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Accessibility, innovation, efficiency and social impact have become the most looked for goals of modern financial services. Alternative and receivables finance is the industry which has all these ‘must have’ features on offer, hence it will continue to gain more traction in the coming years.
Taking a global perspective, the Alternative and Receivables Finance Forum returns this autumn for a two-day event focusing on the latest trends and developments in the industry, including blockchain, tokenisation, BNPL, DEFi, risk mitigation, regulation and social impact.
It will bring together leaders in alternative finance to explore how the industry is developing and growing following a year of uncertainty.
The forum will be followed by the AI4RF seminar. Presenting an introduction to AI and GenAI, this half day event will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of how these powerful and emerging technologies are impacting the global factoring and receivables finance ecosystem and what this means for your organisation. For more information on the seminar click here.
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Tim ArmstrongHead of Receivable Financing & Data Science, Silver Birch FinanceTim is a Director and Co-Founder of Silver Birch and leads their Receivable Financing and Data Science team. Tim has 22 years of experience of investment banking and financial services experience, including 8 years in the securitisation teams at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, syndicating both rated bonds and equity to a wide range of investors. He was also a Managing Director in the Innovation and Incubation team of a UK fintech and spent time in the corporate finance teams of Deloitte and KPMG. Prior to finance, Tim was an Officer in the British Army and worked as an engineer with BP. Tim has an MA (Oxon) in Physics from Oxford University and an MBA from London Business School. |
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Soojean ChoiSenior Associate, Clifford Chance |
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Paul ColesDirector – Treasury, Orbian Management, Chair, Market Practice Committee, ITFAPaul Coles has a specific focus on managing, developing and adding to Orbian's funding relationships for its supply chain finance programmes. Prior to joining Orbian, Paul was responsible for overseeing the transactional distribution activity that supported HSBC’s Global Trade and Receivables Finance business. He has also been the global co-ordinator and EMEA head for trade risk distribution at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and previously the trade asset management regional head at RBS NV, part of the legacy ABN AMRO network, where he was in the London-based trade credit distribution team. He started his career in trade finance over 25 years ago at London Forfaiting Company, where he held a variety of roles. Paul has a BSc in Management Studies from Royal Holloway, University of London and is a member of the Board of the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA), where he currently chairs the Market Practice Committee. |
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Simon ConnorSenior Associate, Clifford ChanceSimon is a Senior Associate specialising in securitisations, structured finance transactions, forward flow/factoring arrangements, asset backed commercial paper conduits and asset-based lending. Simon has considerable experience advising arrangers, originators and investors on complex cross-border securitisations (both public and private in nature) across the spectrum of asset classes, including trade receivables, lease receivables, telecommunication receivables, corporate and consumer loans (including CBILS, RLS and RLS2), and residential mortgages. |
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Bertrand de CommingesManaging Director, Global Head Trade Finance Investments, Santander Asset ManagementA renowned industry expert, Bertrand is currently the lead portfolio manager for the global Trade Finance strategy at Santander Alternatives Investments, SGIIC, SAU; Santander Holdings´ private investments arm. Previously, Bertrand worked for 8 years at HSBC. In his last role he was responsible for the European business development activities for Global Trade and Receivables Finance. Previously, he was HSBC’s Global Product Head of Structured Solutions and, Global Head of Solutions Structuring for the organisation among other roles. Before HSBC, Bertrand worked at JP Morgan as EMEA Head Structured Trade Advisory and, for RBS/ABN Amro, where in his last role he was EMEA Head of Trade. Bertrand is the Co-Chair of the International Trade & Forfaiting Association´s ITFIE working group (Trade Finance Investment Ecosystem), whose efforts are targeted to make Trade Finance an investable asset class for institutional investors. Bertrand is also a Subject Matter expert in the ICC’s Global Supply Chain Finance initiative. Bertrand is a Chartered Actuary, has a full-time MBA from the London Business School and an MSc degree in Economics and Business Sciences from UCM. On the private side, Bertrand is a trustee of educational charities and is a single father of five young children. |
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Sean EdwardsManaging Director, Head of Legal – EMEA, Special Adviser – Global Trade Finance Department, SMBC Bank International, Chairman, ITFASean 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. |
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Enrique EliasHead of Expansion, Two |
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David FryeCEO, Levantor |
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Dr Rebecca HardingFormer CEO and Founder, Corolis TechnologiesDr Rebecca Harding is founder and CEO of Coriolis Technologies, a data and analytics provider for the trade finance space. She is an independent speaker and trade and trade finance economist. Her experience spans academia, policy and business, including senior positions at Deloitte, London Business School. the Work Foundation, and as Chief Economist of the British Bankers Association. She acted as Specialist Adviser to the Treasury Select Committee and advised the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Entrepreneurship. She is a member of the World Trade Board and formerly a Trustee of the German-British Forum. She co-authored The Weaponization of Trade: the Great Unbalancing of Policy and Economics and Gaming Trade: Win-Win Strategies for the Digital Era. She has authored 8 other books on the German economy, global innovation policy and SME financing. Her high media profile includes frequent appearances on Sky, CNBC, Times Radio and BBC television and radio. |
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Suresh HegdeHead of Structured Private Debt, Goldman Sachs Asset ManagementSuresh is Head of Structured Private Debt at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Prior to joining GSAM, he worked at NN Investment Partners where he founded both the Structured Private Debt and Insurance Solutions businesses. He previously held roles in structured finance origination and credit structuring at J.P. Morgan, Bear Stearns, and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, and as a credit analyst at Standard & Poor’s. Suresh started his career at Linklaters in London. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Political Science from the University of Bristol. |
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Fadzai MandazaSenior Associate, Clifford Chance |
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Mindaugas MikalajūnasCEO, SME Finance |
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Martin OpfermannLead Portfolio Manager, Trade Finance, Allianz Global InvestorsMartin Opfermann is a senior portfolio manager within Allianz Global Investors alternative asset management team and is leading the firm’s trade finance activities. Martin joined the firm in 2017 from Allianz Investment Management SE, where he was Head of Credit and in charge of Allianz Group’s credit allocation. In 2009, he spearheaded Allianz’s strategic shift into private markets and executed several debt investment strategies. Prior to this, Martin worked in the Fixed Income team of Allianz Lebensversicherungs-AG. Martin graduated from University of Mannheim as a Diplom-Kaufmann in 2002. He is also a CFA charterholder. |
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Özlem ÖzunerHead of Operations and Finance, Allianz TradeÖzlem joined Euler Hermes in 2011 as CEO of Euler Hermes Turkey where she has worked for 9 years before joining Allianz Trade UK and Ireland as Commercial Director in 2020. As of October 2022, Ozlem joined Allianz Trade E-Commerce team as Head of Operations and Finance. Özlem has more than 25 years of experience in financial services. She has held several leading roles in banking and finance, including Group Head of Corporate Banking, Group Manager of Retail Banking at HSBC Turkey. She is also familiar with the UK market as she spent time working in the UK as a Global Relationship Manager, Corporate Banking, HSBC, from 2001-2002. Özlem is experienced in driving growth in SME portfolios as well as successfully establishing and managing relationships with large corporates. Ozlem’s area of interest are credit risk, payments and BNPL. |
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Rebecca ShepherdSenior Associate, Clifford ChanceRebecca is an English law qualified senior associate in Clifford Chance’s banking and finance practice. She is 15 years qualified and spent 6 years in the Istanbul office and is currently based in London. Rebecca specialises in financings in growth markets across Africa, Turkey and the Caspian region. She focuses on projects, trade and export finance. Rebecca works with a number of industry bodies in the development of policy, recommended forms and industry know how. She also works with clients on their LIBOR remediation and LIBER transition projects. |
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Abis SoetanDirector, Fund and Asset Manager Group, Fitch RatingsAbis is a Director in 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. He also has a Diploma in Treasury Management (AMCT) and Certificate in Financial Mathematics and Modelling (CertFMM). |
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Chris SouthworthSecretary General, ICC United KingdomChris Southworth is Secretary General at the ICC United Kingdom. Prior to joining ICC he was Executive Director for Global Partnerships at the British Chambers of Commerce, Head of the International Chambers of Commerce Unit at UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and a Senior Policy Adviser to Lord Heseltine for his independent review of UK competitiveness. In 2011 he helped set up the mid-size business export programme at UKTI and was a Senior Policy Advisor for the 2011 Government Review of Mid-Size Businesses. Former roles have encompassed deregulatory policy at Better Regulation Executive, social enterprise policy at the Department for Business and stints in a local strategic partnership and the charity sector. |
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Matteo TarroniCo-founder and CEO, WorkinvoiceWith a career spanning over three decades, Matteo is a seasoned financial expert. He is the Co-founder and CEO of Workinvoice, Italy's pioneering invoice trading platform, which has empowered SMEs to access cash through innovative financing models. His extensive experience in corporate financing issues is evident through his roles at Credit Suisse, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Mediobanca, where he played a pivotal role in debt capital market origination and corporate finance. |
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Federico TravellaFounder and Executive Chaiman, NoviCapFederico is a Belgian-Italian technology entrepreneur and co-founder and executive chairman of NoviCap, a venture capital-backed financial technology platform that is building the operating system for working capital. Federico was previously a Managing Director at Rocket Internet where he was pivotal in scaling technology ventures in Asia Pacific and Africa. His most notable involvements were in Lazada (acquired by Alibaba; NYSE: BABA), Jumia and The Iconic. He holds a Master’s Degree in Marine Geology from Ghent University and is a Young Talent Fellow at IESE Business School. Federico also advises the EU Commission on its innovation and entrepreneurship agenda. |
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Mar TurradoCEO, Findango |
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Michael VrontamitisFounding Partner, T3i Partner NetworkMichael Vrontamitis is a founding partner of T3i Partner Network LLP. T3i Partner Network is a global collective of industry leading specialists in trade, treasury and technology with a focus on digital innovation. He also advises several start-ups, including Kountable Inc and Silver Birch Finance, and is deputy chair of the World Trade Board. A renowned industry thought leader, he is particularly passionate about the intersection between sustainability, technology and finance and the impact digitalisation can have in narrowing the trade finance gap and enabling sustainable supply chains. In his last role, Michael was the lead industry principal for Finastra’s Lending Business Unit, which covered cash management, trade and working capital management, retail and corporate lending at Finastra. Michael spent 25 years with Standard Chartered, spanning both wholesale and retail clients, as well as investor relations, working in Hong Kong, London, and Singapore in a number of leadership positions. His transaction banking roles included the head of product management for cash management, trade and securities services for Asia; the global head of trade finance product; and regional head responsible for the bank’s trade finance business with European and American headquartered companies, where he led sales, product, distribution, service and implementation in Europe and the Americas. Michael has been a member of the BAFT Board of Directors and BAFT’s Global Trade Industry Council. He was also part of the ICC Banking Commission Advisory Board, where he co-chaired the ICC Working Group on the digitalisation of trade finance and chaired the SWIFT Offshore CNY Best Practice Working Group on Cash and Trade. Michael was recognised by The Asset as The Renminbi Banker of the Year in 2014. He has a degree and Master’s in Economics from the University of Warwick. |
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Richard WulffExecutive Director, International Credit Insurance & Surety Association (ICISA)After completing a Master’s degree in Economics, Richard Wulff started his career in 1989 as trade credit insurance underwriting manager and reinsurance director of NCM, a precursor of Atradius, in his native country, the Netherlands. He founded a reinsurance captive for the company in Ireland prior to moving on to Munich Re in Germany. At Munich Re, he managed the non-European credit, surety and political risk reinsurance department until 2008. He then moved to India to become the Chief Underwriting Officer of HDFC-ERGO Insurance Company, a general lines insurance business. Richard subsequently became Group General Manager, heading up the worldwide credit lines at QBE Insurance in Australia, before moving to Hong Kong in that role. He returned to Holland in 2017 to found RW Consulting, a consultancy company for trade credit insurance, surety and political risk (re)insurance. In February 2021, Richard joined the International Credit Insurance and Surety Association (ICISA), an association with which Richard has been actively involved throughout his career in trade credit insurance, surety and political risk insurance, where he currently holds the title of Executive Director. |
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Geoffrey WynnePartner, Sullivan & WorcesterGeoffrey Wynne is Head of Sullivan & Worcester’s London office and also Head of its award-winning Trade & Export Finance Group. Geoff is one of the leading trade finance lawyers. He has extensive experience in many aspects of banking and finance, specifically trade, structured trade and commodity finance, and related legal and compliance issues. He has recently been involved in a number of initiatives for trade finance in the digital world including digital payment obligations. Geoff is currently Co-Chair of the ICC Committee which wrote the recently published Uniform Rules for Digital Trade Transactions (URDTT). Geoff sits on the editorial boards of a number of publications and is a regular contributor and speaker at conferences. He is also the editor of and contributor to The Practitioner’s Guide to Trade and Commodity Finance published by Thompson Reuters. He is General Editor and contributor to A Guide to Receivables Finance, a multi-authored publication co-published by Sullivan, Deutsche Bank and the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA). The team which Geoff leads has won numerous awards including Best Trade or Supply Chain Finance Law Firm at the Global Trade Review (GTR) Leaders in Trade Awards, 2022 and Best Trade Finance Law Firm by Trade Finance Global (TFG) in its International Trade Awards, 2022. Geoff is ranked both in Chambers UK, 2023 in Tier 1 as a Leading Individual for Commodities: Trade Finance and included in the Hall of Fame by The Legal 500 UK, 2023. |
A&RF 2023 - Early Bird (Valid until 23rd Oct)£945.00 (Standard Price - £1,195 + VAT)Scan to purchase: |
A&RF 2023 + AI4RF* - Early Bird (Valid until 23rd Oct)£1,150.00 (Standard Price - £1,450 + VAT)Scan to purchase: |
Sponsorship
Daniel Huszar: dh@bcrpub.com
Speaking
Noreen Meehan: noreen.meehan@bcrpub.com
Booking
Yongmei He: yongmei.he@bcrpub.com