Authors Page - Trade Finance Global

Sean Edwards is Head of Legal at SMBC Bank International plc, part of the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. He is a Special Adviser to the trade finance department of the bank and in the Trade Innovation Unit. Sean is Chairman of the International Trade & Forfaiting Association (ITFA). He helped draft the Uniform Rules for Forfaiting (URF) and the Standard Definitions for Techniques of Supply Chain Finance published by ITFA, ICC, FCI, BAFT and the EBA. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of the ICC Banking Commission and the ICC Working Group on Digitalisation in Trade Finance. Sean is a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Finance Expert Group. He is a non-executive director of KomGo S.A. Sean has written for all the major trade finance magazines and is on the editorial board of Global Trade Review (GTR). He has presented at many conferences.

Susan Ross MBE is a trade credit broker at AON and Vice President at BExA. Susan Ross, Account Director within its Credit International division in the UK, was named on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in July.  Susan will collect her MBE from a representative of Her Majesty the Queen at a ceremony today, in recognition of her tireless campaigning on behalf of the UK’s export economy. Susan has been a trade credit broker with Aon since the mid-1980s and has been a passionate volunteer member of the British Exporters Association for more than a decade, including a three year period as Chairman from 2009-2012. During this time Susan campaigned for the re-launch of the UK Export Finance (UKEF) Bond Support scheme to the benefit of the hundreds of companies who have since used the product to be able to bid for, and win, overseas business. Since its reintroduction in 2011, the UKEF Bond Support Scheme has been utilised by over 220 UK companies and supported almost £850m of UK exports.

Stephen Hubble is Chief Analyst and Senior Account Manager at Centtrip, a London-based fintech leader in intelligent treasury management. Thanks to nearly two decades working in the financial sector, he has developed a good judgement of and insight into market movements, geopolitical events and wider developments in financial services. Stephen has established himself as a true thought leader and has become a frequent contributor to the company’s Insights, shaping Centtrip’s newsroom output. He regularly comments on interest rates, FX, central banks’ monetary policy decisions and economic releases.

Nitin Gaur is a seasoned senior leader with vast experience in designing and developing enterprise infrastructures and applications for Fortune 500 companies globally. Throughout his career, he has successfully led cross-functional teams and guided over 450+ global resources, demonstrating his ability to thrive in complex, matrixed organizations. Nitin’s track record includes driving multimillion-dollar revenue growth by developing innovative business strategies and forward-thinking initiatives that capitalize on emerging technologies.

Erin is the resident Copywriter for Smart Currency Business. With a constant eye on the currency markets, she writes about how political and economic events impact the pound, euro and dollar.

Dave Sutter currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for TradeIX. He is an experienced Fintech entrepreneur, expert in distributed ledger technology and blockchain who helped pioneer the technology’s application in trade finance. Dave has worked and consulted with many of the world’s leading financial institutions, technology providers, corporations, and governmental agencies on understanding, designing and implementing cutting edge distributed ledger and blockchain-based solutions, networks, and applications. Most recently, Dave served as COO and co-founder of Hijro, an enterprise blockchain platform for global trade and supply chain finance.

André Casterman is the founder and Managing Director of Casterman Advisory and advises early-stage fintechs active in trade financing, payments and digital assets. He is a board member of trade-focused fintechs. In addition, he chairs the Fintech Committee at the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA), which focuses on helping banks automate trade finance to establish it as an investable asset class for institutional and retail investors. Prior to this role, he spent more than 20 years with SWIFT leading various technology innovations in inter-bank payments, corporate treasury, and trade finance. During that time, he established an institutional partnership between SWIFT and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and created the first digital trade settlement instrument.

Michael Bickers is managing director of BCR Publishing, a UK specialist publishing company dedicated to the provision of in-depth market information on areas of business finance, particularly factoring and supply chain finance, through books, the Internet (factorscan.com) and global factoring conferences. He is author of 12 editions of Factoring in the UK, a market report and guide to the factoring industry in the UK; editor of nine editions of World Factoring Yearbook (published annually by BCR since 1996); publisher of the World Supply Chain finance Yearbook 2010 and 2011 (published by BCR); Editor of Equipment Leasing in the UK (HMSO, 1995); Editor of Venture Capital in the UK (HMSO, 1996); Series Editor, International Business Intelligence Reports (published by the Stationery Office Ltd, 1997 – 10 titles including International Trade Finance, Credit Insurance in the UK and Europe, Securitisation in Europe; Editor and joint author of A Review of Global Trade Finance and the Effects of the Current Financial Crises on Emerging Markets, A report commissioned by the World Bank, December 2008; and creator of factoring news and information portal, www.factorscan.com, published by BCR. His views, opinions and findings have also been printed in leading newspapers and journals.

Dr Grace Lordan is an Associate Professor in behavioural science at the London School of Economics. She is an economist by background, and her research is focused on understanding why some individuals succeed over others because of factors beyond their control. In this regard, she has expertise on the effects of unconscious bias, discrimination and technology changes. Grace is also interested in using the techniques of behavioural science to design interventions for firms to promote good conduct, diversity and inclusion and curb biases that creep into high stakes decision making. Grace has advised and given talks to large investment banks and international conferences on these topics. Grace has also led projects to advise commissioners in the UK and policy makers in the EC. At the LSE Grace trains executives in these approaches through her teaching on corporate behaviour and decision making.

President at STENN. Dr Kerstin Caroline Braun has 18 years of experience in leading sales organisations for multinational companies focused on financial risk products. She brings proven success in top and bottom line growth and expansion of distribution channels. Dr. Kerstin Carolin Braun is a C-suite executive in corporate financial services with over 20 years of experience, known for driving exponential portfolio growth for multinational companies and expanding their investor base. She excels at building businesses and unlocking value by creating scalable, digitised platforms and developing talent to enhance efficiencies, leverage resources, and amplify brands. Dr. Braun is recognised for her ability to thrive in uncertain environments while maintaining a strong focus on risk minimisation.

Doreen Fick is a qualified chartered management accountant, which she has supplemented with qualifications in product management and international trade finance. Doreen is a product manager of Bonds, Guarantees and Indemnities for our Corporate and Investment division and is passionate about promoting their trade business. She is part of a dynamic Absa global finance and trade team. Absa is one of the biggest banks in South Africa with nine African subsidiaries and over 42 000 employees. Doreen Fick, with over a decade of experience in product management and development within Corporate and Investment banking, brings a wealth of expertise in trade finance. While much of her career has focused on internal operations, she has recently transitioned to a more outward-facing role, emphasizing external stakeholder engagement and strategic initiatives. Renowned for her problem-solving prowess and ability to drive change, she excels in swiftly identifying and implementing solutions to overcome obstacles. Her skill in aligning external stakeholder needs with internal capabilities has been instrumental in driving organizational growth and enhancing external presence. As a seasoned professional, Doreen is recognized as a fixer within her organization, driven by a fervent passion for driving change and achieving results. With a keen eye for strategic opportunities and a proactive approach to problem-solving, she has the ability to translate high-level objectives into actionable plans and initiatives. Her strong networks and interpersonal skills enable her to engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels, fostering strong relationships and driving collaborative efforts toward shared goals. Moreover, her mastery in leading and managing various products or business challenges is evidenced by her systematic approach, which begins with identifying root issues, conducting thorough research, consolidating needs and solutions, and implementing effective strategies. In addition to her expertise in trade finance, Doreen has honed her skills in strategic leadership and problem-solving, making her well-equipped to navigate complex challenges and drive impactful change. Her commitment to delivering results, coupled with her ability to adapt to dynamic environments, positions her as a valuable asset to any organization seeking a forward-thinking and solution-oriented professional. With a proven track record of success and a relentless drive for continuous improvement, she is prepared to leverage her skills and experience to contribute positively to the success of any dynamic team.

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.

Baris Kalay is Head of Trade Finance for Global Transaction Services, EMEA, Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Marcus is the Co-Chairman of the British Exporters’ Association (BExA) with specific responsibility for the Large Exporter members. He has been the Rolls-Royce representative at BExA since 2013 and was previously Chairman of the Industry Committee. Marcus is the focal point for all of the Rolls-Royce Group’s ECA activity including maintaining Rolls-Royce’s relationship with various government ECA departments, specifically UKEF, US ExIm and GIEK in Norway. He is also responsible for all Customer Financing activity in the Americas and Europe for Rolls-Royce’s aerospace customers and globally for any land based power projects. Following graduation from Manchester University in 1997, with a MEng in Aerospace Engineering, Marcus joined Rolls-Royce on the Graduate Engineering scheme. Since then he moved from Engineering to Finance and has amassed over 15 years’ experience in Customer Financing and Treasury related roles. He obtained an MBA from the Open University in 2004 as part of the Rolls-Royce Management Development Curriculum.

Richard is the Director and Head of Business Development, Marketing and Communications at UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency. Richard joined UKEF after gaining 20 years’ experience in leading specialist teams in project and structured finance, including five years at ‘Global Top 5’ project and export finance institutions. He has a particular specialism in the renewable energy sector, having acted as financing lead or adviser to low carbon projects since the mid-1990s. Other previous positions include Head of Energy & Utilities project finance at Lloyds TSB and Senior Director of the Renewable Energy division at Lloyds Banking Group. In this role, Richard was responsible for building a renewable energy portfolio/market leading franchise in excess of £1 billion, earning him the number one ranking as Lead Arranger of renewable energy projects in the UK between 2010 and 2012. Richard has a BSC (Hons) in Financial Services (First Class) from UMIST and is ACIB and SFA (CF30) qualified.

Geoffrey Wynne is a partner and head of Sullivan’s Trade & Export Finance Group and the firm’s London office. Recognised as one of the leading trade finance lawyers globally, Geoff advises major trade finance banks and financial institutions around the world on trade and commodity transactions in virtually every emerging market and works on structured trade transactions covering a wide range of commodities. Geoff also acts extensively for industry bodies including BAFT, ITFA and the ICC on documentation and rules promulgated by them in trade finance. He has recently been involved with issues across the trade finance spectrum including the move towards digitising of trade documents. Geoff was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by RFIX in 2024 and is recognised as a leading lawyer by Chambers UK, the Legal 500, UK and IFLR1000.

Richard Bishop is Director of Financial & Political Risk at Parker Norfolk. Specialist and an experienced insurance professional with 35 years experience in helping clients to achieve the best protection for the risks they face. Acknowledged expert in the field of Islamic insurance and reinsurance (Takaful/reTakaful)

Export Champion at Department for International Trade (DIT) and CEO at Coltraco Ultrasonics