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Michael BickersManaging Director, BCR PublishingMichael Bickers is Managing Director of BCR Publishing Ltd, a specialist publishing company dedicated to the provision of market information on areas of receivables finance including factoring and supply chain finance, through books, the Internet (trfnews.com) and global receivables finance conferences and seminars. He is author of twelve editions of Factoring in the UK, a market report and guide to the UK factoring industry, (1993 – 2008, 2nd and 3rd editions, published by HMSO, other editions BCR); Editor of twenty five editions of the World Factoring Yearbook (published annually by BCR since 1996 in association with FCI); Publisher of the European Trade Finance Yearbook 2012 (BCR in association with EBRD); 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; Publisher of the World Supply Chain Finance Report 2010 – 2021; Chapter contributor of Factors and Actors (Peter Lang, 2018); Editor of Equipment Leasing in the UK (HMSO, 1995,1996).; Editor of Venture Capital in the UK (HMSO, 1996); Series Editor, International Business Intelligence Reports (published by the Stationery Office Ltd), 1997. His views, opinions and findings have been printed in leading newspapers and journals including The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, The Times, The Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Director Magazine, Accountancy Age, Business Age, Chartered Banker, Investors Chronicle and Export Today. |
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Sean EdwardsManaging Director, Head of Legal – EMEA, Special Adviser – Global Trade Finance Department, SMBC Bank International, Chairman, ITFASean 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. Sean is a former member of the Executive Committee of the ICC Banking Commission and the ICC Working Group on Digitalisation in Trade Finance. He is a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Finance Expert Group and 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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Frédéric GitsGroup Credit Officer, Global Corporates, Fitch RatingsFrédéric Gits is a managing director at Fitch Ratings, based in the Paris office. He is the Global Group Credit Officer for Corporates. Previously, Frédéric was the head of the Credit and Operations Group for Corporates. Before that, he was heading Fitch’s coverage of industrial, construction and property corporate entities in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Frédéric has a commercial engineering degree from the Solvay Business School at the Free University of Brussels, a Master’s Degree in political science from the University of London, and an MBA from INSEAD. |
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Peter MulroySecretary-General, FCIPeter Mulroy is Secretary General of FCI, the world’s largest network of factoring companies, with its headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Peter was previously Senior Vice President, International Regional Manager and Managing Director with CIT. He is a past Chairman of FCI, and has served on the FCI Executive Committee for over a decade. Peter has an MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management in Arizona. As Secretary General, Peter assists banks, regulators and governments in introducing the concept of and educating people about the role of factoring. He addresses audiences around the world on the subject of factoring and international trade and is generally regarded as an ambassador for the factoring industry. |
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Matt WrefordCEO, DemicaMatt joined Demica as CEO in November 2014 and has led the expansion of the firm from 12 to 300 people funded by $100m of growth capital. His primary responsibilities are setting the firm’s strategy and product vision and building strategic relationships with their global banking partners to deliver long-term growth. Prior to joining Demica, Matt was the Group CEO of IPGL, the private holding company of Michael Spencer, founder and CEO of ICAP Plc, as well as CEO of Exotix Partners LLP, the investment banking boutique specialising in illiquid bonds and loans, equities, and structured finance. Matt has served as a non-executive director of numerous other fintech and financial services companies, including City Index, Origin Asset Management and Ri3K. |
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Igor ZaksCo-Founder and Chief Risk Officer, 40SeasIgor is the Co-Founder and Chief Risk Officer of 40Seas, a fintech platform that digitises and simplifies cross-border trade financing for SMEs around the globe. Igor is a seasoned finance professional, with extensive experience in banking, blue-chip corporates and consulting. Prior to joining the 40Seas founding team, Igor held senior banking roles at Citibank, Daiwa and Eurohypo/Commerzbank, and served as a senior executive at Dell on the financing and risk management teams. Igor was also a Managing Partner at SCF Capital, where he played a key role in launching one of the first supply chain financing platforms, and is an experienced consultant to many companies in the fintech space. Igor is a frequent speaker at major corporate events and sits on the advisory/editorial boards of TRF News and World of Open Account. Igor holds a Sloan Fellowship MSc with distinction from the London Business School and a Global Professional LLM from the University of Toronto. |