Authors Page - Trade Finance Global

James Sinclair is the Marketing Manager at Trade Finance Global.

Deepesh Patel is Editorial Director at Trade Finance Global (TFG). In this role, Deepesh leads efforts in developing TFG’s brand, relationships and strategic direction in key markets, including the UK, US, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong. Deepesh regularly chairs and speaks at international industry events with the WTO, BCR, Excred, TXF, The Economist and Reuters, as well as industry associations including ICC, FCI, ITFA, ICISA and BAFT. Deepesh is the host of the ‘Trade Finance Talks’ podcast and ‘Trade Finance Talks TV’. He is co-author of ‘Blockchain for Trade: A Reality Check’ with the ICC and the WTO, alongside other industry research. In addition to his work at TFG, Deepesh is a Strategic Advisor for WOA, and works closely with ITFA. 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 Europe, NAM, UK and Brazil. Deepesh is Chair of Governors and co-opted LA Governor of the Wyvern Federation, which has responsibility for 5 primary schools in South London.

Alex Gray is Head of Trade and Transaction Banking at The London Institute of Banking & Finance, winner of the Best Trade Finance Education Provider at Trade Finance Global’s International Trade Awards 2022.

Basel Al-Hussien is currently the Senior Manager – Advisory, ITFC. With 23 years of experience in corporate finance, including 16 years specialising in Islamic trade finance, Basel brings a wealth of expertise to the field.  He holds an Executive Master in International Trade from IE School of Global and Public Affairs and has successfully managed ITFC’s trade finance portfolio in the Middle East, overseeing total accumulated approvals exceeding $ 1 billion. Throughout his career, Basel has developed several bespoke financial solutions that have received international recognition, with awards from Islamic Finance News, Euromoney, and Global Trade Review. One of his notable contributions is the development of a Supplier’s Finance Scheme, a Shari’ah-compliant alternative to conventional receivables financing.

Pamela Mar Managing Director of the Digital Standards Initiative (DSI) of the International Chamber of Commerce, based in Singapore. The DSI is a public private partnership backed by the ICC, Asian Development Bank, World Trade Organization and the Singapore government, dedicated to accelerating the digitalization of global trade as a key driver of growth, development and inclusion. Prior to joining the DSI, Pamela was Executive Vice President for Supply Chain Futures, and then EVP for Knowledge and Applications for the Fung Group, a Hong Kong based multinational supply chain manager where she was also the first Group head of Sustainability.  She was named one of Asia’s ten A-list sustainability leaders in 2019, and is a recognized industry leader in this area. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Pamela was based in Shenzhen as a Director of Global Finance for TCL Multimedia Technology, the first major Chinese company to go global by buying a foreign brand. Prior to TCL, Pamela ran Greater China for the World Economic Forum, based in Geneva for five years. Pamela was born in New York and went to university in the USA, but has spent the majority of her life abroad, with stints in Bangkok, London, Geneva and Shenzhen.

Mr. Beck has managed the exponential growth of ADB’s Trade Finance Program, and implemented its first supply chain finance business. Prior to joining ADB, he worked for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and was an advisor to the Canadian Minister of Finance. Mr. Beck played a key role in the start-up of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, and was a consultant for USAID in Southern Africa and for a start-up financial institution in Armenia. Mr. Beck is on the Advisory Board of the International Chamber of Commerce Banking Commission, and a member of the WTO Working Group for Trade Finance.

Sean Austin joined BPL in 2014 as a Trainee Broker. Since then, he has risen through the ranks of the credit and political risk insurance broker to be appointed as Director in April 2023. Based in London, Sean is closely involved developing BPL’s offering in the development finance space.

Chris Sunderman is a contractor to DCSA and serves as Program Lead Banks. He leverages his broad experience in the financial industry, trade, and trade finance, as well as trade innovation, to digitize for a sustainable and inclusive future. In close collaboration with thought leaders in the industry, industry bodies, and fintech, Chris drives financial institutions and banks with a strong foothold in trade finance towards technology adoption and stimulates innovation to improve connectivity. By doing this, it enables cross- and intra-country access to digital trade for all stakeholders in the supply chain, which is an absolute requirement to reach our 100% eBL goal by 2030. Chris has a clear and strong drive to transform into a sustainable and inclusive trade ecosystem. He possesses a bank (and their clients) focused mindset, is a true frontrunner and a trade finance innovator, can accelerate and motivate to achieve common goals. Chris embodies high moral integrity, serves as a mentor and trusted party, and is experienced in startup and market launches.

Gary launched Pound Sterling Live in 2013 and has since expanded the site’s editorial team, data offering and corporate relationships. Previously he worked in the business-to-business publishing industry and has a tertiary education in economics and journalism.

Jacco possesses over 35 years’ experience in the International Trade and Commodity Finance Banking space, having worked both for and with numerous major Trade Banks over the past three decades. With his vast wealth of knowledge and deep understanding of Trade Finance and digitisation processes from a Bank, Corporate and FinTech perspective, Jacco serves as a trusted advisor to numerous Corporates and Financial Institutions across the globe. In his role as Head of Global Sales, Jacco is expanding Bolero’s global network and developing collaborative partnerships with new technology initiatives such as Blockchain. As a SWIFT-certified Trade & Supply Chain Finance consultant, Jacco frequently moderates, speaks and participates in panels at international Trade and Supply Chain Finance events organized by institutions such as SIBOS, ICC, FIBA, SWIFT and more.

Sheena is responsible for the TFG Weekly Trade Briefings and content at Trade Finance Global. With an extensive background in WordPress CMS and Digital Marketing, she loves the digitalization of trade and is fascinated about its impact on day to day transactions.

Mark heads up the trade finance offering at TFG where his team focuses on bringing in alternative structured finance to international trading companies. Prior to joining TFG (tradefinanceglobal.com), Mark qualified as a lawyer with a top ranked global trade and structured commodity finance team. Mark has previously advised commodity trading firms, banks and alternative capital providers on international structured trade financings, pre-export, prepayment and limited recourse structures – notably in the oil, soft commodities and metals sectors. This has included mining finance projects, structured letter of credit facilities, receivables discounting and forfaiting agreements.

Ross is currently a full-time Business Analyst and part-time writer for TFG. Having studied Economics at University, he is particularly interested in global currency movements, international political relations and macroeconomic policy implications. For his degree, Ross wrote his dissertation on the extent to which monetary policy in the US economy affected their trade balance sheet from 2007-2016.

Carter is a Research Associate at Trade Finance Global focusing on the impact of macroeconomic trends and emerging technologies on international trade. He holds international business and science degrees from the European Business School in Germany as well as Brock University and Queen’s University in Canada where he served as the director of operations and finance for the student executive council and as an operations associate for the Queen’s University Alternative Asset Fund. Carter’s work has been featured in publications and articles supported by the SME Finance Forum, managed by the International Finance Corporation, World Trade Organization, and International Chamber of Commerce. Carter is a graduate of the Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) through the Toronto Board of Trade and the head of international business development at the Canadian-based building supply exporting firm, The Great Egress Co. He is also a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) and a member of the exam development panel for the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) where he developed exam questions for the update of the CITP Professional Exam as part of FITT’s application for ISO 17024 Accreditation.

Joseph Brazier is an experienced risk analyst, editor and manager who specialises in producing high-quality, polished research on political risk (CEND, credit), security and company intelligence.

Studied MSc International Business and now currently working on a rotational graduate scheme for a food manufacturing company.

Bejal Patel is as a passionate writer and likes to shares opinions and viewpoints on the current economic issues.

Keri Clark is a first class economics graduate currently working as a finance associate in Birmingham, having had several internships prior, developing understanding primarily within marketing, recruitment and financial markets.