The 31st BAFT Annual Conference on International Trade returns with a hybrid conference– two virtual programming days from December 6 – 7 followed by in-person sessions in Houston, Texas from December 8 – 9, 2021. Join us virtually and/or in-person as we cover hot topic issues in trade including trade finance, ESG, trade digitization, human capital management, supply chain finance, global trade, infrastructure development, inflation, and more.
Over the past 18+ months as an industry we have embraced technology at a much faster pace than in the past. We’ve learned to adapt and adjust to the new norm. We’re ready to move forward and hope you are too as we turn the page to the new phase of trade!
This hybrid event offers a virtual and an in-person component, offered over 4 consecutive days. Each day, regardless if virtual or in-person, will include topical sessions and adequate time for networking. When you register, choose between virtual only or full conference access (in-person + virtual).
Virtual Attendees: For our virtual attendees, you’ll be able to schedule video conference meetings with fellow attendees using the platform, join small group discussion tables and network much like an in-person reception via our BAFT CONNECT platform.
In-Person Attendees: And for our in-person attendees, we know how much you’ve missed seeing each other in-person. We’ve designed the in-person event with as much time for you to meet with colleagues, clients and other industry experts. Several times in the program are blocked exclusively for bilateral meetings and roundtable discussions in addition to scheduled reception times. We’ve also reserved several private meeting rooms for attendees to use.
CPDs: The program has been accredited as meeting the standards for ongoing CPDs required for the recertification of CDCS, CSDG, CSCF, and CTFC. Please review the CPDs section for further details.
Monday, December 6
One-on-One with ICC Banking Commission Chair
Tuesday, December 7
Global Infrastructure
Wednesday, December 8
Global Trade and Supply Chain
Wednesday, December 8
What’s Next for Trade – A Senior Leaders’ View
Thursday, December 9
One-on-One with a Global Chemicals Company CEO
View the program for more details on additional spotlight sessions, plenary sessions, open forums, networking events and more. You may also view our speakers for further information on their biographies, professional experience and education.
08:00 CST / 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT / 15:00 CET / 18:00 GST / 22:00 SGT
Tod Burwell
President & CEO
BAFT
08:10 CST / 09:10 EST / 14:10 GMT / 15:10 CET / 18:10 GST / 22:10 SGT
Hear from the newly appointed ICC Banking Commission Chair on the recent changes in the Banking Commission and the role it will play going forward, plus other trending current topics in trade including the supply chain disruption, inflation, and DEI.
Featured Speaker
Lynn Ng
Global Head of Commodities, Food and Agri, ING
Chair, ICC Banking Commission
with
Tod Burwell
President & CEO
BAFT
08:40 CST / 09:40 EST / 14:40 GMT / 15:40 CET / 18:40 GST / 22:40 SGT
Businesses and consumers find they have money to spend after the pandemic. But supply chain disruptions such as manufacturing inputs and logistic backlogs have caused price increases coupled with uncertainty. How long will this last? Will supply and prices return to normal soon? Join us for this informative session to learn what’s next for the state of trade.
Moderator
Deepesh Patel
Editorial Director
Trade Finance Global
Panelists
Tomasz Brodzicki
Principal Economist, GTAS Forecasting, Maritime & Trade
IHS Markit
Panelist
Bernd Weidensteiner
Economist
Commerzbank
09:25 CST / 10:25 EST / 15:25 GMT / 16:25 CET / 19:25 GST / 23:25 SGT
Sponsored by
09:35 CST / 10:35 EST / 15:35 GMT / 16:35 CET / 19:35 GST / 23:35 SGT
The role of fintechs in financing the under-financed.
Moderator
Rebecca O. Fruchtman
Counsel, Banking and Finance
Mayer Brown
Panelists
Andrew Holmes
Head of North America
Demica
Jordane Rollin
Managing Director & Head of Trade and Working Capital, Americas
Standard Chartered Bank
Enno-Burghard Weitzel
Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and Digitization
Surecomp
10:20 CST / 11:20 EST/ 16:20 GMT / 17:20 CET / 20:20 GST / 00:20 SGT + 1 Day
Guiding clients to align their supply chain and trade finance transactions to sustainability, from net zero policy and practice to development of standards and tracking KPIs.
Moderator
Diana Smallridge
President & CEO
International Financial Consulting
Panelists
Marina Andres
Managing Director & GTB Advisory Global Head
BBVA
Kristi Z. Eberhardt
Managing Director & Head of Sustainable Finance
PNC Bank
Nehir Kirlar Ozel
Head of EMEA Distribution and Sustainability, Structured Trade Finance
ADM
11:05 CST / 12:05 EST / 17:05 GMT / 18:05 CET / 21:05 GST/ 01:05 SGT + 1 Day
Tod Burwell
President & CEO
BAFT
11:10 CST / 12:10 EST / 17:10 GMT / 18:10 CET / 21:10 GST/ 01:10 SGT + 1 Day
Experience as close to in-person networking in a virtual setting with BAFT CONNECT. Choose from three interactive and smaller group activities. All will allow video and chat messaging.
1) Roundtable Discussions
Open forums on trending trade issues and topics facilitated by trade finance experts.
2) Speaker’s Corner
Have questions that were not answered during the earlier sessions? This is a great opportunity for attendees to meet the speakers via video chat and ask questions in a smaller group setting.
3) Virtual Networking/Bilateral Meetings
Meet with fellow attendees by setting up video meetings ahead of time using the BAFT CONNECT platform.
07:15 CST / 08:15 EST / 13:15 GMT / 14:15 CET / 17:15 GST / 21:15 SGT
The shipping industry faces a generational challenge. It must transition away from fossil fuels as the dominant marine energy source within the lifespan of today’s newbuilt ships, but it must do so amid regulatory, financial and technical uncertainty. And the industry is behind the curve. Join us for this session with Richard Meade, Managing Editor of Lloyd’s List, to discover the 5 five critical areas of change needed to get shipping on track to meet zero emissions targets.
Presenter
Richard Meade
Managing Editor
Lloyd’s List
08:00 CST / 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT / 15:00 CET / 18:00 GST / 22:00 SGT
Scott Stevenson
Senior Vice President, Trade
BAFT
08:10 CST / 09:10 EST / 14:10 GMT / 15:10 CET / 18:10 GST / 22:10 SGT
Populism, the pandemic, cybersecurity, social media impacts and increasing trade tensions – what are the major dynamics at play and are they interconnected? International trade is exposed to all these issues, but are there additional risks that companies and banks should understand? Our expert panel will explore these challenges and offer insights into the geopolitical landscape in 2022 and beyond.
Moderator
Scott Stevenson
Senior Vice President, Trade
BAFT
Panelists
Amy Celico
Principal
Albright Stonebridge Group
Karen Tramontano
Co-Founder & CEO
Blue Star Strategies
08:55 CST / 09:55 EST / 14:55 GMT / 15:55 CET / 18:55 GST / 22:55 SGT
Moderator
Diana Bustamante
Head of Trade Finance, Corporates, North America
Lloyds Banking Group
Panelists
Alisa DiCaprio
Head of Trade and CBDC
R3
Emy Ruiz
Head, Global Transaction Banking
Fifth Third Bank
Dave Sutter
Chief Product Officer
Marco Polo Network
09:40 CST / 10:40 EST / 15:40 GMT / 16:40 CET / 19:40 GST / 23:40 SGT
Sponsored by
09:45 CST / 10:45 EST / 15:45 GMT / 16:45 CET / 19:45 GST / 24:35 SGT
How do we recruit for the next generation of Trade Finance specialists and retain them once we get them?
Moderator
Patrick DeVilbiss
Director & Senior Offering Manager, Trade and Supply Chain Solutions
CGI
Panelists
Rene Klose
Vice President, Growth
Conpend
Diego Posada
Vice President, Transaction Banking
Santander Bank
Craig Weeks
Managing Partner
Prism Global Partners
10:25 CST / 11:25 EST/ 16:25 GMT / 17:25 CET / 20:25 GST / 00:25 SGT + 1 Day
Infrastructure is one of the top priorities of the Biden administration. The US House of Representatives just passed the bipartisan IIJA which will invest a significant $1.2 trillion into US infrastructure. With ballooning Federal debt and deficits, a Democrat push for a “social infrastructure” reconciliation bill, another substantial physical infrastructure funding bill is unlikely within the next 5 or 10 years. This session will take a closer look at what the IIJA bill includes, the role public-private partnerships play in filling the funding gap and what the infrastructure bill really means to the trade industry.
Moderator
Marshall Macomber
Senior Policy Advisor
Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure
Panelists
J. Patrick Cave
Advisor
Federal Infrastructure Bank
Congressman Bill Shuster
Senior Policy Advisor
Squire Patton Boggs
11:05 CST / 12:05 EST / 17:05 GMT / 18:05 CET / 21:05 GST/ 01:05 SGT + 1 Day
Scott Stevenson
Senior Vice President, Trade
BAFT
11:10 CST / 12:10 EST / 17:10 GMT / 18:10 CET / 21:10 GST/ 01:10 SGT + 1 Day
Experience as close to in-person networking in a virtual setting with BAFT CONNECT. Choose from three interactive and smaller group activities. All will allow video and chat messaging.
1) Roundtable Discussions
Open forums on trending trade issues and topics facilitated by trade finance experts.
2) Speaker’s Corner
Have questions that were not answered during the earlier sessions? This is a great opportunity for attendees to meet the speakers via video chat and ask questions in a smaller group setting.
3) Virtual Networking/Bilateral Meetings
Meet with fellow attendees by setting up video meetings ahead of time using the BAFT CONNECT platform.
11:30 - 13:00 CST
24th Floor, Houston Room
This meeting is exclusively for invited guests and members of the BAFT Regional Bank Council.
13:30 - 15:00 CST
24th Floor, Houston Room
This meeting is exclusively for invited guests and members of the BAFT North America Council.
11:30 – 15:30 CST
We know how much you’ve missed meeting face-to-face. We’ve carved out this time and reserved private meeting rooms to use for bilateral meetings.
15:30 – 15:40 CST
The general session will be hosted on the 9th Floor of the Walter Johnson Conference Center (JCC).
Tod Burwell
President & CEO
BAFT
15:40 – 16:10 CST
Houston’s port is home to the United State's largest petrochemical complex and the second largest in the world. It is also the United State’s largest port for waterborne tonnage and it is the number one port in the export of cargo. With such a busy port, hear from the Chair of the Port Commission on how the pandemic has affected global trade including current supply chain issues and trade partnerships (USMCA) with neighboring countries.
Featured Speaker
Ric Campo
Chairman of the Port Commission
Port of Houston Authority
with
TJ Raguso
Group Executive Vice President, International Banking, Foreign Exchange and Correspondent Banking
Zions Bancorporation
16:10 – 16:55 CST
A myriad of prudential and benchmark interest rate changes are on the horizon, impacting the trade finance industry. With regulators affirming no new USD LIBOR after the end of the year, the transition to alternative reference rates is in full swing. Now is the time to accelerate transition plans and prepare for the post-LIBOR environment. On the prudential front, the implementation of Basel IV is expected to take effect January 2023, Understanding its potential impact now is key to engage with regulators and prepare for future implementation efforts.
Moderator
Diana Rodriquez
Vice President, International Policy
BAFT
Panelists
Marco Bianchi
Executive Director, Client Development and Sales
CME Group
Echithran Fernando
Senior Manager, Trade and Supply Chain Finance Product
Scotiabank
16:55 – 17:45 CST
Moderator
Michael McDonough
Head of Trade and Working Capital
Santander Commercial Bank
Panelists
Geoffrey Brady
Managing Director & Head of Global Trade and Supply Chain
Bank of America
Christina Gnad
Regional Head, Trade Finance and Lending, Americas
Deutsche Bank
Joon Kim
Global Head, Trade Finance Product and Portfolio Management
BNY Mellon
17:45 – 19:00 CST
24th Floor, Houston Room
Join us for some drinks and hors d’oeuvre as you reconnect with your colleagues, clients and others in the industry.
08:00 – 09:00 CST
9th Floor Foyer, Walter Johnson Conference Center (JCC)
Sponsored by
09:00 – 09:10 CST
The general session will be hosted on the 9th Floor of the Walter Johnson Conference Center (JCC).
Scott Stevenson
Senior Vice President, Trade
BAFT
09:10 – 09:50 CST
Hear directly from the head of a global chemicals company how changes in the trade landscape are affecting the way they do business and address their client needs and industries they serve going forward. Hunstman’s work forms the building blocks of numerous consumer and industry products – from automotive, electronics, textiles, furniture to aerospace defense, automation, and robotics - that effect our daily lives.
Featured Speaker
Peter R. Huntsman
Chairman of the Board, President & CEO
Huntsman Corporation
with
Mark Garfield
Head, Global Financial Institutions
Zions Bancorporation
09:50 – 10:35 CST
Panel discussion around the emergence of new risks and the mitigation of both new and existing risks through the digitization of trade.
Moderator
Sean Ryan
Senior Manager, Global Export Controls and Sanctions, Global Trade Advisory
Deloitte Tax
Panelists
Merlin Dowse
Executive Director, Global Trade Finance Product Management, J.P. Morgan
Vice Chair, ICC Banking Commission
Omer Eilat
Commercial Director
Windward
Andy Hofmann
Managing Director & Global Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Officer
BMO Capital Markets
10:35 – 11:20 CST
Hear a from industry players covering soft commodities, metals, mining, oil, and gas in a discussion of the current trends in commodity trade finance.
Speakers
Eduardo Andrade de Freitas
Senior Vice President, Regional Head, Americas & Global Head, Distribution; Trade and Structured Finance
Olam International
Cesar Canali
CEO
Argentem Trade Services
Stephen Shepard Smith Jr.
Head of Commodity Linked Finance, Commodity Products Group
Wells Fargo Securities
11:20 – 13:00 CST
Choose from several concurrent activities to maximize your time with colleagues and clients.
1) Roundtable Discussions
Open forums on trending trade issues and topics facilitated by trade finance experts.
2) Bilateral Meetings
3) Lunch
13:00 – 13:45 CST
With the ever-increasing usage of credit insurance by financial institutions for trade finance solutions; this session will address the key issues and evolving trends to both harmonize and digitalize the credit insurance market. Bringing all sides of the equation together, this session will outline how financial institutions, technology platforms, brokers and insurers are finally coming together to reduce risk while helping companies manage their physical and financial supply chains more efficiently.
Moderator
Bret Douglas
Senior Vice President, Corporate Banking
DNB Bank ASA
Speakers
Scott B. Ettien
Executive Vice President, Financial Solutions & Global Head of Trade Credit
Willis Towers Watson
Todd Lynady
Managing Director & Global Head, Insurance
LiquidX
13:45 – 14:30 CST
E-commerce has been creeping up as an alternative to traditional trade and the pandemic has just accelerated this pace. Is this the new way to finance trade? This session will provide insights into the e-commerce ecosystem, implications to trade finance, and other alternative financing empowering small businesses today.
Speakers
Aaron Caraher
Solution Associate Partner
McKinsey & Company
John W. Smith
Vice President, Product Supply Chain Finance
MasterCard
14:30 CST
14:30 – 15:30 CST
9th Floor Foyer, Walter Johnson Conference Center (JCC)
One more chance to mingle with your colleagues, peers and fellow attendees! Celebrate the end of the conference with another round of networking.
Marina Andrés is the global head of Advisory GTB at BBVA. With 18 years of experience, Marina has worked for BBVA in Brazil, Hong Kong and Spain building up a solid experience in arranging and structuring successful Trade Finance transactions in these regions. In 2020, Marina assumed the Advisory GTB global leadership, with teams in Spain, Mexico, Colombia and Peru. Marina has pushed the GTB Sustainability strategy within BBVA, supporting clients in the ESG transition through the financing teams. Marina holds a business degree from Fundação Getúlio Vargas - EAESP (Sao Paulo, Brazil), a Certificate of Financial Management from Ibmec (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and an MBA from Hong Kong University (Hong Kong).
Dr. Brodzicki utilizes the latest analytical, forecasting, and data visualization technologies to provide better data-driven insights and expert reports for a wide array of clients. He specializes in international trade and international economic analyses and forecasting using sophisticated econometric tools. In IHS Markit he is a part of the Maritime & Trade Division responsible for GTA Forecasting model development as well as cross-sectional analyses using the GTA, GTA Forecasting & PIERS data. He developed the Global Trade Monitoring dashboard and is responsible for drafting monthly commentaries - Global Trade Monitoring Reports. He is also responsible for Global Trade Outlook.
Tod Burwell is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BAFT. Prior to being promoted to CEO, he served as the Senior Vice President of Trade Products with oversight of all trade-related initiatives including the Global Trade Industry Council, Trade Committees, and other strategic initiatives of the organization. Mr. Burwell has over 25 years of trade, supply chain and cash management experience as a banking practitioner, as well as serving as a consultant to global corporations and suppliers of strategically integrated trade solutions. Prior to joining BAFT, Mr. Burwell was a Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase and held senior global management roles responsible for trade operations, launching the logistics business and managing global product sales for trade finance and logistics management.
Merlin Dowse is an Executive Director and a Global Product Manager within the Core Product team. In this capacity, Merlin leads a global team responsible for the management of digital solutions and innovation available to the clients of J.P. Morgan across the globe. Merlin previously held the position of Global Product Manager for the Portfolio Management Group within Global Trade at J.P. Morgan. In this role he led the digitization efforts of both the internal and external processes supporting the distribution of all trade finance assets. Prior to this, while based in London, he was managing the EMEA Trade product set for the Corporate client segment, where he worked on various initiatives such as the Bank Payment Obligation, SWIFT for Corporates whilst also helping expand J.P. Morgan’s global footprint. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Merlin worked in various capacities in the Trade Services department at Rabobank in the Netherlands. Merlin has been involved in numerous industry-wide initiatives and was recently appointed as Vice-Chair to the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Banking Commission and he is also the Sponsor of the Commercialisation Working Group under the auspices of the ICC Digital Standards Initiative (DSI).
Rebecca Fruchtman is counsel in Mayer Brown’s Chicago office and a member of the Firm’s Global Trade Finance practice group. Her practice focuses on the global trade finance space, including supply chain finance, Receivables financing, letters of credit, structured letters of credit and risk-distributed trade transactions, and asset-based financing transactions—both domestic and cross-border. With respect to supply chain finance matters at Mayer Brown, Rebecca has worked extensively with FI, hedge fund and private equity clients financing trade assets on various Fintech platforms, has spear-headed numerous global SCF roll-out initiatives on behalf of FI clients and structured, negotiated and executed a wide range of complex and bespoke revolving letters of credit facilities. Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Rebecca served as general counsel to Bank of America’s Business Capital line of business (US Central Region) on asset-based lending matters (2017 to 2019) and supported Bank of America’s Global Transaction Services Global Trade and Supply Chain Line of Business (2012 to 2017). Rebecca is active in BAFT, currently co-chairs the BAFT supply chain finance committee and is involved in various trade digitization initiatives in the industry.
Christian Hausherr is the European Product Head of Supply Chain Finance for Deutsche Bank’s Payables Finance solution, bringing to the role over 20 years of experience in Banking, In-house Consulting and Product Management for Cash Management and Supply Chain Finance. Mr. Hausherr spent his career within Deutsche Bank in various divisions and regions, mostly spanning across Europe and the Transaction Banking business. He holds a diploma in business administration from the University of Bayreuth and has worked in Germany, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Spain, the US, as well as in India and Uganda on Corporate Social Responsibility assignments in the financial and educational sector.
Andrew Holmes joined Demica in 2018 to open the U.S. office and heads up Origination in North America. He previously worked for Barclays where he led the Trade and Working Capital team in the Americas, after having spent seven years in London in a variety of Trade Finance roles. Mr. Holmes holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Mr. Joon Kim has 25+ years of experience. He has held various senior positions at Standard Chartered Bank and American Express Bank, most recently as Managing Director and Head of Transaction Banking Sales for Corporate and Commodities for the Americas region. His various experiences include leading Trade Sales, Trade Product Management and Relationship Management teams, with an emphasis on development and sales of trade finance, supply chain financing, receivable services, trade processing and cross-border cash and liquidity management solutions to global financial institutions and corporations.
Steven Lotito is Managing Director and Head of Trade Finance in Transaction Banking for the Americas at MUFG Union Bank, N.A. In his role, Steven manages the sales and product management organizations responsible for advising the bank’s client’s in the Corporate, Commercial and Japanese Corporate Banking segments in North America navigate some of the most important trade markets by delivering timely information on international markets, bringing innovative products to market, and providing trade financing solutions and risk management strategies. Steven has more than 30 years of experience in commodity finance and international trade finance. Prior to MUFG, he served as Senior Vice President and Head of Sales, Global Trade & Receivables Finance, North America; and Director and Head of Transaction Banking for the Americas at HSBC Bank USA and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group respectively. In addition, he has held senior trade and commodity finance roles at ABSA Banking Corp., Ecoban Finance Ltd., Phibro Inc., and Chase Manhattan Bank.
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.
Lynn joined ING in 2007 and is currently responsible for ING’s Commodities, Food and Agri sectors globally. She works actively with her global teams spread across Europe, Americas and Asia-Pacific, to provide financial solutions for the Commodities Value Chain, i.e. the producers, and processors of Metals, Minerals, Food & Agri, including the traders of all commodities (Energy, Metals, Minerals and Agri). Through the active collaboration with product partners in ING’s global network whilst leveraging on their deep sector knowledge, the sector teams have achieved much recognition in the market and from the clients. ING is consistently recognized as a leader in the commodity financing (including also structured commodity finance) space, regularly named amongst the Top 3, the most recent of by TXF in Oct 2021 (‘’Top Rated Global Commodity Trade Finance Bank”), and was named also the “Most Supportive Bank throughout the Covid 19 Pandemic’’ at the same event.
Nehir Kirlar Ozel is Head of EMEA Distribution and Sustainability, Structured Trade Finance at ADM, one of the world’s largest grain traders and processors. In this capacity, she is in charge of managing relationships with banks and other financial institutions, also focusing on sustainability. Her 17-year experience in finance ranges from financial markets to M&A advisory. She spent most of her career at ICBC Standard Bank in London as a Director of Emerging Markets Fixed Income and FX Sales. Nehir has also worked at Deloitte, and held various positions related to sustainable finance, including at Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest climate innovation initiative and solar energy start-up in Ghana. She holds a MSc in Finance degree from London Business School, and Climate and Sustainable Energy Finance Certificate from Frankfurt School of Finance and Management – UNEP Collaborating Center.
Deepesh Patel is Editor-in-Chief at Trade Finance Global (TFG). In this role, Deepesh leads efforts in developing TFG’s editorial and research strategy in key markets, including the UK, US, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong. Deepesh regularly chairs and speaks at industry events covering trade, treasury and payments, including The Economist, Reuters, UN, WEF and WTO, as well as industry associations including BAFT, FCI, ICC, ICISA and ITFA. Deepesh hosts the popular ‘Trade Finance Talks’ podcast and TV station, with a combined 300+ episodes and 50k+ followers. He is co-author of ‘Blockchain for Trade: A Reality Check’ and ‘Accelerating Trade Digitalization to Support MSME Financing’ with the ICC and the WTO, alongside other industry research. Deepesh is an advocate for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the industry, founding the Women in Trade, Treasury and Payments initiative in 2019. In addition to his work at TFG, Deepesh is a Strategic Advisor for WOA, and is a Member of the ITFA ESG Committee. He also sits on the Fintech Working Group of the Standardised Trust. Prior to TFG, Deepesh worked at Travelex where he was responsible for the cards business and the Travelex Money app in Brazil, Europe, US and UK. Deepesh is Chair of Governors and co-opted LA Governor of the Wyvern Federation, which has responsibility for 5 primary schools in South London.
Daniel Pische serves as the National Director of Trade Finance within the SBA’s Office of International Trade in Washington, DC. As Director, Daniel is responsible for the design and delivery of SBA’s export loan programs and oversight of SBA’s national staff of Export Finance Managers. Prior to joining the SBA, Daniel worked at First American Bank for over 15 years where he led their Trade Finance Division and served as a member of the bank’s Senior Loan Committee. Daniel served on Department of Commerce’s Trade Finance Advisory Council during the second charter term and continues to serve as the SBA’s ex-officio representative where he assists with recommendations on improving access to Trade Finance for small and midsized exporters.
Jordane started his career leading online payment gateways and B2B portals in Europe, before moving to China in 2005 to lead Business development and Partnerships for Groupe BPCE Oney Banque. He has held various trade finance roles at Standard Chartered in Singapore since 2010, including leading global Trade digital initiatives for three years. He is based in New York since 2019, and is currently Head of Trade & Working Capital, Americas.
Diana Smallridge is President of International Financial Consulting, a firm she founded in 2000, focusing on institutions that finance the UN SDGs. Diana has worked with DFIs and ECAs in over 70 countries. She is a trailblazer and advisor on complex development finance issues and is a sought-after speaker and facilitator, including chairing the ExCred conferences in London and NY for over 20 years for the CPRI industry. Diana has published extensively on climate finance and sustainable finance, including contributing to the White Paper on Sustainability in Export Finance sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Madeline Y. Sprague is the owner of TradeSavvy LLC, providing education and consulting services related to global trade, treasury, credit and risk management. Madeline has over 40 years of banking experience in global trade and international business across all industry sectors, and is a well-known speaker on trade-related topics and especially letters of credit. Prior to starting her own business, she was a Texas regional trade specialist for HSBC Bank USA and as such worked closely with local and multinational companies with trade needs, such as trade risk management, letters of credit, export-import related working capital, receivables financing, and supply chain financing. Prior to joining HSBC, she handled global sales/business development in Texas for JPMorgan, Wells Fargo HSBC Trade Bank and Bank One, and also managed international trade operations for both CoreStates’ and Bankers Trust’s Houston Edge Act branches.
Bernd Weidensteiner joined Commerzbank in 2008 and is the bank’s U.S. economist. Commerzbank’s U.S. economics team is currently ranked #1 in the Bloomberg U.S. Economic Forecast Ranking. Bernd is involved in the formulation of Commerzbank’s general macroeconomic view and is regularly meeting clients to communicate this view and to discuss the bank’s forecasts. From 1998 – 2008, Bernd was with DZ Bank where he served as ECB watcher and euro area economist before joining DZ’s fixed income research department. In addition to his experience in the private banking industry, Bernd was in the public affairs department of a German savings and loan association from 1996-98. Bernd studied economics at Würzburg University, Germany. He specialized in monetary policy and public finance and received a master’s degree.
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.
Diana Bustamante recently joined Lloyds Bank as Head of Trade Finance for Corporates, North America where she oversees trade finance origination for large corporates across all sectors. Diana joined Lloyds from Mizuho Bank, where she served as Director on the trade finance origination/sales team. She began her banking career at Manufacturers Hanover Trust in 1990, before going on to other roles at Standard Bank London Limited, Russian American Investment Bank (Moscow), Commerzbank, Banco Finantia, ABN AMRO, and Standard Bank as well as trade finance funds. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in Political Science and speaks Russian, French and Spanish.
J. Patrick Cave is the former founder and managing partner of The Cypress Group. In an independent study in business school, Pat developed a view that the corporate strategy consulting firms did a poor job of measuring legislative and regulatory risk, and that the “Influence Industry,” namely lobbying and public relations firms, lacked the formal business training to advise their clients well. The Cypress Group grew from that view, and today, is a strategic advisory firm that advises clients on public policy risk and opportunity. Previously, Pat served as an Assistant Secretary (Acting) at the U.S. Treasury Department. At Treasury, Pat oversaw the Office of Financial Institutions Policy, which develops the Department’s polices affecting commercial banks, investment banks, mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity funds, GSEs, CDFIs, insurance and reinsurance companies, and pension funds. Prior to his time at Treasury, Pat spent seven years working for former Chairman Richard H. Baker, of the House Financial Services Committee’s Capital Markets’ Subcommittee, as his senior advisor.
Amy Celico is a Principal of Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG) and leads the firm’s China team in DC. With over 25 years of experience working on China issues Amy helps clients develop and implement strategies to deepen relationships with stakeholders, resolve complex problems, and expand their business in the China market. Prior to ASG, Amy served as Senior Director for China Affairs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; Deputy Director of the Office of the Chinese Economic Area at the Department of Commerce; and as a diplomat in Beijing and Shanghai with the Departments of State and Commerce. Amy earned a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Jean-Francois Denis is Global Head of Trade Solutions for BNP Paribas. He was previously Deputy Chief Transformation Officer at BNP Paribas Fortis after close to a decade acting as Deputy Head of Cash Management at BNP Paribas, in particular in charge of Payments and Collections products. Before integration in BNP Paribas, he was Global Head of the Electronic Payments Operations at Fortis Bank, in charge of the operations on all geographies. He previously led major programs in the Fortis group: the implementation of a Shared International Payment Center and the setup of the core-banking platform of the Belgian Postbank. He started his career with Siemens where he hold during 8 years engineering positions in the banking and telecom lines of businesses.
Patrick DeVilbiss is a subject matter expert in trade finance and oversees product management of CGI Trade360, a SaaS-based end-to-end trade finance platform utilized by global financial institutions to deliver trade services. He has supported the development of large-scale platforms delivered to top 10 global financial institutions in the trade finance space. Previously he worked for the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade, where he helped to position the transaction banking industry for long-term growth and success by developing best practices and delivering education and training to member institutions.
Alisa DiCaprio is the Chief Economist at blockchain technology firm, r3, based in New York City. In this role she oversees r3’s research and market intelligence functions. This includes providing economic analysis on developments in blockchain, digital assets, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), trade and payments as well as contributing to r3 interactions with the public sector. She has experience in both public and private sectors on trade, export promotion, labor issues, and designing and implementing development projects. She has worked in Cambodia, Chile, Finland, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, and the US. Her work on global digital economy issues include chairing committees at the World Trade Board, ICC, BAFT, the US Department of Commerce Trade Finance Advisory Council, and the American Chamber of Commerce of Japan.
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.
Christian Hausherr is the European Product Head of Supply Chain Finance for Deutsche Bank’s Payables Finance solution, bringing to the role over 20 years of experience in Banking, In-house Consulting and Product Management for Cash Management and Supply Chain Finance. Mr. Hausherr spent his career within Deutsche Bank in various divisions and regions, mostly spanning across Europe and the Transaction Banking business. He holds a diploma in business administration from the University of Bayreuth and has worked in Germany, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Spain, the US, as well as in India and Uganda on Corporate Social Responsibility assignments in the financial and educational sector.
René Klose is the Vice President of Growth at Conpend. Previously he was the Chief Product Owner for Trade Finance at Commerzbank AG. In this role he was responsible for all digitization activities and defined the strategic direction of products, processes and services. Mr. Klose is SAFe certified. Before joining Trade Finance, Mr. Klose had several management positions including Audit, Finance and in the Business Process Outsourcing area. He was part of the BAFT Future Leaders Class 2019 of BAFT and was a mentor for the BAFT Future Leaders Class of 2020.
Marshall Macomber is President & Founder of ThinkP3, where he brings his deep knowledge of Federal policy, the legislative process and political communications to help grow the P3 marketplace. Prior to ThinkP3, Macomber served in government for over twelve years in Washington, D.C., working in the U.S. House of Representatives as a top aide to a senior Member of Congress. Macomber started ThinkP3 after seeing the potential for public-private partnerships to help provide government services in tight fiscal environments. In government, Macomber was Chief of Staff to Congressman Mike Rogers of Alabama. He oversaw all legislative and communications strategy for Rogers, a senior Member of Congress serving on the Agriculture, Armed Services and Homeland Security committees. Rogers was also the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Public-Private Partnerships, or P3 Caucus. Macomber was also a Rail Policy Advisor on the Homeland Security Committee under Chairman Peter King (NY). Before being appointed Chief of Staff, Macomber served as Rogers’ Press Secretary. Outside of government, Macomber has been active in political campaigns, helping raise money and providing strategic advice for Congressional candidates. Prior to his career in government, Macomber worked for C-SPAN Television in community relations, marketing and media.
Richard Meade is the Managing Editor of Lloyd’s List. He is an award-winning journalist and has been writing and talking about all aspects of the maritime industry and global trade for the past twenty years. As Editor he is responsible for navigating The List’s subscribers through the volatile politics, policy, deals and market movements that make up nearly 90% of global trade. He is also the host of the popular Lloyd’s List Shipping Podcast and a regular industry speaker and media commentator on all things shipping. He joined Lloyd’s List in 2006 as News Editor after jumping ship from the weekly maritime magazine Fairplay and prior to that started his career at the Financial Times.
Anirudha Panse (Ani) is the MD & Head of GTB Trade Finance Product Innovation (TPI) at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB). The TPI team is responsible for launching innovative, and digitized Trade products and solutions globally for FAB across the traditional trade products and open account solutions. Ani’s maintains oversight on the team responsible for structuring and commercializing the complex trade solutions in the trade and commodity finance domain. Risk Management forms a critical part of Ani’s domain wherein the Trade Risk Distribution as well as the Trade Business Risk functions form part of Ani’s responsibilities. During this career, Ani has successfully launched several innovating and complex solutions in the Supply Chain Finance (SCF) / Receivables Finance / Inventory Financing space and commercialized them into multi-million $ businesses. Ani was part of the founding team that launched industry wide initiatives like UAE Trade Connect, a blockchain based AI/ML driven solution for reducing frauds in Trade, and in the past has represented his bank in national FATF assessments with Central Banks and also through Steering Groups related to SCF with No 10 Downing Street, and the NHS.
Daniel Pische serves as the National Director of Trade Finance within the SBA’s Office of International Trade in Washington, DC. As Director, Daniel is responsible for the design and delivery of SBA’s export loan programs and oversight of SBA’s national staff of Export Finance Managers. Prior to joining the SBA, Daniel worked at First American Bank for over 15 years where he led their Trade Finance Division and served as a member of the bank’s Senior Loan Committee. Daniel served on Department of Commerce’s Trade Finance Advisory Council during the second charter term and continues to serve as the SBA’s ex-officio representative where he assists with recommendations on improving access to Trade Finance for small and midsized exporters.
Emy Ruiz currently oversees the bank’s Global Trade and Supply Chain Finance team responsible for managing liquidity solutions for the banks clients. Ms. Ruiz has over 30 years of banking experience with 20 years in Global Trade Finance management responsible for Open account solutions, trade finance, traditional trade, portfolio management, risk mitigation and product development. She has held various leadership positions in Credit, commercial, corporate and international sales with various financial institutions with vast domestic and international capabilities, including Southeast Bank, First Union and Regions Bank. She is very active in various international Chambers and United Way.
Congressman Bill Shuster, senior policy advisor, provides strategic advice and consulting to clients on a wide range of public policy matters, including transportation, infrastructure and local governments. During his tenure, Congressman Shuster was one of the most respected Members of Congress while serving in the US House of Representatives. His public service career was devoted to fostering, promoting and expanding economic opportunities across the country. A former Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Shuster earned a reputation for effectively working across the aisle to improve America’s infrastructure.
Madeline Y. Sprague is the owner of TradeSavvy LLC, providing education and consulting services related to global trade, treasury, credit and risk management. Madeline has over 40 years of banking experience in global trade and international business across all industry sectors, and is a well-known speaker on trade-related topics and especially letters of credit. Prior to starting her own business, she was a Texas regional trade specialist for HSBC Bank USA and as such worked closely with local and multinational companies with trade needs, such as trade risk management, letters of credit, export-import related working capital, receivables financing, and supply chain financing. Prior to joining HSBC, she handled global sales/business development in Texas for JPMorgan, Wells Fargo HSBC Trade Bank and Bank One, and also managed international trade operations for both CoreStates’ and Bankers Trust’s Houston Edge Act branches.
Scott Stevenson is the Senior Vice President of Trade at BAFT. Stevenson leads the association’s trade-focused policy, practices, and education initiatives, and supports its trade-related councils and committees. Prior to joining BAFT, Stevenson was a senior advisor for AF Capital Partners, which provided expertise in emerging market structured and project finance for development banking institutions. For two years, he consulted development banks and export credit agencies following a 17-year career at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Bank Group in various trade and investment project leadership roles. Before joining the IFC, Stevenson was the regional head of financial institutions at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University, and his MBA from York University.
Dave Sutter is an experienced fintech entrepreneur and expert in the area of distributed ledger technology (blockchain), global trade, trade and supply chain finance, corporate finance, and transaction banking. Dave currently serves as the Chief Product Officer for TradeIX, the network operator and developer of the Marco Polo Network. The Marco Polo Network is the world's largest and fastest growing distributed network for trade and global supply chains.
Rich Tomusk is the Product Owner of API Lifecycle at SWIFT, looking after product management of SWIFT’s API portfolio and API best practices. With a background in systems integration and product management, he works with the SWIFT community, leveraging the unique value of APIs in payments, cash management, trade and securities.
Karen A. Tramontano is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Blue Star Strategies, LLC where she provides corporate, institutional, and public sector clients with results oriented strategies. From 1997 to 2001, Ms. Tramontano served in the White House as deputy chief of staff to President William Jefferson Clinton and counselor to Erskine Bowles and John Podesta. Her portfolio encompassed a wide range of issues, including international trade and transatlantic relations as well as economic and financial issues concerning the World Trade Organization, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. In 2002, Ms. Tramontano founded the Global Fairness Initiative, an international non-governmental organization focused on implementing systematic change to reduce global poverty and to increase livelihood opportunities for the world’s working poor.
Craig Weeks is an independent consultant for organizations needing Trade Finance, Supply Chain, and other Transaction Banking expertise. Craig serves as an advisor to the Global Trade Professionals Alliance, an organization dedicated to the development of international standards to harmonize and facilitate inclusive and trusted Trade. Craig is also an Executive Practicum Adviser within the North Carolina State University Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (and a member of the SCRC Advisory Board). Craig is an Advisory Board member of the Falcon Group, a leading inventory management solutions provider and also an advisor to Capital and Credit Risk Manager (CCRM), a Singapore-based FinTech. Craig was appointed as a Senior Advisor to ESG Validation, a London based entity providing the investment community with independent, consistent, and evidence-based assessment of ESG performance. In March 2019 Craig was appointed to the 2019-2020 cohort of the Trade Finance Advisory Council (TFAC) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Craig served as SVP and Manager of the International Banking Group of US Bank where his responsibilities included managing the Trade Finance, International Financial Institutions, and Supply Chain Finance teams. Prior to US Bank, Craig was President and CEO of IRIA (US) Inc., a subsidiary of a Swiss-based specialist broker of commodity-related structured credit, and political risk, insurance products. Craig’s experience includes 4 years at Citibank and 14 years with JPMorgan where he served as MD and Global Trade Sales Head for both institutions.
Marco Bianchi is Executive Director, Client Development & Sales at CME Group. Marco joined CME in 2019 to lead the Americas Sales teams resposible for distribution of CME’s suite of Post-trade and Optimization services. His current responsibilities include spearheading the global licensing effort in support of CME Term SOFR across client segments and global regions. Prior to joining CME Marco ran Product and Business Development for listed derivatives at Flextrade Systems, a leading fintech company. Earlier in his career Marco held a number of senior roles at Intercontinenal Exchange (ICE), NYSE and Euronext-liffe, including US Head of Interest Rates Products and Global Head of Market Development. Marco holds and MBA from Columbia University in New York.
Geoff Brady is managing director and head of Global Trade and Supply Chain Finance in Global Transaction Services (GTS) at Bank of America. In this role, he oversees management of the origination and delivery of supply chain, receivables and trade finance products that provide liquidity, risk mitigation, and working capital optimization for the bank’s Corporate, Commercial and Business Banking clients. He is based in New York. Prior to joining the bank in August 2018, Brady was the Americas region executive for JP Morgan’s Global Trade & Loan Products business. Brady has more than 20 years of experience in banking and has held management roles in a variety of businesses including Portfolio Management and Payments in addition to Trade Finance.
Tod Burwell is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BAFT. Prior to being promoted to CEO, he served as the Senior Vice President of Trade Products with oversight of all trade-related initiatives including the Global Trade Industry Council, Trade Committees, and other strategic initiatives of the organization. Mr. Burwell has over 25 years of trade, supply chain and cash management experience as a banking practitioner, as well as serving as a consultant to global corporations and suppliers of strategically integrated trade solutions. Prior to joining BAFT, Mr. Burwell was a Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase and held senior global management roles responsible for trade operations, launching the logistics business and managing global product sales for trade finance and logistics management.
Ric Campo is Chairman of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. He was appointed to the position in January of 2019 by the City of Houston and Harris County Commissioners Court and was sworn in Feb. 7. He also serves as chairman of the Board of Pilot Commissioners of Harris County Ports, which oversees ship pilot matters. Mr. Campo is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Camden Property Trust and has served in this capacity since May 1993. He joined a private Houston real estate company after graduating from Oregon State University in 1976, and co-founded Camden’s predecessor companies in 1982. Mr. Campo serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations that focus on the economic development, business outlook and future growth of Houston, including Central Houston, Inc. and the Greater Houston Partnership. Mr. Campo is the past Chairman of the Houston First Corporation, a local government corporation that facilitates the city's economic growth through the business of conventions and the arts. He also was past chairman of the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee, responsible for Super Bowl LI festivities and logistics, including Super Bowl Central, the Business Connect Program and the Committee's charitable arm.
Christina Gnad is a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank responsible for Trade Finance & Lending Americas. This includes all forms of Trade Finance across traditional and working capital focused risk and financing solutions. Christina held various regional and global roles in the Trade Finance space developing and structuring transaction banking solutions.
Mr. Joon Kim has 25+ years of experience. He has held various senior positions at Standard Chartered Bank and American Express Bank, most recently as Managing Director and Head of Transaction Banking Sales for Corporate and Commodities for the Americas region. His various experiences include leading Trade Sales, Trade Product Management and Relationship Management teams, with an emphasis on development and sales of trade finance, supply chain financing, receivable services, trade processing and cross-border cash and liquidity management solutions to global financial institutions and corporations.
Michael McDonough leads the Trade & Working Capital functions for Santander’s Commercial Bank franchise in the United States. In this role he leads teams providing solutions across the Commercial Card, Core Trade and Supply Chain / Accounts Receivable solution sets. Additionally, his team leads the development and management of the Domestic and International working capital channels, which include Santander’s international Treasury Management platform. Prior to this role, Michael held a number of roles at J.P. Morgan including global product head for the Corporate Trade & Supply Chain Finance business and head of N. America Trade & Export Finance. Michael previously held global Supply Chain Finance roles at RBS and ABN Amro in London and Amsterdam. Michael has both a BS and a MBA from Boston College.
T.J. Raguso has served as Group Executive Vice President and Director of International Banking at Zions Bancorporation since 2015, having previously served as Manager of International Banking, at its Texas subsidiary, Amegy Bank, since 2005. Zions Bancorporation is one of the nation's premier financial services companies, with total assets of approximately $87 billion. T.J. joined Amegy Bank in 1998 and has 33 years of experience in trade finance, letters of credit, EXIM lending, commercial lending, foreign exchange and correspondent banking. His international banking activities focus on the unique banking needs of importers, exporters and companies involved in global trade. Within his correspondent banking responsibilities, T.J. leads a global financial institutions team and manages a nationwide downstream correspondent business focused on community banks.
Diana Rodriguez is Vice President, International Policy at BAFT where she leads the association's global government relations strategy, focusing on prudential, regulatory and global trade policy matters. Her portfolio includes Basel III implementation, Libor transition, and U.S. trade policy. She coordinates joint advocacy with partner trade associations and other global stakeholders to advance BAFT policy priorities. Prior to joining BAFT, Diana served in the Obama Administration as Senior Advisor for International Trade at the U.S. Small Business Administration. There, she advised the SBA Administrator on a global portfolio of trade policy and trade finance matters, and oversaw the Agency’s global entrepreneurship promotion efforts in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Before that, she served as a Director in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s International Affairs Division leading trade policy efforts in Mexico.
Eduardo joined Olam International in February of 2017. Prior to Olam, he worked for Macquarie Bank in New York City for a short period of time where he was responsible to implement the Global Distribution Desk for the Commodity and Financial Markets Group (CFM). He also worked for Cargill Financial Services International for 19 years based in Minneapolis where he held several senior positions including Head of Americas Bank and Head of Corporate Origination for the Caribbean, Central America and Andean Regions. Prior to Cargill, Eduardo worked for Fiduc Finance Corporation in London and Sao Paulo for almost 10 years where he oversaw the Origination and Distribution desk focused on Trade Finance and Debt Equity Conversion activities in Latam. He holds Bachelor degree in Economic Sciences and Accounting from Universidade Catolica de Campinas – PUCC.
As a Board Member and Chief Executive Officer of Argentem Trade Services, Cesar is responsible for establishing the firm's strategic direction and overseeing operations. Through his 25 years of financial markets and metals experience, Cesar has developed extensive market expertise and a global network of relationships across the value chain. Prior to founding Argentem Trade Services in 2019, Cesar was a Senior Director at Cargill Inc, where he joined with a team from Jeffries to build the metals derivatives and risk management business. During his tenor, he successfully established a global customer base spanning across the value chain.
Aaron Caraher is an Associate Partner in McKinsey’s Atlanta office. Aaron has been with McKinsey for almost 14 years, focusing on payments research, benchmarking, analytics, and consulting. Aaron currently manages McKinsey’s North America payments research service line and its cross-border payments profit pools. Aaron has previously served as manager of McKinsey’s Treasury Management Revenue and Pricing Benchmark and McKinsey’s Payments Operations Benchmarks. Prior to McKinsey, Aaron was a Calculus instructor at the University of Georgia, where he holds an MA in Mathematics and an BS in Biology.
Bret Douglas is a Senior Vice President within the Corporate Banking team at DNB Bank ASA. In this role, Bret is responsible for defining and implementing key strategic initiatives to help the bank's clients solve complex financial issues with a specific focus on optimizing their capital structure to maximize shareholder value. Over his career, Bret has held progressively senior roles within the Corporate & Investment Bank at MUFG and HSBC. Prior to joining DNB, Bret worked as Head of Working Capital Finance and has had responsibility in the origination and structuring of a diversified portfolio of corporate finance deals.
Merlin Dowse is an Executive Director and a Global Product Manager within the Core Product team. In this capacity, Merlin leads a global team responsible for the management of digital solutions and innovation available to the clients of J.P. Morgan across the globe. Merlin previously held the position of Global Product Manager for the Portfolio Management Group within Global Trade at J.P. Morgan. In this role he led the digitization efforts of both the internal and external processes supporting the distribution of all trade finance assets. Prior to this, while based in London, he was managing the EMEA Trade product set for the Corporate client segment, where he worked on various initiatives such as the Bank Payment Obligation, SWIFT for Corporates whilst also helping expand J.P. Morgan’s global footprint. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Merlin worked in various capacities in the Trade Services department at Rabobank in the Netherlands. Merlin has been involved in numerous industry-wide initiatives and was recently appointed as Vice-Chair to the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Banking Commission and he is also the Sponsor of the Commercialisation Working Group under the auspices of the ICC Digital Standards Initiative (DSI).
Omer Eilat is a Commercial Director for the financial sector at Windward, a category leader in maritime AI. Specializing in maritime applications impacting trade finance and compliance, Omer has extensive experience in the global maritime sector and its impact on global shipping and trade. He works with leading banks to map and mitigate maritime risk across corporate banking. Prior to joining Windward Omer served 8 years in professional Navy service as a ship commander and a squadron leader.
Scott Ettien is the US Trade Credit Practice Leader for Willis Towers Watson. Mr. Ettien and his team specialize in providing Trade Credit insurance expertise for financial institutions and corporations. Mr. Ettien joined Willis in 2010 and has built a strong team, mostly made up of former Trade Credit policy and risk underwriters to place and service programs for our various clients. Prior to joining Willis Towers Watson in 2010, Mr. Ettien worked at Atradius Trade Credit Insurance, Inc. Over his 25 years at Atradius, he held positions in accounting, underwriting, and sales. In 2005, Mr. Ettien was elected to the Board of Directors at Atradius Trade Credit, Inc.
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.
Andy Hofmann has over 40 years experience in both public and private sectors. For the first two decades of his career, Andy held various positions with the Canadian Department of National Defence managing procurement quality. Moving into the private sector, Andy held leadership positions with KPMG culminating with founding his own consultancy. Recruited by BMO to assist with remediation work in AML, Andy was hired and today serves in a leadership position as the Capital Markets Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Officer.
Peter R. Huntsman serves as Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Huntsman Corporation. He has served as a director since 1994 and the Chairman of the Board since 2018. He also serves on the Board’s Litigation and Public Policy Committee. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in 2000, Mr. Huntsman served as President and Chief Operating Officer, positions to which he was first appointed in 1994. Mr. Huntsman joined Huntsman Polypropylene Corporation as a Vice President in 1987 after working for Olympus Oil for four years, later becoming a Senior Vice President and General Manager. Mr. Huntsman has also served as Senior Vice President of Huntsman Chemical Corporation and as Senior Vice President of Huntsman Packaging Corporation, a former subsidiary of our company. He currently serves as a director of Venator Materials PLC, which separated from Huntsman in 2017.
Zoran Kanlic is Head of Financial Supply Chain for Corporate Trade, Treasury Services at BNY Mellon, where he is responsible for leading a suite of open account products designed to enable BNY Mellon’s corporate clients to improve their working capital goals and optimize their account receivables and payables processing. Zoran joined BNY Mellon from JP Morgan Chase where he led their global Supply Chain Finance product team. Prior to JP Morgan Chase, Zoran spent 15 years at Deutsche Bank as Product Management Head of Supply Chain Finance and pioneered their Financial Supply Chain business into a global suite of products.
Todd Lynady is Managing Director and Global Head of Insurance at LiquidX. In this role he will be responsible for leading the firm’s sales, origination, and business development strategy for LiquidX’s trade credit insurance digital marketplace. Over his 20+ year career in trade credit insurance and commercial finance he has held roles of increasing responsibility and brings a unique blend of corporate finance, credit, risk and commercial underwriting as well as sales experience to the organization. He joins LiquidX from Euler Hermes where he most recently served as Regional Head of Broker Management for the Americas region. In this role he was responsible for the origination, underwriting as well as account and portfolio management strategies for Euler Hermes’ strategic broker partners in the USA, Canada and Brazil. Todd originally joined Euler Hermes in their World Agency unit, when he and a team of underwriters were recruited to develop and launch their XoL/Non-Cancellable underwriting product in the Americas region. Prior to Euler Hermes, Todd worked at Zurich Insurance Company, GE Capital, Textron Financial and Atradius.
Michael McDonough leads the Trade & Working Capital functions for Santander’s Commercial Bank franchise in the United States. In this role he leads teams providing solutions across the Commercial Card, Core Trade and Supply Chain / Accounts Receivable solution sets. Additionally, his team leads the development and management of the Domestic and International working capital channels, which include Santander’s international Treasury Management platform. Prior to this role, Michael held a number of roles at J.P. Morgan including global product head for the Corporate Trade & Supply Chain Finance business and head of N. America Trade & Export Finance. Michael previously held global Supply Chain Finance roles at RBS and ABN Amro in London and Amsterdam. Michael has both a BS and a MBA from Boston College.
Sean Ryan is an experienced Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Global Trade Advisory practice and specializes in global trade enablement and business operational and risk management in order to support multinational clients to achieve revenue continuity and access into international markets. Sean, who specializes in US EAR, ITAR, OFAC, and EU and other global export controls and sanctions, has over sixteen years’ experience supporting clients on global trade leading practices, operating models, resource optimization, and technology solutions for trade controls and import/customs requirements.
Scott Stevenson is the Senior Vice President of Trade at BAFT. Stevenson leads the association’s trade-focused policy, practices, and education initiatives, and supports its trade-related councils and committees. Prior to joining BAFT, Stevenson was a senior advisor for AF Capital Partners, which provided expertise in emerging market structured and project finance for development banking institutions. For two years, he consulted development banks and export credit agencies following a 17-year career at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Bank Group in various trade and investment project leadership roles. Before joining the IFC, Stevenson was the regional head of financial institutions at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University, and his MBA from York University.
Yes, those registering to attend the in-person event will be registered as a full conference attendee. This will include access to both the in-person and the virtual components of the conference. Virtual attendees will only be able to attend the virtual component of the conference.
For those attending in-person, you will have full conference access. That means you are able to attend and join both the virtual program from December 6 – 7 and also the in-person program from December 8 – 9. In addition, the in-person component includes:
For virtual only attendees, you will have access to:
Your health and wellness is of the upmost importance to BAFT.
To minimize the risk of COVID-19 exposure to any of our conference attendees, we are limiting the number of attendees to 50% of room capacity. This allows for adequate social distancing amongst the attendees. In addition, we will require those who are not vaccinated to wear a mask indoors at all times. We highly recommend all other attendees to do the same.
We will adjust our guidelines to adhere to CDC, federal and state agencies, as well as any guidelines issued by our host, Amegy Bank.
All sessions during the virtual conference will be recorded and available on-demand to all registered attendees via the conference platform. You can access the recordings until January 31, 2022.
Sessions held during the in-person component of the conference will not be recorded.
We are using two platforms during the 31st Annual Conference on International Trade. The main platform for the virtual sessions is Cvent Attendee Hub, while the platform for virtual networking is BAFT CONNECT via Remo. For an optimal conference experience, it is best to ask your IT/VPN team to whitelist the following domains and IP addresses below.
For Attendee Hub
For BAFT Connect (Remo)
Contact your company’s IT department to verify that your firewall meets these minimum requirements:
Recommended for standard performance:
Recommended for optimal performance:
For additional information, please send this link to your IT team: How to Troubleshoot Your Firewall
If you are not able to whitelist the above IP addresses/domains, we recommend you use a personal device – computer, mobile phone or tablet and/or your personal email to bypass any potential firewall issues. Please contact [email protected] if you are planning to use a different email from the email you used during registration associated with your web account.
Yes, you can certainly ask questions via a Q&A dialog box during each session.
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.
A few days before the conference, you will receive an invite link to the Cvent platform. Please log in with your first and last name, and the email address you used to register for the conference.
Once you’ve logged in, you will receive a verification code via email. Once you enter this code you will have access to the conference.
Contact [email protected] and a member of the BAFT events team can assist you.
Just like an in-person meeting, registrations cannot be shared. The registration link and code provide a single sign-on secure experience for the user.
Session materials (if provided by the speaker) will be available via the virtual platform. Sessions will also be recorded and available to view on demand until January 31, 2022.
Access to the platform, which includes access to view sessions on demand, connect with attendees and access materials will be available on the platform through January 31, 2022.
The conference program has been accredited by The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) as meeting the standards for ongoing CPDs required for recertification of the following international trade finance certifications.
Certifications | Total # of CPDs Available |
Certificate for Documentary Credit Specialists (CDCS) | 15 |
Certificate for Specialists in Demand Guarantees (CSDG) | 15 |
Certificate in Supply Chain Finance (CSCF) | 15 |
Certificate in Trade Finance Compliance (CTFC) | 10 |
You can access the platform on any device but in order to login, you will need the email address you used to register as well as an access code that will be shared with you the day of the event.
Make sure the person in charge of registering provides individual emails so each attendee can sign in individually.
The Conference is intended only for individuals. Each registration is just for a single person, and the content can’t be exported out of the platform for a shared experience. In addition, only the person registered will be part of the attendee directory and have access to connect with other fellow attendees.
For virtual attendees, we are offering a ‘Bring the Bank’ rate which allows an unlimited number of attendees per institution for a flat fee of $7000 USD. This also includes unlimited number from the same institution to attend the 2021 Virtual Supply Chain Finance Forum on December 1 – 2. Sponsors can add a ‘Bring the Bank’ option to their sponsorship package at a discounted rate. Please contact [email protected] for assistance with your ‘Bring the Bank’ registration.
BAFT, the leading global financial services association for international transaction banking, helps bridge solutions across financial institutions, service providers and the regulatory community that promote sound financial practices enabling innovation, efficiency, and commercial growth. BAFT engages on a wide range of topics affecting transaction banking, including trade finance, payments, innovation, compliance and regulatory changes.
The 31st BAFT Annual Conference on International Trade, specifically designed for international trade practitioners, is focused on the key issues that enhance the growth and impact of trade finance on the economy. Network and learn from industry thought leaders, clients, and peers in this premier conference for trade finance professionals.
Boost your exposure and receive logo recognition at the 2021 Virtual Supply Chain Finance Forum taking place prior to the start of the Annual Conference on International Trade.
Looking for something specific? We can tailor your sponsorship to meet your goals. Contact us today to discuss your custom package.
For more information please contact:
Matthew Kaitz
Director, Business Development
[email protected]
+1 (703) 200-9071
Approved CPDs for International Trade Finance Certifications
The 31st Annual Conference on International Trade program has been accredited by The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) as meeting the standards for ongoing CPDs required for recertification of the following international trade finance certifications.
Certifications | Total # of CPDs Available |
Certificate for Documentary Credit Specialists (CDCS) | 15 |
Certificate for Specialists in Demand Guarantees (CSDG) | 15 |
Certificate in Supply Chain Finance (CSCF) | 15 |
Certificate in Trade Finance Compliance (CTFC) | 10 |
The 31st BAFT Annual Conference on International Trade will be held in person December 8 – 9, following the two-day virtual event from December 6 – 7. The in-person event will be held at the Amegy Tower in Houston, Texas.
Amegy Tower
1717 West Loop S.
Houston, Texas 77027
There is not an official block of rooms being held for this event. Hotel reservations are the responsibility of attendees and should be made directly with the hotel. Below is a list of some hotels that are in close proximity to the Amegy Tower.
Drury Inn & Suites Houston Near the Galleria
1615 West Loop S.
Houston, TX 77027
+1 (713) 963-0700
Houston Marriott West Loop by The Galleria
1750 West Loop S.
Houston, TX 77027
+1 (713) 960-0111
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Houston Galleria Area
1625 West Loop S.
Houston, TX 77027
+1 (713) 355-3440
The Post Oak Hotel
1600 West Loop S.
Houston, TX 77027
+1 (844) 386-1600
The St. Regis Houston Hotel
1919 Briar Oaks Lane
Houston, TX 77027
+1 (713) 840-7600
Your health and wellness is of the upmost importance to BAFT.
To minimize the risk of COVID-19 exposure to any of our conference attendees, BAFT is limiting the number of in-person attendees to 50% of the room capacity, allowing attendees to practice social distancing. In addition, we will require those who are not vaccinated to wear a mask indoors at all times. We highly recommend all other attendees to do the same.
BAFT will update these guidelines as they are updated by the CDC, federal and local government agencies, and/or our host. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation.
“High energy, great panels, good session content, and relevant speakers in international trade with lots of engagement.”
Toronto, Canada
“The conference was very helpful, professional and educational. It provided the attendees a lot to learn about international trade and the opportunity to see into the future of trade. It was also very great for networking. I will definitely attend next year as well.”
Los Angeles, California
“I don't think any conference is above improvement, but this year's BAFT Conference on International Trade was very good. Highlights were the panels - particularly the up to date topics including supply chain, ESG and the changing trade landscape from the view of FIs. The networking time was excellent as always.”
New York, New York
© 2025 BAFT (Bankers Association for Finance and Trade)