Events

Mr. Aron is Deloitte’s Global and U.S. Payments Leader. He has over 31 years of experience, specializing in providing business strategy, operations and technology solutions to payments clients. His focus areas include corporate payments, credit and debit cards, alternative payments, online lending, payment networks and treasury management with expertise in the development and rollout of new business lines, products, services and associated operating models both in the U.S. and Internationally. Mr. Aron has partnered with financial institutions, merchants, networks and FinTech payments providers to develop new payments-related product and service strategies using emerging technologies or new acquisitions. Mr. Aron has been a guest speaker at numerous industry conferences and client board and advisory meetings in subjects around the world. Mr. Aron has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Tod Burwell is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BAFT. Prior to being promoted to CEO, he served as the Senior Vice President of Trade Products with oversight of all trade-related initiatives including the Global Trade Industry Council, Trade Committees, and other strategic initiatives of the organization. Mr. Burwell has over 25 years of trade, supply chain and cash management experience as a banking practitioner, as well as serving as a consultant to global corporations and suppliers of strategically integrated trade solutions. Prior to joining BAFT, Mr. Burwell was a Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase and held senior global management roles responsible for trade operations, launching the logistics business and managing global product sales for trade finance and logistics management.

Bohani Hlungwane is the Interim Managing Executive for Transactional Banking at Absa Group’s Corporate and Investment Bank, where he manages a business cluster comprising of Payments & Cash Management, Trade & Working Capital, and Custody & Trustees. He was previously Group Head of Cash Management, and before then was Group Head of Trade & Working Capital. He has also previously worked in Hong Kong (for a global bank) for 6 years and covered Europe, the Americas and MENA as part of a Global Product Team. He is a senior global banker, thought leader on Africa Trade, Trade, speaker on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and business leader with over 20 years experience in banking across geographies. He is a member of the B20 Task Force on Trade & Investment. His expertise spans across trade finance, working capital, corporate banking, business development, business management, business strategy, operations management, transactional banking, and deal structuring. Bohani holds a Senior Executive Leadership Program certificate from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, an MBA in Strategy & Finance from The University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Financial & Monetary Economics from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ali Imran is the Chief Operating Officer at Commercial Bank of Dubai and is a member of the Bank’s Executive Committee. He is responsible for designing and delivering digital capabilities, technological innovation, operational efficiencies and strategic change within the bank. Previously, Ali has held various leadership roles at ABN AMRO and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Most recently, he was a Partner at PwC, leading the customer advisory practice for Middle East Region. In addition, Ali has driven the evolution and establishment of greenfield transformation programs, developing digital delivery capabilities and fintech partnerships that connect CBD to the emerging technology ecosystem and innovation for clients.

Christian Keller is a Managing Director and Head of Economics Research at Barclays, leading a global team covering both Developed and Emerging Markets. Mr. Keller is based in London and joined Barclays in 2007 from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where he had worked since 1999. Based at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C., Mr. Keller worked on IMF programs with Emerging Market economies in Europe, Latin America and Asia, and served as the IMF’s Resident Representative in Turkey from 2005-7. Mr. Keller graduated with a PhD in Economics from University of Köln, Germany, and holds a joined-MA in Economics and Finance from University of Köln and HEC, Paris.

Ashutosh Kumar is the Managing Director and Head of Transaction Banking for Asia Pacific at Mizuho Bank responsible for driving strategy, execution and franchise expansion of the Transaction Banking business in Asia. A distinguished leader with over 25 years of international experience, he is the driving force behind the bank's transaction banking strategy and expansion across the region. Renowned for his visionary leadership, deep understanding of the Asia Pacific region and his expertise in leveraging digital ecosystems for growth, Ashutosh has a strong track record of transforming businesses. Under his guidance, Mizuho has emerged as a leading institution in Transaction Banking, reinforced by his recognition as the 2024 Transaction Finance Leader of the Year by The Asian Banker. Prior to Mizuho in 2021, he held several senior leadership positions at Standard Chartered Bank and ABN AMRO Bank.”

Joy Macknight is Transaction Banking and Payments Editor at Trade Treasury Payments, as well as a freelance journalist/editor who has covered the global financial services industry for the past 20 years. Previously, she was editor of The Banker, part of the Financial Times group, becoming the first female editor in the publication’s history in March 2021. Before that, she worked as features editor at Profit & Loss, editorial director at Treasury Today and editor at gtnews, plus as a reporter on Banking Technology and IBM Computer Today, and as a freelancer on Computer Weekly.

Nick Smit is a Managing Director, Head of Financial Institutions North America, with responsibility for originating and executing transactions for financial institution clients in North America, including asset managers, insurance companies, and banks. Nick has 18 years experience in the financial industry, primarily in corporate and global client relationship management. After he joined ING in 1995 as an Account Manager in Global Clients based in Amsterdam, he held various management roles within ING’s global banking network, including Head of Corporate Banking in Geneva, Head of Global Clients and Head of Corporate Clients for the Nordic Region based in Brussels, and Chief of Staff for ING’s global corporate and institutional business based in Amsterdam. Prior to joining ING, he worked in international trade and export finance at Standard Merchant Bank in Johannesburg.

Dean Sposito is Head of Institutional Cash and Trade, Western Europe, based in Frankfurt. Dean carries management responsibility for teams in eight locations throughout Europe. In this region, Deutsche Bank has active Cash Management and Trade Finance relationships with Financial Institutions in over 30 countries and maintains leading positions in EUR, USD, and other major currencies. Deutsche Bank is a premier provider of Cash Management and Trade Finance services to Financial Institutions globally. Deutsche Bank is a recognized leader among its peers, helping clients to efficiently manage their payments and trade needs across multiple time zones, borders and currencies.

Patricia Sullivan is Managing Director and Global Head of Institutional Cash Management (ICM) at Deutsche Bank since January 2024. In this role Patricia oversees the business and teams within the Corporate Bank delivering a wide range of payment, transactional FX, risk management, and liquidity solutions to financial institutions (banks & central banks) and Deutsche Bank affiliates. Patricia holds a Board Observer seat at Partior and is a member of the BAFT Transaction Banking Global Leaders Council. Patricia has more than 20 years of experience in covering ICM, Criminal Prosecution, Litigation, Financial Crime Compliance and Core Compliance.