Trade Services
Societe Generale

Marie-Laure Gastellu is the Global Head of Trade Services since November 2016. Engaged in the transformation of trade finance, she is an executive banker with 30 years of experience in banking, transformation, innovation and management of large French and international teams. Marie-Laure joins Societe Generale in 1989 within the internal consulting department. In 1994, she takes responsibility for a portfolio of corporate clients in Paris and then in New York, and runs SG Americas’ Marketing division from 2001 to 2004. Until 2006, Marie-Laure is Global COO of Societe Generale’s division for corporate clients and investors, and then Chief of Staff to Chairman and CEO Daniel Bouton between 2006 and 2009.

Normand Girard, CDCS
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee

Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America and Europe as well as process oversight in Asia. Mr. Girard has 35 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO. 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.

Rashid Hasan, CDCS, ACAMS
Rashid Hasan, CDCS, ACAMS
Senior Manager, Transaction Risk and Compliance, Trade Operations
RBC Investor and Treasury Services

Mr. Rashid Hasan, working as Senior Manager Transaction Risk & Compliance, Trade Ops and IBC with Royal Bank of Canada. Having more than 30 years of banking experience in the area of Trade Finance, Treasury, Audit and Compliance. Mr. Hasan has worked in Asia, Middle East and North America. He joined RBC in 2003 and is responsible for reviewing sanctioned and high-risk countries trade transactions, providing guidance to the Trade team on complex trade transaction, and training on Trade-based money laundering. Mr. Hasan is a Certified Documentary Specialist (CDCS) and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).

Vinod Madhavan
Vinod Madhavan
Group Head, Trade
Standard Bank Group

Vinod Madhavan is currently Group Head: Trade, Standard Bank. In this role he is responsible for Trade, one of the universal capabilities identified by Standard Bank, to be delivered across the Group. Thereby, allowing Standard Bank to show up as one universal financial services organization, wherever they are based and whichever client segment they are servicing. He also has P&L responsibility for Trade across the Group (i.e., across sectors in Corporate & Investment Bank and divisions in Personal & Business Banking units). Standard Bank franchise (spanning 20 markets in Africa) offers trade and supply chain finance services and solutions, to clients in Institutional, Corporate, Commercial, Business and Enterprise client segments.

Kim Manchester
Kim Manchester
Managing Director
ManchesterCF Consulting

Mr. Kim Manchester brings his extensive background in international banking to the global financial services industry. While based in both Hong Kong and Singapore, Mr. Manchester held senior regional and global positions in corporate banking, institutional banking and capital markets for one of the world’s largest emerging markets financial institutions. Mr. Manchester returned to Canada in 2003 and founded ManchesterCF. Based in Toronto, the practice provides financial crime risk management training programs and advisory services to financial institutions and public-sector agencies. The most successful training programs from ManchesterCF include the Financial Crime Training series for international banking and the FINTEL series for financial intelligence units.

Eileen O’Dea, CDCS
Eileen O’Dea, CDCS
Director, Trade Finance Operations
People's United Bank

Eileen O’Dea, Director of Trade Finance Operations at People’s United Bank with over decade of operational experience. Ms. O’Dea joined People’s United Bank in 2014 and in that time established the Trade Finance department which encompasses all Trade products as well as Supply Chain Finance and Receivable Finance. She also manages the SWIFT RMA relationship for the bank. Prior to joining People’s United Bank, Ms. O’Dea was previously with Bank of America, Trade Finance, working with customers globally.

Rahul Prabhu
Rahul Prabhu
Senior Manager
EY

Rahul Prabhu is Senior Manager in EY Consulting Practice, where he is the product development lead of the Trade Finance Risk Analytics Compliance Kit. He is based out of New York, and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) that brings over eight years of team leadership, compliance, and large program management experience as a financial services consultant. He has experience working with both large, complex organizations as well as small, targeted teams and specializes in data analytics, predictive modeling, automation, model validation, and risk management in the regulatory compliance and financial crimes space.

Cathleen Ryan
Director of Enforcement, Office of Antiboycott Compliance
Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce

Ms. Cathleen Ryan is the Director of the Office of Antiboycott Compliance (Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce) (OAC), responsible for investigations and administrative enforcement actions. Ms. Ryan joined OAC in 1993, after several years in various financial, administrative and legal functions with a U.S. multinational, both in New York and Paris.

Rajan Sharma, ACAMS
Rajan Sharma, ACAMS
Director, Trade Finance Risk Control
Scotiabank

Rajan Sharma has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Delhi, India. He has over 28 years of extensive operational, risk management, and compliance experience relating to trade finance in Asia, Middle East, and North America.

Edward Stoltenberg, ACAMS
Edward Stoltenberg, ACAMS
Director, Trade Working Capital Finance Solutions
Citi

Edward Stoltenberg is a Director for Treasury and Trade Solutions, Global AML Risk, serving as an AML resource to the Trade Business. In his current role, he is responsible for all AML aspects of the Trade AML program, working with stakeholders across the three lines of defense. Mr. Stoltenberg was selected to lead the embedding of machine learning into operations processes to detect Trade Based Money Laundering, and Sanctions red flags. Due to the successes of the before mentioned, Mr. Stoltenberg embarked on several exploratory projects to implement machine learning in areas such as vessel behavior and Military Dual Use goods. Mr. Stoltenberg joined Citi in 2014, leading Citi’s Horizontal AML Risk Assessments, conducting reviews in areas of higher AML risk, including Trade Finance. Prior to his work in financial services, Mr. Stoltenberg served as an Armor/Cavalry Officer in the United States Army.

Enno-Burghard Weitzel
Enno-Burghard Weitzel
Senior Vice President, Strategy, Digitization and Business Development
Surecomp

Enno’s primary role is to help Surecomp fulfill its mission to enable seamless, sustainable trade for everyone by removing barriers and fostering collaboration. He is responsible for driving Surecomp’s strategic direction to ensure product development is completely aligned with customer needs. A seasoned expert in the field of corporate banking with a focus on cash and trade, Enno joined Surecomp in March 2021. Prior to that he spent five years at leading global management consultancy firm McKinsey. He has also held senior positions at Commerzbank, one of the world’s top 20 trade finance banks. Enno’s command of the trade finance industry and his strong customer orientation are key to enabling customers drive growth through enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, fostering collaboration and improving customer service.

Bridget Van Buren
Bridget Van Buren
Sanctions Compliance Officer,
Office of Foreign Assets Control
U.S. Department of the Treasury

Bridget Van Buren is a senior sanctions compliance officer in OFAC’s Sanctions Compliance and Evaluation division. Ms. Van Buren routinely provides OFAC sanctions guidance to domestic and international financial institutions through dedicated outreach and actively investigates financial institutions subject to U.S. jurisdiction to ensure compliance with applicable U.S. sanctions regulations.

February 18, 2021 - Module 2: What’s Changing in the Digital World?
Eyal Ben-Amram
Eyal Ben-Amram
Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, Ltd.

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
Stacey Facter
Senior Vice President, Trade Products
BAFT

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, CDCS
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee

Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America and Europe as well as process oversight in Asia. Mr. Girard has 35 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO. 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.

Whitman Knapp
Whitman Knapp
Chairman
GTB Insights

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
Rebecca Liao
Co-Founder and COO
Skuchain

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.

Robert Marchal
Robert Marchal
Standards Business Specialist
SWIFT

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
David Meynell
Independent Trade Advisor & Consultant
TradeLC Advisor

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
Samantha Pelosi
Senior Vice President, Payments and Innovation
BAFT

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
Gadi Ruschin
CEO
WAVE BL

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
John Taylor
Co-founder & Director, CASTL and Honorary Professor, CCLS, QMUL
Centre for Applied Sustainable Transition Law (CASTL)

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
Michael Vrontamitis
Lead Industry Principal, Lending Business Unit
Finastra

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.

February 19, 2021 - Module 3: Trade and Letters of Credit in Detail
Ansab Ali
Ansab Ali
Senior Treasury Specialist
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Inc

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.

Frank Fortes, LL.M, CITF, CSDG
Frank Fortes, LL.M, CITF, CSDG
Senior Trade Finance Expert, Global Trade Finance Operations
Toronto-Dominion Bank

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 14 years of extensive experience in the Trade Finance industry that has been predominantly acquired during his tenure in France and Canada within 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 holds a Master's Degree in International Business Law and is also CITF (Certificate in International Trade and Finance) and CSDG (Certificate for Specialists in Demand Guarantees) certified.

Normand Girard, CDCS
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee

Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America and Europe as well as process oversight in Asia. Mr. Girard has 35 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO. 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, CDCS
Jeremiah Glock, CDCS
Vice President & Trade Advisor
Citi

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.

David Jachimowicz
David Jachimowicz
Senior Legal Counsel, Global Trade and Receivables Finance
HSBC Bank Canada
Ukamaka Okpara, CDCS, CSDG, CAMS
Ukamaka Okpara, CDCS, CSDG, CAMS
Specialist - Trade Finance
BMO Capital Markets

Ukamaka Okpara is a Trade Finance Practitioner with over thirteen years of expertise in Trade Finance Operations. Her experience in this market includes product coverage on Documentary Collections, Export Letters of Credit, and has honed her skillset to become a subject matter expert (SME) on Standby Letters of Credit and Guarantees. Ukamaka has attained the following accreditations: Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist, Certified Documentary Credit Specialist, Certified Specialist in Demand Guarantee and most recently a Certificate in Risk Management from York University, Toronto, Canada.

Fiore (Frank) Petrassi
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi
Vice President
J.P. Morgan

Fiore (Frank) Petrassi is Global Product Manager for Standby Letters of Credit and Guarantees with JPMorgan Chase responsible managing and growing the global Standby Letter of Credit and Guarantee offering to the JPMorgan client base for all lines of business. Frank is a long standing member of the BAFT Trade Finance Committee and current Chair of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee. He was former Chair of the BAFT North Central Standby Letter of Credit Committee and Co-chair of the IIBLP Government Mandated Letter of Credit Committee.

Kristine Siebel
Kristine Siebel
Past Chair BAFT Standby & Guarantee Committee
BAFT

Ms. Kristine Siebel retired in 2022 after 45 years in the Letter of Credit world. At retirement she was a Vice President 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 began her career in Trade Services 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 North American Standby Letter of Credit Committee since its inception in 1994 and was the Chair of the committee until her retirement. At this time she is also an Honorary Member of BAFT.

Vivek Singh, CDCS, CSDG
Vivek Singh, CDCS, CSDG
Head, Trade Guarantees Expertise Desk
BNP Paribas

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
Jennifer Stephens
Assistant Manager of Sales & Distribution
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Inc

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.

Marilyn D. Williams
Marilyn D. Williams
Senior Manager
CIBC

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.

FAQ's

What software or platform is this being hosted on?

The 2021 Virtual Trade Finance Workshop will be accessible on the BAFT Events app via desktop, mobile or tablet. You will need to download the BAFT Events app ahead of time either at the Google Play or Apple Store. The app is also accessible on desktop browsers at event.crowdcompass.com/vtfw21. The app will be available 2 weeks prior to the event. You will receive a personalized link from BAFT reminding you to download the event app or log in via desktop to verify your account.

The livestream sessions will be broadcast via Zoom Webinar. You need to download Zoom to your device, if you don’t have it installed. The day of the virtual event, make sure you are signed in to BAFT Events and Zoom for a seamless event experience

Why do I need the BAFT Events app?

The BAFT Events app is your gateway to the virtual event. You can access the event via your mobile phone, tablet or on the web. With BAFT Events, you can:

  • Join the live sessions, ask questions, participate in polls
  • See a list of attendees, speakers and their shared information
  • Send messages and connect with attendees and speakers before, during and after the event
  • Access the program and schedule sessions you plan to attend
  • Take notes on sessions and email them to yourself after the session
  • Access any speaker handouts, session and or sponsor flyers
  • Connect with sponsors, solution providers and exhibitors

Do I need to download anything?

Yes, you will need to download the BAFT Events app either via Google Play or the Apple Store ahead of time if you plan to use your mobile device or tablet. The app will be available prior to the event. You will receive a personalized link from BAFT reminding you to download the event app.

If you are planning to join the virtual event via your laptop or desktop computer, you simply need to use the online link sent to you as part of your account confirmation.

How will I login in during the event?

To join the virtual event, simply log in to BAFT Events app from your mobile device or tablet, or go online if using a laptop or desktop computer. Make sure to type the email address you used to register for the event. You can then proceed to My Schedule, choose the session and click on ‘Join Live Webcast’ to join the session.

Will you email me information about logging in and who can help me if I have issues?

Yes, BAFT will send an email to download the BAFT Events app. A reminder will be sent closer to the event dates if you have not downloaded and set up your account yet. You can always contact [email protected] if you have issues downloading or logging in to BAFT Events.

What if I cannot attend the sessions live? Am I able to watch later?

All sessions will be recorded and available on-demand to all registered attendees via the app. An email will be sent to all attendees once these recordings are available.

What if my institution or company doesn’t allow me to access the platform?

Please test ahead of time to ensure you can join the virtual event. The BAFT Events app works best with Internet Explorer (IE) 11, as well as the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. If using a mobile device, IOS 11 or higher and Andriod 7.0 or higher work best.

The webcast for each session is via Zoom Webinar. If your device does not have Zoom installed, please make sure you download and sign in to Zoom prior to the virtual event.

To test, sign in to your BAFT Event account then select a session under Agenda or My Schedule and click on the Join Webinar link. BAFT Events works in several devices – computers, tablets and mobile phone. If one device doesn’t work, we suggest you test other devices ahead of time to make sure you can access the sessions.

Will I be able to ask questions?

Yes, you can certainly ask questions via a Q&A dialog box during each session.

Will I be able to speak with the other attendees? Will other attendees be able to see me?

You can connect with attendees before, during and after the event. Simply click the Attendees icon, and you can search, message, exchange contact details and even arrange meeting times with fellow attendees.

No, other attendees will not be able to see you during the sessions. Zoom Webinar is a one-to-many platform. You will be able to see the speakers and panelists, but they will not be able to see you.

Will you go back to in person workshops next year? Or still hold the virtual training?

For the safety of our members, speakers and attendees, we are currently only offering virtual events. As the situation improves, we will re-evaluate the best medium – in-person or virtual, to offer these workshops and other events going forward. Please check baft.org/our-events for the latest updates on our conference and event offerings.

Be a part of our 2021 Virtual Trade Finance Workshop II! Check out the sponsorship opportunities  available or contact Matt Kaitz at [email protected].

Click below to access this event’s Virtual Platform.

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