The BAFT Trade Finance Workshop series is back in-person and virtually! New this year – Enjoy choosing from multiple locations or join online from wherever you are. The 2023 workshop series is offered simultaneously in three physical venues across the U.S. and Canada, and also virtually, from June 22 – 23.
Speakers will be located in varied workshop venues and streamed live to the others. Our audience can experience both in-person networking with fellow attendees and also virtually with registrants in the other geographic locations. Due to time-zone differences, sessions in Los Angeles may vary slightly.
Please refer to the program for specific sessions per workshop location. Whether you live on the East Coast, the West Coast, in the Great White North, or further afar; view the agenda today and register for the location that best suits you and your schedule.
(All Times are in EDT)
08:30 – 09:00
08:55 – 09:15
09:15 – 10:00
Join us to work through current commercial cases and see if we can all agree on an answer.
Normand Girard (presenting from Toronto)
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
Jeremiah Glock (presenting from New York)
Vice President and Trade Advisor
Citi
10:00 – 11:00
Frank Fortes (presenting from Toronto)
Senior Trade Finance Expert
TD Financial Group
Ukamaka Okpara (presenting from Toronto)
Specialist – Trade Finance
BMO Capital Markets
Marilyn Williams (presenting from Toronto)
Senior Manager
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
10:55 – 11:00
11:10 – 12:00
Is this possible? Here from the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), who are heading this initiative and believe it can and will be done.
Niels Nuyens (presenting Virtually)
Program Director
Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA)
12:00 – 13:00
13:00 – 14:00
A review of the recently released BAFT white paper "Perspectives on Evaluating Potentially Unusual Vessel Behavior". Hear from one of the authors
Joseph Phillips (presenting from New York)
Vice President and Trade Advisor
MUFG
14:00 – 14:45
Worried about recognizing antiboycott? This expert will go into detail about what to language to look for in the LC.
Cathleen Ryan (presenting from New York)
Director, Office of Antiboycott Compliance
US Department of Commerce
14:45 – 15:00
15:00 – 16:00
What issues had the ICC contemplated this year? Hear a review from our knowledgeable speaker.
Walter “Buddy” Baker (presenting Virtually)
Vice President, Investment Banking Division
Goldman Sachs Bank USA
16:00 – 17:00
Answer these fun but complicated questions, e.g. what does UCP600 say?
Normand Girard (presenting from Toronto)
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi (presenting from Los Angeles)
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee
Kristine Siebel (presenting from New York)
Past Chair, BAFT Standby & Guarantee Committee
17:00
(All Times are in EDT)
09:00 – 09:10
09:10 – 10:00
Hear the latest on TBML – from an industry expert.
Kim Manchester (presenting from Toronto)
Managing Director
ManchesterCF
10:00 – 10:50
These LC’s are just unique in every way, let’s talk about them.
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi (presenting Virtually)
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee
Kristine Siebel (presenting from New York)
Past Chair, BAFT Standby & Guarantee Committee
10:50 – 11:05
11:05 – 12:00
Brent Causey (presenting from Los Angeles)
Global Head, Supply Chain Finance
City National Bank
Hamed Farhadi (presenting Virtually)
Managing Director, Supply Chain Management
Bank of the West
12:00 – 13:00
13:00 – 14:00
David Abshier (presenting from Los Angeles)
Managing Director
Berkeley Research Group
Gregory Stout (presenting Virtually)
Acting Section Chief
Homeland Security Investigations
14:00 – 14:45
What happens to the terms of an LC if a local bank does not have enough foreign currency?
14:45 – 15:00
15:00 – 16:00
We are back with one of the workshops fun and favorite sessions. Hear as litigants argue their cases while judge Michael Avidon presides over THE MOCK COURT.
Judge
Michael Evan Avidon (presenting from New York)
Partner
Moses & Singer LLP
Parties
Melissa Luster (presenting from New York)
Vice President, International Operations
BOK Financial
Lelia Savory (presenting Virtually)
Senior Vice President, International Department
First Horizon Bank
16:00 – 17:00
Submit all your questions in advance to our expert panelists, who will discuss how they might approach a situation.
Moderator
Marilyn Williams (presenting from Toronto)
Senior Manager
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
Experts
Normand Girard (presenting from Toronto)
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
Jeremiah Glock presenting from New York)
Vice President and Trade Advisor
Citi
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi (presenting Virtually)
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee
17:00
(All Times are in PDT)
07:30 – 08:00
07:55 – 08:10
Steve Bash (presenting from Los Angeles)
Senior Vice President
City National Bank
08:10 – 09:10
Is this possible? Here from the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), who are heading this initiative and believe it can and will be done.
Niels Nuyens (presenting Virtually)
Program Director
Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA)
09:00 – 09:45
Donald Kurtz (presenting from New York)
Consultant
Agnes Martinez (presenting from Los Angeles
City National Bank
09:45 – 10:00
10:00 – 11:00
A review of the recently released BAFT white paper "Perspectives on Evaluating Potentially Unusual Vessel Behavior". Hear from one of the authors.
Joseph Phillips (presenting from New York)
Vice President and Trade Advisor
MUFG
11:00 – 11:45
Worried about recognizing antiboycott? This expert will go into detail about what to language to look for in the LC.
Cathleen Ryan (presenting from New York)
Director, Office of Antiboycott Compliance
US Department of Commerce
11:45 – 13:00
13:00 – 14:00
Answer these fun but complicated questions, e.g. what does UCP600 say?
Normand Girard (presenting from Toronto)
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
Josie Parades (presenting from Los Angeles)
City National Bank
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi (presenting from Los Angeles)
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee
Kristine Siebel (presenting from New York)
Past Chair, BAFT Standby & Guarantee Committee
14:00 – 14:15
14:15 – 15:00
What issues had the ICC contemplated this year? Hear a review from our knowledgeable speaker.
Walter “Buddy” Baker (presenting Virtually)
Vice President, Investment Banking Division
Goldman Sachs Bank USA
15:00 – 16:00
Join us to work through current commercial cases and see if we can all agree on an answer.
Francisco Rodriguez (presenting from Los Angeles)
Consultant
Subha Srinivas (presenting from Los Angeles)
Operations Manager
U.S. Bank
16:00
(All Times are in PDT)
08:00 – 08:10
08:10 – 09:00
Brent Causey (presenting from Los Angeles)
Global Head, Supply Chain Finance
City National Bank
Hamed Farhadi (presenting Virtually)
Managing Director, Supply Chain Management
Bank of the West
09:00 – 09:45
What happens to the terms of an LC if the local bank does have enough foreign currency?
Noor Menai (presenting Virtually)
CEO & President
CTBC Bank
Walt Mix (presenting from Los Angeles)
Managing Director and Financial Practice Group Leader
Berkeley Research Group
09:45 – 10:00
10:00 – 11:00
David Abshier (presenting from Los Angeles)
Managing Director
Berkeley Research Group
Gregory Stout (presenting Virtually)
Acting Section Chief
Homeland Security Investigations
11:00 – 12:00
12:00 – 13:00
We are back with one of the workshops fun and favorite sessions. Hear as litigants argue their cases while judge Michael Avidon presides over THE MOCK COURT.
Judge
Michael Evan Avidon (presenting from New York)
Partner
Moses & Singer LLP
Parties
Melissa Luster (presenting from New York)
Vice President, International Operations
BOK Financial
Lelia Savory (presenting Virtually)
Senior Vice President, International Department
First Horizon Bank
13:00 – 14:00
Submit all your questions in advance to our expert panelists, who will discuss how they might approach a situation.
Moderator
Marilyn Williams (presenting from Toronto)
Senior Manager
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
Experts
Normand Girard (presenting from Toronto)
Director, Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group
Chair, BAFT Commercial Letters of Credit Committee
Jeremiah Glock presenting from New York)
Vice President and Trade Advisor
Citi
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi (presenting Virtually)
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee
Kristine Siebel (presenting from New York)
Past Chair, BAFT Standby & Guarantee Committee
14:00 – 14:15
14:15 – 15:00
Hear the latest on TBML – from an industry expert.
15:00 – 16:00
These LC’s are just unique in every way, let’s talk about them.
Agnes Martinez (presenting from Los Angeles)
Vice President and Operations Manager
City National Bank
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi (presenting Virtually)
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Chair, BAFT Standby Letter of Credit/Guarantee Committee
16:00
Buddy Baker is entering his 46th year of working with letters of credit and with people who work with letters of credit. This time has mainly been spent in employment with banks that actively finance international trade, like ABN AMRO, The First National Bank of Chicago, and 5 more banks that no longer exist, but he also spent 3 years with Atradius Trade Credit Insurance, and a couple of years working as a freelance consultant to banks and exporters. In late 2016, he returned to banking to join Goldman Sachs, where he serves as an internal expert on deals and problems involving letters of credit, based in Chicago. Mr. Baker has written numerous magazine articles and several books on how letters of credit work, including the Users’ Handbook to Documentary Credits under UCP600 (ICC Publication No.694); designed online training and certification programs for credit managers and bankers, including the standby letter of credit modules for the ICC Academy; and frequently speaks at national meetings of bankers, credit managers, and lawyers, like this one. He recently replaced Don Smith as US delegate to the ICC Banking Commission.
Mr. Frank Fortes is the Senior Trade Finance Expert, responsible to provide legal advice on complex trade finance transactions and training on Trade-based money laundering & sanctions. Mr. Fortes has over 10 years of experience in Trade Finance and International Business Law which he mainly built in one of the Trade Finance leading banks, the HSBC Group. Prior to joining the Toronto-Dominion Bank, he held various senior positions as Legal Counsel at HSBC France or Manager of the International Guarantees Unit of HSBC Canada. He is also CITF (Certificate in International Trade and Finance) and CSDG (Certificate for Specialists in Demand Guarantees) certified.
Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO Financial Group. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America as well as process oversight in Europe and Asia. Mr. Girard has over 30 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO Financial Group. During his career with the Bank, he has covered every role in Import, Export, Standby Letters of Credit and Collections as well as integral operations leadership roles throughout the evolution of BMO’s trade finance business. He has been Chair of the BAFT Southeast Committee from 2011 to 2017. He is a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist and currently Chair of the BAFT National Commercial Letter of Credit Committee since 2017.
Jeremiah Glock comes to us with over 50 years of experience in Global Trade Operations, with 25 years at Citi in various positions. For the last 14 years he has been one of Citi’s Global Trade Advisors, assisting with providing guidance in all functions of Letters of Credit (Advising Commercial / Standby L/C’s and Examination of Documents), Import and Export Collections, Reimbursements and Compliance and Potential Risk items. Mr. Glock is CDCS (Certified Documentary Credit Specialist) certified and also represents Citi as the Vice Chair on the Southeast Letter of Credit Committee which includes the Collection Committee.
Ukamaka Okpara is currently a Service Specialist at the Global Trade Operations, BMO Financial Group. Her eleven years of Trade Finance experience includes a Senior Trade Finance Analyst at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce where she has spent the greater portion of her Trade Finance career. Her experience in this market includes product coverage on Documentary Collections, Export Letters of Credit and extensive knowledge in Standby Letters of Credit and Guarantees. She is CAMS (Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist), CDCS (Certified Documentary Credit Specialist) and CSDG (Certified Specialist in Demand Guarantee) certified. Ukamaka is a member of the BAFT Southeast Letter of Credit Committee.
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi began his career with Harris Bank and Bank of Montreal (US) and is now Vice President, Global Product Manager for Standby Letters of Credit and Letters of Guarantee with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is a long standing member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit and Trade Finance Committees and was BAFT North Central Standby Letter of Credit Committee Chair from 2006-2009 and member of the BAFT Automatic Extension Sub-Committee. He was the Co-chair of the IIBLP Government Mandated Letters of Credit Committee and member of the IIBLP Council on International Standby Practice (CISP).
Ms. Cathleen Ryan is the Director of Enforcement in 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.
Kristine Siebel is currently at Societe Generale in their Trade Finance Group, previously she had been a Senior Credit Officer for Royal Bank of Canada responsible for their Captive Reinsurance Business in New York. Prior to joining RBC, Ms. Siebel was Assistant Vice President and Standby Letter of Credit Risk Officer for JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York. Ms. Siebel has been in Trade Services for over 35 years beginning with JPMorgan Chase’s predecessor bank Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company. Ms. Siebel has extensive experience in both the issuance and the risk aspects of Standby Letters of Credit. She has been a member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit Committee since its inception in 1994 and is currently the Chair.
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.
Michael Evan Avidon is a partner in Moses & Singer LLP, a NYC law firm, where he Co-Chairs its Banking & Finance Practice Group. He is widely recognized for his knowledge of letters of credit (LCs), lending, and secured transactions. Mike’s practice emphasizes: secured and unsecured lending; trade finance; supply chain finance; discounting; LC reimbursement agreements; participation agreements; receivables purchase and payables agreements; electronic contracting; outsourcing and white label agreements; and LC disputes and litigation. His work involves standby, direct pay, and commercial LCs, and demand guarantees. His clients include money center banks and other financial institutions.
Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO Financial Group. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America as well as process oversight in Europe and Asia. Mr. Girard has over 30 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO Financial Group. During his career with the Bank, he has covered every role in Import, Export, Standby Letters of Credit and Collections as well as integral operations leadership roles throughout the evolution of BMO’s trade finance business. He has been Chair of the BAFT Southeast Committee from 2011 to 2017. He is a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist and currently Chair of the BAFT National Commercial Letter of Credit Committee since 2017.
Jeremiah Glock comes to us with over 50 years of experience in Global Trade Operations, with 25 years at Citi in various positions. For the last 14 years he has been one of Citi’s Global Trade Advisors, assisting with providing guidance in all functions of Letters of Credit (Advising Commercial / Standby L/C’s and Examination of Documents), Import and Export Collections, Reimbursements and Compliance and Potential Risk items. Mr. Glock is CDCS (Certified Documentary Credit Specialist) certified and also represents Citi as the Vice Chair on the Southeast Letter of Credit Committee which includes the Collection Committee.
Melissa Luster is the VP of International Operations at BOKF, NA, Melissa has been a member of the BAFT Southeast LC Subcommittee since 2012 which she currently sits as Secretary. She provides leadership and training to her Trade Operations Team at BOKF, NA working directly with the team members providing services for products such as participations, documentary collections and letters of credit both standby and commercial. Melissa also supports the back office system as well as font end trade platform, onboarding customers and provides training. Her carreer with BOKF,NA began in April of 2007 and she earned her CDCS certificate in 2013.
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.
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi began his career with Harris Bank and Bank of Montreal (US) and is now Vice President, Global Product Manager for Standby Letters of Credit and Letters of Guarantee with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is a long standing member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit and Trade Finance Committees and was BAFT North Central Standby Letter of Credit Committee Chair from 2006-2009 and member of the BAFT Automatic Extension Sub-Committee. He was the Co-chair of the IIBLP Government Mandated Letters of Credit Committee and member of the IIBLP Council on International Standby Practice (CISP).
Lelia Savory is Senior Vice President, Product and Servicing Manager for the International Department at First Horizon Bank. She has performed various roles in trade services for over 25 years and is now responsible for the team that processes trade finance and foreign exchange related transactions. She is a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist, outgoing co-chair of the BAFT Regional Bank Council, and past Chair of the BAFT Southeast Letter of Credit Committee.
Kristine Siebel is currently at Societe Generale in their Trade Finance Group, previously she had been a Senior Credit Officer for Royal Bank of Canada responsible for their Captive Reinsurance Business in New York. Prior to joining RBC, Ms. Siebel was Assistant Vice President and Standby Letter of Credit Risk Officer for JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York. Ms. Siebel has been in Trade Services for over 35 years beginning with JPMorgan Chase’s predecessor bank Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company. Ms. Siebel has extensive experience in both the issuance and the risk aspects of Standby Letters of Credit. She has been a member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit Committee since its inception in 1994 and is currently the Chair.
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.
Buddy Baker is entering his 46th year of working with letters of credit and with people who work with letters of credit. This time has mainly been spent in employment with banks that actively finance international trade, like ABN AMRO, The First National Bank of Chicago, and 5 more banks that no longer exist, but he also spent 3 years with Atradius Trade Credit Insurance, and a couple of years working as a freelance consultant to banks and exporters. In late 2016, he returned to banking to join Goldman Sachs, where he serves as an internal expert on deals and problems involving letters of credit, based in Chicago. Mr. Baker has written numerous magazine articles and several books on how letters of credit work, including the Users’ Handbook to Documentary Credits under UCP600 (ICC Publication No.694); designed online training and certification programs for credit managers and bankers, including the standby letter of credit modules for the ICC Academy; and frequently speaks at national meetings of bankers, credit managers, and lawyers, like this one. He recently replaced Don Smith as US delegate to the ICC Banking Commission.
Mr. Steven Bash is senior vice president and manager of City National Bank’s International Banking & Trade Finance department. He oversees the bank’s trade finance, trade services, supply chain programs, international credit and portfolio management, risk mitigation, global correspondent banking, and trade advisory services. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of leadership roles with other global financial institutions, including a posting as Managing Director, Hong Kong Branch for CoreStates Bank from 1989-1992. He served as an appointee to the U.S. Department of Commerce Trade Finance Advisory Council (TFCA.), a nonpartisan group of 20 private sector individuals, working on recommendations to increase access to export financing for U.S. small and medium size companies from 2016- 2020. Mr. Bash is a past president of the Bankers Association of Finance and Trade (BAFT).
Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO Financial Group. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America as well as process oversight in Europe and Asia. Mr. Girard has over 30 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO Financial Group. During his career with the Bank, he has covered every role in Import, Export, Standby Letters of Credit and Collections as well as integral operations leadership roles throughout the evolution of BMO’s trade finance business. He has been Chair of the BAFT Southeast Committee from 2011 to 2017. He is a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist and currently Chair of the BAFT National Commercial Letter of Credit Committee since 2017.
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi began his career with Harris Bank and Bank of Montreal (US) and is now Vice President, Global Product Manager for Standby Letters of Credit and Letters of Guarantee with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is a long standing member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit and Trade Finance Committees and was BAFT North Central Standby Letter of Credit Committee Chair from 2006-2009 and member of the BAFT Automatic Extension Sub-Committee. He was the Co-chair of the IIBLP Government Mandated Letters of Credit Committee and member of the IIBLP Council on International Standby Practice (CISP).
Mr. Francisco Rodriguez has over thirty-five years of experience working in Global Trade Operations of several major banks. His interaction with custom brokers, document preparation services, freight forwarders, among others has enabled him to help the banks customers in the import, export trading areas, as well as Standby L/C’s Mr. Rodriguez is a current certified documentary credit specialist sanctioned by BAFT. He received his Global Logistics Specialist’s certification from California State Universit –Long Beach. He is the current Chair of BAFT West Coast Regional L/C Committee.
Ms. Cathleen Ryan is the Director of Enforcement in 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.
Kristine Siebel is currently at Societe Generale in their Trade Finance Group, previously she had been a Senior Credit Officer for Royal Bank of Canada responsible for their Captive Reinsurance Business in New York. Prior to joining RBC, Ms. Siebel was Assistant Vice President and Standby Letter of Credit Risk Officer for JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York. Ms. Siebel has been in Trade Services for over 35 years beginning with JPMorgan Chase’s predecessor bank Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company. Ms. Siebel has extensive experience in both the issuance and the risk aspects of Standby Letters of Credit. She has been a member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit Committee since its inception in 1994 and is currently the Chair.
Subha Srinivas is a project management and Documentary Credit Specialist with 14+ years of overall experience in International trade finance operations, Compliance, AML, Business Analysis in Banking Operations and technology related projects. Proven experience in managing multiple teams and handling complex trade process functions (Issuance, Advising, Negotiation- Document examination, Payment, Collections) across different geographical regions and time zones. Subha proficiently manage operations teams and has gained international experience through extensive travel for training and migration projects. She currently is the Vice Chair for West Coast BAFT committee and a member of National Committee for BAFT.
Michael Evan Avidon is a partner in Moses & Singer LLP, a NYC law firm, where he Co-Chairs its Banking & Finance Practice Group. He is widely recognized for his knowledge of letters of credit (LCs), lending, and secured transactions. Mike’s practice emphasizes: secured and unsecured lending; trade finance; supply chain finance; discounting; LC reimbursement agreements; participation agreements; receivables purchase and payables agreements; electronic contracting; outsourcing and white label agreements; and LC disputes and litigation. His work involves standby, direct pay, and commercial LCs, and demand guarantees. His clients include money center banks and other financial institutions.
Normand Girard is Director, Global Trade Operations for BMO Financial Group. He is responsible for the Bank’s processing of all trade finance products in North America as well as process oversight in Europe and Asia. Mr. Girard has over 30 years of experience in Global Trade Operations at BMO Financial Group. During his career with the Bank, he has covered every role in Import, Export, Standby Letters of Credit and Collections as well as integral operations leadership roles throughout the evolution of BMO’s trade finance business. He has been Chair of the BAFT Southeast Committee from 2011 to 2017. He is a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist and currently Chair of the BAFT National Commercial Letter of Credit Committee since 2017.
Jeremiah Glock comes to us with over 50 years of experience in Global Trade Operations, with 25 years at Citi in various positions. For the last 14 years he has been one of Citi’s Global Trade Advisors, assisting with providing guidance in all functions of Letters of Credit (Advising Commercial / Standby L/C’s and Examination of Documents), Import and Export Collections, Reimbursements and Compliance and Potential Risk items. Mr. Glock is CDCS (Certified Documentary Credit Specialist) certified and also represents Citi as the Vice Chair on the Southeast Letter of Credit Committee which includes the Collection Committee.
Melissa Luster is the VP of International Operations at BOKF, NA, Melissa has been a member of the BAFT Southeast LC Subcommittee since 2012 which she currently sits as Secretary. She provides leadership and training to her Trade Operations Team at BOKF, NA working directly with the team members providing services for products such as participations, documentary collections and letters of credit both standby and commercial. Melissa also supports the back office system as well as font end trade platform, onboarding customers and provides training. Her carreer with BOKF,NA began in April of 2007 and she earned her CDCS certificate in 2013.
Mr. Walter J. Mix III is a Managing Director and heads the Financial Services practice at Berkeley Research Group. He is a former commissioner of the California Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) and also previously served as a banking executive at Union Bank of California. He advises domestic and international bank clients on corporate governance, risk management, strategic planning, and financial advisory assignments. He has significant experience in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, and capital planning. He joined BRG from LECG, LLC and before that The Secura Group; serving as managing director in both firms. He serves as chairman of the International Bankers Association of California.
Fiore (Frank) Petrassi began his career with Harris Bank and Bank of Montreal (US) and is now Vice President, Global Product Manager for Standby Letters of Credit and Letters of Guarantee with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is a long standing member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit and Trade Finance Committees and was BAFT North Central Standby Letter of Credit Committee Chair from 2006-2009 and member of the BAFT Automatic Extension Sub-Committee. He was the Co-chair of the IIBLP Government Mandated Letters of Credit Committee and member of the IIBLP Council on International Standby Practice (CISP).
Lelia Savory is Senior Vice President, Product and Servicing Manager for the International Department at First Horizon Bank. She has performed various roles in trade services for over 25 years and is now responsible for the team that processes trade finance and foreign exchange related transactions. She is a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist, outgoing co-chair of the BAFT Regional Bank Council, and past Chair of the BAFT Southeast Letter of Credit Committee.
Kristine Siebel is currently at Societe Generale in their Trade Finance Group, previously she had been a Senior Credit Officer for Royal Bank of Canada responsible for their Captive Reinsurance Business in New York. Prior to joining RBC, Ms. Siebel was Assistant Vice President and Standby Letter of Credit Risk Officer for JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York. Ms. Siebel has been in Trade Services for over 35 years beginning with JPMorgan Chase’s predecessor bank Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company. Ms. Siebel has extensive experience in both the issuance and the risk aspects of Standby Letters of Credit. She has been a member of the BAFT National Standby Letter of Credit Committee since its inception in 1994 and is currently the Chair.
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.
The 2023 Trade Finance Workshop will be held simultaneously in three cities and virtually, connecting all of the workshops live and in real-time. The Canada workshop will be held in Toronto in the BMO Financial Group Head Office, East Coast held in New York City in the Citigroup Global HQ, and West Coast held in Los Angeles in the City National Bank HQ.
Canada Workshop
BMO Financial Group Head Office
1 First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5X 1A1
East Coast Workshop
Citigroup Global Headquarters
388 Greenwich Street, 39th Floor
New York City, New York 10013
West Coast Workshop
City National Bank Headquarters
City National Plaza, 555 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, California 90071
Virtual Workshop
Your Home or Office
Live
Hosted via Zoom Webinar
Please note, there are no official block of rooms being held in any location for this workshop series. Hotel reservations are the responsibility of attendees and should be made directly with the hotel.
Below is a list of recommended hotels that are in close proximity to the workshop locations. You are welcome to research and book other accommodations near these locations as well.
Canada Workshop
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
Recommendations Pending
Hilton Checkers
535 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Westin Bonaventure Hotel Los Angeles
404 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
“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 experience critical to a 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 documents checkers as you learn different topics from subject matter expert.”
Interested in sponsoring the 2023 Trade Finance Workshop Series? 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
© 2023 BAFT (Bankers Association for Finance and Trade)