Authors Page - Trade Finance Global

Sadar Abdul Rasheed is a trader turned risk management professional with extensive knowledge in quantitative finance. He has full dedication and experience in derivative trading, hedging, risk management, business continuity management (BCM), and enterprise risk management (ERM). Sadar is an expert in commodity trading and risk management (CTRM) systems implementation and utilization. He is well-versed in intraday trading on global commodity exchanges, including LME, CME, NYBOT, BMD, CBOT, LIFFE, and ICE, and has significant experience in energy, metals, soft and grain commodities, and currency derivative markets. He possesses proven skills in advanced delta-neutral dynamic hedging techniques in options and futures, as well as currency hedging and credit derivative markets. Additionally, Sadar has a strong understanding of developing risk policies and implementing ERM and BCM frameworks. He also has hands-on experience in commodity research and fundamental and technical analysis in emerging markets. Sadar graduated in agriculture science from Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) in Kerala, India, and holds a post-graduate degree in business finance from the Indian Institute of Finance (IIF) in Delhi, India. He earned his MBA from Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) in the UK and is overall a University Grant Commission of India (UGC)-NET qualified academician. He recently completed Ph.D. research in price risk management and financial derivatives from MS University in India and obtained a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in finance from the Swiss School of Management in Switzerland. He has also participated in an executive management program (MDP) at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Kozhikode, India. Sadar is an experienced professional with deep knowledge and understanding of his field. He is innovative, a good leader and trainer, and a proven multi-talented individual with strong multitasking abilities.

Lord Holmes is a member of the influential House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology and has previously co-authored House of Lords Select Committee Reports on: Democracy and Digital Technologies [2020], Intergenerational Fairness [2019], Artificial Intelligence [2018], Financial Exclusion [2017], Social Mobility [2016] and Digital Skills [2015] Lord Holmes is co-chair of Parliamentary Groups on Fintech, AI, Blockchain, Assistive Technology and the 4th Industrial Revolution and has published a report; “Distributed Ledger Technologies for Public Good: leadership, collaboration and innovation” calling on the Government to look at the challenges and opportunities of this technology for improving public services. A progress update was published in November 2018. An ex-Paralympic swimmer, Lord Holmes won nine gold, five silvers and one bronze medal across four Games, including a record haul of six golds at Barcelona 1992.

Nishith is the CEO and founder of Locus and drives business strategy and innovation at the company. He is responsible for business expansion across geographies and heads operations globally. Prior to founding Locus, he worked with Amazon, building algorithms to counter credit card fraud. He also co-founded PinChat, a location-based conversation platform. Nishith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and a Master’s in Economics from BITS Pilani. He is a published author in the field of experimental physics and has patents in Machine Learning.

Elena Sankova is a Global Solution Consultant at Finastra focusing on Trade Finance and Corporate Banking.

Lynn Galkoski has 25+ years of experience as an international trade financier. She is currently a Board Member of the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA) where she is also Chairperson of ITFA Americas. Lynn is seasoned in emerging markets, risk mitigation, liquidity & RWA management, trade portfolio management and capital markets.  Lynn has held key positions in international banking and treasury throughout her career: in global financial institutions (BNY Mellon, Standard Chartered Bank & Banca Intesa SpA), in a large commodity exporter (Cargill Financial Markets Division), in a bank owned trading company and also co-launched an entrepreneurial, small business. Based in New York City, Lynn manages BNY Mellon’s global distribution platform of risk mitigation channels for trade assets, balance sheet optimization which include all secondary market trade asset purchasing and sales activity, Trade Credit Insurance, Multilateral Development Agencies, Supply Chain Finance & ECA risk participations. Ms. Galkoski holds a specialized international finance Masters in Business Administration from Thunderbird (The Garvin School of International Management) and a Bachelor of Arts in International & Latin American Studies from Dickinson College. Lynn is fluent in Spanish and her professional and personal travels have spanned the globe (Latin America, Asia, Africa and extensively throughout Europe).

From positioning Canada as a leader in international trade, to supporting diverse entrepreneurs and SMEs, and ushering in an inclusive and sustainable recovery from the pandemic – Minister Mary Ng is focused on helping Canadians succeed. First elected as the Member of Parliament for Markham–Thornhill in April 2017, Minister Ng was appointed to Cabinet in July 2018 as Minister for Small Business and Export Promotion. Following her successful re-election in September 2021, she became Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development. Prior to serving as a Member of Parliament, Minister Ng worked in the government provincially in Ontario and federally, including as the Appointments Director to the Prime Minister. She also worked as Executive Director for the President of Ryerson University where she oversaw the creation of a cutting-edge business incubator for tech start-ups. Throughout her career, she has been committed to supporting entrepreneurs as they start up, scale up and access new markets. In over 20 years of public service, Minister Ng has been a devoted community leader with a focus on creating jobs, inclusive and sustainable trade, driving entrepreneurship, supporting underrepresented communities, and empowering small business to grow. .,

Sanjeev Dutta is the Executive Director of Commodities and Financial Services at DMCC. He oversees DMCC’s commodities vertical, and directs the development, implementation and regulation of the organisation’s financial products, platforms and services – including DMCC Tradeflow.

Wayne Mills is the Founder and Managing Director of Atom Advisory Limited. Formed in late 2022 following a 30+ year banking career, Atom adds value to Banks, NBFI’s and Corporates through the provision of strategy/product advice, project delivery and training in the area of Trade and all aspects of Working Capital. A core focus is to deliver ROI through actionable outputs.  Throughout his career, Wayne held various senior leadership positions in Transaction Banking, most recently leading the build-out and growth of the Transaction Banking Solutions team at Lloyds Bank supporting clients across the UK, EMEA, US and Asia. Combining strategic, technical and commercial acumen, Wayne oversaw the delivery of innovative, risk-appropriate solutions across Trade, Supply Chain and Receivables.  Wayne also sits on the Advisory Board of an APAC-based training business and is passionate about supporting the next generation of talent to ensure diversity of teams and thought.

Abis is director of Fitch Ratings’ Fund and Asset Manager Group. His responsibilities include assigning ratings to money market and bond funds, as well as publishing timely research on analytical and regulatory developments affecting the sector. Prior to Fitch, Abis worked in banking and corporate treasury, as well as asset management. Abis holds a BEng & Com from the University of Birmingham and is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School Senior Management Program (SMP). He also has a Diploma in Treasury Management (AMCT) and Certificate in Financial Maths and Modelling (CertFMM).

With extensive experience in structured finance and export credit, Michal is the Chief International Business Officer of SACE, holding responsibility for the Group’s International Relations, Overseas Network and Political Credit Recovery. She manages SACE’s active participation within the OECD and the EU, as well as the relationship with the peer group. Over the past 10 years, she has steered the expansion of SACE’s overseas network, supervising international underwriting generated by the 12 offices abroad. Her responsibilities also include all activities related to the Paris Club and other political recoveries. Prior to her election as President, Michal sat on the Berne Union Management Committee for several mandates, also serving as Vice President from 2014 to 2016. During the same years, she led an outreach initiative between the Berne Union and the World Bank Group. In addition to her BU activities, from 2017 to 2020 Michal served as the first Secretary General of the International Working Group (IWG). From 2018 to 2021 she was the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), where she currently holds an Alternate Director position. Prior to working at SACE, she spent 10 years at Mediocredito Centrale (Head of Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals, Structured Finance) and 7 years with HSBC. With a Business Studies, Risk Management and Finance BSc Honors degree from City University Business School (London, renamed CAAS), Michal has worked in investment banking in several European countries and has been invited to speak in numerous conferences worldwide.

Vishnu Purohit is a seasoned professional with over 19 years of experience in Trade Finance. He currently serves as the Group Head of Trade Product Management for Emirates NBD Group, responsible for overseeing trade and supply chain products across multiple locations, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UK, Singapore, and India. Vishnu has worked with DBS and HSBC in India, developing his expertise in Trade Product Management and structuring. He holds a management degree and is a Financial Risk Manager (FRM), GARP.

As the Head of Business Strategy at Finastra, Carlos’ prime focus is on enabling our corporate banking clients to achieve the next phase of their transformation. He provides executive advisory regarding market trends and technology transformation across all areas of corporate banking on a global on a global basis. With more than 25 years of experience in transaction banking, Carlos has spent over a decade with major European banks in their transaction banking divisions. Since joining Finastra in 2005, Carlos has held roles with responsibility for driving successful trade services implementations across India, the Middle-East and Africa as well as providing technology and business insights on digital solutions. He has a keen interest in cutting-edge developments across platform modernisation, AI / Machine Learning, and blockchain to understand what these capabilities will help to deliver in terms of sustainable finance models, and how clients can cost-effectively adopt these technologies into their models.

Adam is a Partner in the Commodities department of HFW’s Singapore office with a focus on international trade, commodities and shipping matters. Adam’s area of expertise is international arbitration, both ad hoc and arbitrations under the GAFTA, FOSFA, LMAA, ICC, SIAC and UNCITRAL Rules. He also advises on non-contentious matters such as physical commodities contracts (including storage, warehousing, marketing and distribution agreements) and structured trade finance. Over the past few years, he has advised numerous commodities financiers on contentious trade finance issues and large-scale frauds. Adam was recognised in Asian Legal Business’ annual ‘40 Under 40’ list for 2022, which profiles the 40 most accomplished lawyers in Asia under the age of 40. He was also previously ranked as one of Singapore’s top 20 most promising legal luminaries aged under 40 (Singapore Business Review, 2018). A longstanding client attests to Adam’s strengths: “As in-house counsel in a fast-paced commodities business, it is important to be able to rely on external counsel for a swift response that is both business-friendly and practical. Adam consistently meets both of these criteria. He has a strong knowledge of the commodities business and applicable law. He also brings a calm ‘can do’ manner to contentious matters.”

Michael Byrne is the CEO of the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice and works with banks and financial institutions in the trade finance and compliance space. Michael is an expert in trade finance and payments, managing payment and sanctions/TBML risk, and works closely with other industry groups and banks to improve trade and compliance practices.

Katayoon Valizadeh is a senior consultant in the fields of trade/project finance, credit risk management, and international negotiations. She has worked more than 20 years in Iran’s ECA, and Credit Guarantee Institutions, while liaising with foreign companies. Her focus is on credit guarantee and credit insurance. Now she is working in “Small Industries Investment Guarantee Fund” of Iran, as a consultant and SCF Project Manager. 

Ama Thompson is a Political and Credit Risk Underwriter with the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Michael Matossian joined Arab Bank plc in November 2005 as the Global Head of Group Regulatory Compliance and chairs the Bank’s Ethics Committee. Mr. Matossian has more than 35 years of experience in regulatory risk management, anti-money laundering, and compliance. Mr. Matossian participates in several national and international task forces addressing anti-money laundering, governance, and compliance matters and is actively involved with MENA FCCG and GCFFC to enhance financial crime literacy across the region. He holds the following certifications: CPA, CMA, CRP, CFE and CAMS.

Charles Bryant is a consultant and adviser in the fields of e-invoicing and B2B e-commerce. He is Secretary General of EESPA and formerly its Co-Chair. In this role he supports the membership in managing public policy, interoperability and promotional challenges in order to further e-invoicing adoption. Charles is a member of the European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on e-Invoicing and of the CEN Technical Committee for the development of a core invoice standard. He recently edited the ‘Standard Definitions for Techniques of Supply Chain Finance’ for the Global Supply Chain Finance Forum. He has previous assignments at Tungsten Network, the leading e-invoicing service provider, the Euro Banking Association, and was formerly Secretary General of the European Payments Council playing a major role in the design of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) initiative. He spent six years in the senior executive team at SWIFT, the financial messaging and standards organisation. Prior to 1997, he had pursued a career in international banking with Chase, Midland (now HSBC) and NatWest with senior executive roles in trade finance, payments, investment and corporate banking. He has lived and worked in London, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Brussels. He holds an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford (1970) and an MA in History from Birkbeck College, University of London (2012).