A Zambian national, the Director joined Afreximbank from Standard Bank Plc., where she worked as Executive Vice President, Structured Trade Finance for East Africa based in London. Prior to that, she worked variously with Stanbic Bank Zambia Ltd as Head, Vehicle and Asset Finance and as Head, Corporate Banking; Standard Bank of South Africa as Head of Corporate Banking; African Banking Corporation as Corporate Banking Manager; and Stanbic Bank Zambia Ltd as Account Manager, Financial Services. Ms. Mwaba, holds a Bachelor of Applied Accounting from Oxford Brooks University, United Kingdom, and a Master of Business Administration from Heriot-Watt University, also in the United Kingdom.

Susie Aliker is a proven CEO and Board member with extensive experience across UK and international banking and financial services. Recognised as a transformation and growth leader, she excels in scaling complex businesses in competitive markets. Susie drives commercial and operational transformation through bold, customer-centric strategies, with a clear vision and rigorous execution to ensure sustainable results. Her expertise spans business development, product and market growth, and both organic and inorganic strategies in B2B and B2C environments. With extensive knowledge in regulation, finance, digital, risk, and compliance across public, private, and PE-backed businesses, Susie has a strong track record in impactful culture change and stakeholder engagement. She is known for her positive, driven, and resilient leadership style, grounded in high integrity and impactful execution. Susie brings significant Board experience, having served as both an Executive and Non-Executive Director, including roles across Audit, Risk, Compliance, and Remuneration. Her deep understanding of corporate governance and robust, proportionate risk and ESG frameworks reinforces her commitment to high standards. Passionate about environmental and social agendas, Susie combines strategic agility and commercial acumen with high energy, achieving results that drive positive impact.

Board Member and Managing Director of SABB since 2010, representing the foreign partner HSBC Holdings. He holds a Masters degree in Economics from Cambridge University, UK. Mr. Dew has considerable management and financial experience gained during his 40 years career with HSBC in a number of regions and countries.

Peter Jameson, based in Hong Kong, is currently a Managing Director and the Treasury and Trade Solutions Head for Europe at Citi. A leader, product head, payments specialist, correspondent banker, trade financier, program manager, diversity champion, and mentor, he brings extensive experience from previous roles at Citi and Bank of America. Peter holds a BSc in Accounting & French from Queen’s University Belfast, earned between 1995 and 1999.

Rudolf Putz, former head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) trade facilitation programme, has joined Oddo BHF as its head of trade product and distribution management. In his new role, he is responsible for developing trade solutions for international and corporate clients, managing the syndication of Oddo BHF’s trade assets and coordinating the company’s advocacy in the trade finance ecosystem. Putz headed up the EBRD’s trade facilitation programme for nearly 25 years, overseeing its expansion to new markets in the Mediterranean, a push for green finance and its help for Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Prior to this, he worked in trade finance at Helm, UniCredit Bank Austria and Crédit Agricole after earning a doctorate in international trade and business in 1982.

Luc Hendrickx has been the Director of Enterprise Policy and External Relations at UEAPME since 2000. He is responsible for SME policy, better regulation, legal affairs, internal market issues, accounting, retail, tourism, trade, corporate social responsibility, among others. Luc was a member of the cabinet of the Flemish Minister of the Environment and Employment from 1997 until 2000. In 1989, he joined UNIZO (a Belgian SME organisation) as Legal Counsellor. Between 1992 and 1998, Luc also lectured at VLEKHO (Flemish School of Economics) in Brussels. He started his career in 1986 as a salesman in his sister’s do-it-your-self shop. Luc Hendrickx holds a law degree from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, a diploma from the Institut Européen des Hautes Etudes Internationales of Nice in France and a masters in European studies from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Spain.

Dominic Digby has been working in financial services for 20 years through his consultancy, Affinis. He has implemented ISO 20022 in supply chain scenarios for large corporates in several countries and with payment service provider and its major banks on end-to-end implementation. He has written several articles on ISO 20022, some available on LinkedIn.

Olivier Depierre, co-founder and Partner of the firm, is an attorney-at-law specialized in TGE support based on replicated hash-block technologies with a former background and long experience in Banking law, financial regulation and white-collar crimes. He worked several years with banks and other financial intermediaries in the field of compliance and acts now on mandates for establishments newly subject to a prudential supervision, such as trustees, independent portfolio managers and investment advisers, as well as on mandates for commercial companies in connection with matters in banking and financial law, regulations of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (guarantee of irreproachable business activity, rules of conduct, authorisation requests), criminal business law as well as in contract law and debt collection & bankruptcy law. Former assistant at the University of Geneva in criminal law, Olivier is also a retired investigating Magistrate (captain) of the Swiss Military Court of First Instance. He is a founder committee member of the Geneva Blockchain Congress, and holds a LL.M in Banking & Financial law, a MAS in Compliance Management and is a former registered Trust & Estate Practitioner (TEP). He is a a member of the ICO evaluation committee of the Canton of Geneva and a regular author at the Centre for Banking and Financial Law at the University of Geneva. Moreover, Olivier is a speaker on blockchain/cryptocurrencies and financial regulation for various conferences. He has published a lot of articles and contributions in the Swiss French-speaking press.

Carl Wegner is the CEO of Contour – the trade finance network powered by R3’s Corda. Carl’s role aims to streamline communication and improve transparency between banks, corporates, and technology partners. Carl works closely with a range of leading trade finance institutions that are part of the network, as well expanding Contour’s reach in the trade finance space. Prior to Contour, he served as the Managing Director for Asia at R3, where he was instrumental in the business growth and market penetration of Corda solutions with Central Banks, Financial Institutions, and Corporates. Carl’s prior experiences include Managing Director and Head of Global Transaction banking, Greater China of Deutsche Bank, Managing Director of Transaction Banking for Standard Chartered Bank in Taiwan. He was also Head of Asia for TradeCard (now GTNexus), building its network in 14 countries. Carl has held posts as Treasurer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei and is a Board Member of the Taipei American School.  Fluent in Mandarin, he holds a B.S. in both Chinese Language and Chinese history from Georgetown University.

Maëlia works for Bpifrance, in the subsidiary “Bpifrance Export Insurance” created for the management of the French State guarantees (previously managed by Coface State Guarantees, where she has been working for several years before). She is in charge of international relations and represents Bpifrance Export Insurance in many conferences, Bern Union general assemblies and technical workshops, ECAs bilateral meetings, OECD and EU matters). She works on business development and creation of new products for banks and exporters (SMEs and Key Accounts) along with their communication, she manages the rating of foreign companies and banks. She has a worldwide experience on export credit guarantees, dealing with exporters, banks and foreign buyers on commercial and financial projects. Previously she was Head of Division of Key Accounts (energy and nuclear power, telecom, space, project finance, engineering, buildings, public works and capital goods), Head of Division of Geographic Desks (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania), Head of Division of Paris Club Rescheduling Agreements, Head of Certification ISO 9001 project for the State Guarantees Department, Head of clients requests, quality and statistics department. She has worked in all the geographic departments of the State Guarantees Directorate as well as in the Military Affairs Department.

Abdurrahman Özalp is chair of the ICC Turkey’s Banking Commision and Senior Trade Advisor of TEB Istanbul has more than 30 years of experience in international trade and banking. He is 56 years old, in 1986 graduated from The Faculty of Economics and Administration of Cukurova Universiy in Turkey. He passed the CDCS (Documentary Credit Specialist Certificate) exam in 2000 and CITF (Certificate of International Trade Finance) in 2010. On the DOCDEX List as expert of Documentary Credits and Guarantees. He is still an active member of some Group and Task Forces of ICC, i.e. Digitalization, URDG&Guarantees and Financial Crime&Risks. Every year he performs many seminars, conferences and trainings. He is author of nine books about payment methods, trade finance and delivery terms etc. one of the on BPO (Bank Payment Obligation), which is a new payment method, introduced and spreadwided in Turkey by whom. Nowadays strives to provide the use of blockchain in Turkey in the area of Trade Financing and International Trade.

Payson E. Johnston is the CEO and co-founder of Crowdz, a B2B payments company in Silicon Valley focused on helping SMEs get paid faster and access invoice finance. With over 20 years of experience in diverse areas, he served for 18 years as a global B2B supply chain Senior Manager for Cisco. He has lectured at the University of San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley Extension. Payson is also the CEO of Envoi, a venture-funded startup backed by Diagram Ventures, leading efforts to redefine receivable finance. Previously, he co-founded and led Crowdz, raising $28 million from industry giants like Citi, Barclays, and Bold Capital. Under his leadership, Crowdz facilitated over $95 million in SME financing before its assets were acquired by Private Equity. As the Managing Director of Delphi, he drives strategic initiatives, leveraging his expertise in fintech to foster groundbreaking solutions. He holds an MBA from the University of San Francisco and an MA in Philosophical Theology from the University of Nottingham. He teaches business at the University of Tennessee Southern and has contributed to Tradetech reports with the World Economic Forum and the World Trade Organization. His research focuses on entrepreneurship, sustainability, and business ethics. As a mentor at Techstars, Payson supports startup founders in AI, payments, and emerging industries, providing strategic guidance for early-stage growth. His guiding principle is to drive positive change with integrity, making a lasting impact on family, community, and society.

Magister in International Trade Relations (UNTREF), Degree in International Relations and Political Sciences (USAL). Currently works as consultant, trainer, researcher and professor in the areas of business development, international trade, economic and production integration, global value chains and competitive intelligence. She is in charge of the Research area and of the Virtual Library of the ICBC Foundation. She gained her experience in the public and private sectors and in academia. She is Thesis Coordinator in the Master’s Course in International Business at UCES and in the Master’s Course in International Trade Relations at Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, in charge of the Thesis Workshop at the Master’s Course in International Business (UCES) and professor in charge of professional relations activities. She is professor at the Bi-national UCES-FH Master’s Course in Mainz (Germany). Professor of Internationalization of Companies at the Master’s Course in International Trade (UNQ) and Professor of International Relations Systems and of the Thesis Workshop at the Master’s Course in International Relations (Universidad del Salvador).

John was appointed Acting CEO in June 2019. Prior to this, he was the Chief Underwriting Officer, a role he assumed in 2016. He brings over 13 years of experience in the credit and political risk sphere, as well as prior entrepreneurial experience. Previously, John was the Co-Head of Political & Credit Risks at Brit, one of the largest syndicates at Lloyds. John helped to establish Brit’s presence in this area and built out Brit’s team to rapidly become one of the most competitively positioned London market participants. Prior to working at Brit, John had established a strong underwriting reputation at both AXIS and XL Catlin in London and Bermuda. John also has a diverse range of entrepreneurial experience, for example having worked as a film producer, live events organiser and having established a record label. John holds a Master of Modern History degree from Oxford University.

Flora Tan is an editor and journalist at Trade Finance Global

Diana Smallridge is a leading expert on Export Credit Agencies, EXIM Banks and Development Banks around the world. Diana has worked with multilateral, bilateral and national agencies from over 50 countries on a wide range of projects. She is a hands-on senior consultant and seasoned project leader and is widely recognized as one of the foremost advisors in the field. She developed the Full Potential© strategic planning methodology which is applied in projects worldwide, as well as the Health Diagnostic Tool© to measure the overall performance of financial institutions with a development mandate. A pioneering thinker on issues such as climate finance, Diana is a sought after speaker and facilitator at international workshops and conferences, and has been the Conference Chairman for the Annual Global Convention on Insuring Export Credit and Political Risk since 2001.

Peter Mulroy is Secretary General of FCI, the world’s largest network of factoring companies, with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Peter was previously Senior Vice President, International Regional Manager and Managing Director with CIT. Peter 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, Mr. Mulroy assists banks, regulators and governments in educating the role and introducing the concept 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”.

As the CEO of Smart Currency Business, he is passionate about educating businesses to avoid pitfalls so that they can protect their profits from adverse currency fluctuations, and thrive. Renowned for speaking his mind, Carl is a vocal critic of the inefficient currency services provided by high street banks, and believes that first-rate customer service is the key to growth for any business. Carl regularly delivers seminars on the importance of currency exchange risk management, and provides commentary on a range of business-related topics, including currency strategy, international trade and business growth.