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Hybrid Offering: Join us in Toronto, Canada, or From Any Corner of the Globe!
The BAFT Trade Finance Workshop is planned as an interactive hybrid format, blending the best of both worlds—attend the engaging sessions in person in Toronto or dive into the experience virtually from wherever you are.
Speakers will be presenting live from Toronto while others will be joining from around the globe. We’ve planned an immersive experience, seamlessly integrating in-person and online participants and speakers, regardless of location. This innovative approach ensures that no matter where you are located, you will be engaged in workshop discussions.
Earn CPDs for CDCS Recertification
The workshop is approved for 12 Continuing Professional Development credits (CPDs) towards your CDCS recertification. Grab the opportunity not to learn and network while also advancing your professional standing in the trade finance industry.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is designed for a diverse audience within the trade finance ecosystem:
Hear from Attendees Why This is the Workshop to Attend
“As a corporate professional with 20 years experience in international trade, it brought a lot of tangible & intangible values. It was one of the most practical collaboration and brainstorming learning experiences critical to sound business decision-making. I commend the program committee for choosing the right topics and wonderful speakers that resonate with my experiences. I enjoyed, learned, raised questions and gained network with the attendees and speakers.”
“It was a great learning experience to hear from the great speakers and banking community Beyond the practicality of the workshop lies the opportunity to go much deeper and learn more.”
“It provided a real learning value for managers, and document checkers as you learn different topics from subject matter experts.”
All times are in EDT
08:00 - 09:00
09:00 - 09:30
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
Melissa Luster, CDCS
Vice President, International Operations
BOK Financial
09:30 - 10:30
The trials & tribulations of issuing a GT in a foreign country.
Moderator
Fiore “Frank” Petrassi
Vice President
J.P. Morgan
Speakers
Frank Fortes
Director Trade Finance
TD Financial Group
Courtney Rowlands
Associate Director, Guarantees Product Development Manager
Lloyds Bank
Pirjo Bla
GT Specialist, Trade Finance
SEB
10:30 - 10:45
10:45 - 11:30
May Serageldin
Trade Middle Office Manager
HSBC
11:30 - 12:30
Moderator
Agnes Martinez
Senior Vice President – Group Manager Trade Finance Operations
City National Bank
Speakers
Ukamaka Okpara
Service Specialist II
BMO
Rajasekharan Chandrasekharan, CDCS
Team Lead, Global Trade Finance Operations
TD Securities
12:30 - 13:30
13:30 - 14:15
Walter “Buddy” Baker
Vice President, Investment Banking Division
Goldman Sachs Bank USA
14:15 - 15:00
Moderator
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee(retired)
Kristine Siebel
Former Chair
BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee(retired)
15:00 - 15:15
15:15 - 15:45
15:45 - 16:15
16:15 - 16:45
Cargo Ship hijack - Bridge Collapses how can you assist your customer when the cargo is gone? Or Supply Chain delays while ships need to find a new route?
Melissa Luster, CDCS
Vice President, International Operations
BOK Financial
Kristine Siebel
Former Chair
BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee(retired)
16:45 - 17:00
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
17:00
Come relax with us and enjoy a drink after a full day of programming. Please note that attendees are responsible for their own charges.
All times are in EDT
09:00 - 09:30
Dean Gillis
Managing Director, Global Trade
BMO
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
09:30 - 10:30
Merlin Dowse
Executive Director, Product Manager
J.P. Morgan
Burak Aslan
Lead Product Owner
ABN Amro
Courtney Rowlands
Associate Director, Guarantees Product Development Manager
Lloyds Bank
10:30 - 11:00
What it is, what it could be, and where are the potholes?
Scott Stevenson
Senior Vice President, Trade
BAFT
11:00 - 11:15
11:15 - 12:30
Judge
Michael Evan Avidon, Esq (virtual)
Partner
Moses & Singer LLP
12:30 - 13:30
13:30 - 14:00
Everything you need to know about Letter of Credit. A comprehensive guide to Documentary Credits.
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
14:00 - 14:45
14:45 - 15:30
A commercial case study of a transferable LC gone wrong.
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
15:30 - 15:45
15:45 - 16:30
Moderator
Marilyn Williams
Senior Manager
CIBC
Experts
Frank Fortes
Director Trade Finance
TD Financial Group
Normand Girard, CDCS
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
Melissa Luster, CDCS
Vice President, International Operations
BOK Financial
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee
Kristine Siebel
Former Chair
BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee(retired)
16:30
| Registration Type | Early Bird Rate (until May 10) | Regular Rate (after May 10) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual | Toronto | Virtual | Toronto | |
| Member | $995 USD | $1,095 USD | $1,095 USD | $1,195 USD |
| Non-Member | $1,195 USD | $1,295 USD | $1,295 USD | $1,395 USD |
| Team Rate* | *** $75 off *** | |||
*The team rate applies to institutions sending five (5) or more attendees at the full-priced registration rate. Complimentary and discounted rates do not count toward the group minimum. To register your team, please contact [email protected].
Please Note:
You will be asked to log in to your BAFT web account to complete registration. Your username is the email address you used during registration. If you forgot your password, please click the password reset link. If you do not have a BAFT web account, please create one first. Once you have created an account or reset your password, please return to this registration page to complete your registration.
To register for this event, please click the button below.
To register for this event, please login or register for an account.
The 2024 Trade Finance Workshop is being offered as a hybrid workshop. The in-person offering will be located in Toronto, Canada and the virtual offering will be hosted online via Zoom.
The virtual option of the 2024 Trade Finance Workshop will be hosted via Zoom Webinar. For a seamless experience, you need to download Zoom to your device, if you don’t have it installed. On the day of the virtual workshop, you simply need to click the Zoom link provided to you.
To join the virtual event, simply click the link provided to you. Zoom works on computers, tablets, and mobile phones. There is also an option to dial-in if you are unable to join online. Dialing in will allow you to hear the discussion but you will not be able to view the speakers or any presentations. Please check the dial-in numbers, meeting ID and passcode provided to you with the online link.
Yes, BAFT will send each registrant an email about 1 week before the workshop start date. The email will include the link to the workshop and dial-in information, including the meeting ID and passcode in case you cannot join online. Dial-in option offers local/toll-free numbers for several countries. You can always contact [email protected] if you have issues logging in to the virtual workshop.
Sessions will be recorded and available on-demand to all registered attendees post-workshop. An email will be sent to all attendees once the recordings are available.
Please test ahead of time to ensure you can join the workshop via Zoom. Zoom works on different devices – computers/laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. If you cannot access Zoom due to firewall or company restrictions, please check with your IT team if they will give you a one-time exception. Alternatively, try joining via a non-company-issued device or dial into the workshop instead.
Yes, you can certainly ask questions via the Q&A feature during each session. Polling is available in certain sessions and attendees are encouraged to utilize the chat feature as well to dialogue with each other.
For more information, please contact:
Matthew Kaitz
Director, Business Development
[email protected]
+1 (202) 663-5556
BMO Building
100 King Street West
Toronto, CA
Google Map
Please note that there are no official blocks of rooms being held in any location for this Workshop. Hotel reservations are the responsibility of attendees and should be made directly with the hotel.
Below is a list of hotels that are near the workshop location.
Hilton Toronto
145 Richmond St W
Toronto, ON M5H 2L2, Canada
One King West Hotel & Residence
1 King St W
Toronto, ON M5H 1A1, Canada
Interested in sponsoring the 2024 Trade Finance Workshop? We can tailor your sponsorship package to meet your goals.
To discuss your sponsorship options, please contact:
Matthew Kaitz
Director, Business Development
[email protected]
+1 (703) 200-9071
© 2024 BAFT (Bankers Association for Finance and Trade)
