Events

Raja Al Mazrouei, an accomplished leader in the world of finance and technology, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), where her visionary leadership has been instrumental in reshaping the landscape of trade credit insurance and bolstering the UAE's position as a global trading powerhouse. Raja’s leadership is defined by her unwavering dedication to leveraging technology and innovation for a positive impact across industries. She is driven by a deep commitment to shaping the future of trade and the economy, constantly seeking opportunities to improve the lives of diverse communities. With a focus on cultivating winning mindsets and implementing scalable strategies, Raja strives to contribute to the UAE's position as a global hub for innovation and trade. Her efforts as a digital change agent and economic futurist have garnered recognition, reflecting her genuine passion for making a difference. Raja was recently listed in the Forbes List: "The Middle East's 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2024". ‌

As the Global Head of Transaction Banking at Arab Bank, Sally Al Nammari leads the strategic vision and execution for transaction banking across Arab Bank’s extensive global network. Overseeing a diverse portfolio that includes cash management, trade finance, liquidity solutions, and digital channels, Sally is responsible for driving innovation and delivering client value propositions and strategic product roadmaps across diverse markets. Throughout her 25-year career, Sally has steered the development of transformative financial solutions, from formulating market entry strategies to navigating complex regulatory landscapes. Sally holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering Management and Computer Information Systems.

Komal is a seasoned professional in transaction banking with 2+ decades of experience in cash management, trade finance and payment solutions. She has worked across several international & locally domiciled banks in the ME region. She currently leads the UAE business for Visa’s Commercial Solutions. She specializes in structuring innovative payment solutions & strategies that help enhance client efficiency and drive financial growth. Her expertise is driving seamless & secure financial services & managing complex client portfolios. Outside of work, she enjoys travelling and staying updated on fintech trends.

Dominic Broom is an experienced fintech and transaction banking executive. He has worked in financial services for over 30 years, predominantly at global banks such as JPMC, ABN AMRO and BNY Mellon, where he was EMEA Head of Treasury Services from 2011 to 2019. He specializes in helping businesses assess their trade and supply chain finance needs, and optimize their working capital.

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.

Seemanti Considine has recently joint Citibank in their Treasury and Trade Services (TTS) business as Head of FI Sales, UAE. In this role she is responsible for managing the UAE banks’ portfolio across the breadth of TTS products. Prior to Citibank, Seemanti was with Wio Bank for 3.5 years, where she was part of the original team, helping to launch the UAE’s first stand-alone digital bank. At Wio, she was the Head of Financial Institutions and Transaction Banking, responsible for client coverage across Banks and Non-Bank FI (NBFI) sectors, along with Transaction Banking Services, which included building Wio’s cash payments and foreign exchange business.

'Customer Experience Rockstar', host of Amazon Prime’s ‘This Week in CX’ and the UK’s #1 CX Influencer, James Dodkins will share stories, ideas, frameworks and mindsets that will guarantee that you turn your customer experience up to 11.

Ben Ellis leads Visa B2B Connect globally. Visa B2B Connect is a multilateral network that builds on Visa’s expertise, delivering B2B cross-border payments that are predictable, secure, and cost-effective, for financial institutions and their corporate clients. Before assuming this role, Ben led strategy for Visa Business Solutions globally, drove growth initiatives within the Global Solutions team at Visa, and lead Visa's enterprise risk management team. Before joining Visa, Ben was a partner in the San Francisco office of McKinsey & Company with 10+ years experience serving financial institutions in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America on a range of topics including strategy, risk management, operational improvements, and organizational design.

Anne-Fleur FELISSENT is Global Head of Sales for Cash Clearing since 2022. She joined Societe Generale in 2006 in the International Audit Division, where she held different positions, before moving to Global Transaction Banking in 2012. As Corporate Cash Management Global Sales, she was in charge of Large Corporates for Media & Telco, and Insurance. In 2018, she joined the Cash Clearing business line, first as deputy Head of sales for Western Europe, with a focus on French-based banks, then as Head of Sales for Western Europe and Americas in 2019.

Huny Garg is a seasoned financial services executive with over 25 years of experience in the financial industry. Currently, he serves as the Head of Swift’s business in Saudi Arabia and is driving Swift’s strategic agenda to achieve the G20 targets for improvement in cross border payments. Huny has over 25 years of transaction banking experience working for banks like Standard Chartered, ABN AMRO, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank in transaction banking, corporate and commercial banking roles across in Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Currently based in Dubai, he is trade finance digitisation advocate and is passionate about bridging the SME finance gap globally.

Kirsty Garrett is Global Head of Sales for Crown Agents Bank and is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the business, including establishing the bank with new client segments and in new geographies. Prior to joining Crown Agents Bank, Kirsty was Regional Head of Investors Client Coverage, Europe at Standard Chartered Bank. In this role, she was responsible for all activities across both the banking book and financial markets with investor clients, including Sovereign Wealth Funds, Institutional Investors, Financial Sponsors, and Hedge Funds. With over 20 years of experience in the financial markets industry, Kirsty is a Foreign Exchange and Fixed Income specialist, with considerable experience advising clients in Emerging Markets, and in the use of derivatives products.

Jenni is the Head of Financial Institutions, FinTech and Broker Dealers for Barclays Europe. Based in Frankfurt, she leads a pan European team of dedicated coverage bankers who provide cash management, FX risk management, debt and partnership opportunities to a wide range of established and fast growth clients in these sectors.

Andi Howkins, with nearly 30 years of banking and payments experience, 20 years of these at a leadership level, across multiple business functions including Retail, Corporate, Change, Operations, Sales and Relationship Management, in Tier 1 banks and technology providers. Andi is now responsible for the Global Sales and Partnership function at Form3. In her 4 years at the neoteric fintech she has grown the pipeline of the company by over 150%, recognised by the industry at the banking and payments awards in 2023, collecting the industry leadership award for driving innovation and growth. Andi has achieved a 75% contracted market position in Form3's home market of the UK and grown the customer base of the platform globally by 60%. Andi has a genuine passion for ecosystem collaboration to enhance consumer experience and future proof the safety of payments., believing that banks and fintech’s can work collaboratively and harmoniously to exceed the demands of an ever evolving and technically dependant society.’

Based in Dubai, Rohini Kamath is the UAE Head of Trade Finance for Commercial Banking at HSBC. In this role, Rohini is responsible the Trade Finance business for corporate & commercial banking clients in the UAE. With over 15 years of experience in financial services, Rohini brings strong expertise across several roles in Consulting, Trade Finance, Product Risk and Compliance. Rohini has extensive regional experience, having held roles in consulting and banking covering Middle East & Africa region.

Ayaz Kamlani is the Head of Financial Institutions Trade Products team and part of the Global Transaction Banking team at FAB. In the last 18 years, Ayaz has held several positions in Sales / Relationship Management, Trade Finance and Financial Institutional Banking roles covering Global & Regional banks in Asia, Middle East, Africa , Europe and Americas. Ayaz joined National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) in 2013 to manage relationships with Banks with the Financial Institution Coverage team. He subsequently moved to the FI sales team in the Global Transaction Banking department to build and manage asset portfolios across the continents. Prior to that Ayaz served as the Regional head of FI for Asia & Australia/NZ at Habib Bank AG Zurich, UAE and as Manager – Institutional Banking at Standard Chartered, India

Hamayoun Khan is an accomplished Electrical Engineer and MBA with over 23 years of extensive experience in both international and local financial institutions. He currently holds the position of Head of Transaction Banking at Commercial Bank of Dubai. His previous roles include significant tenures at ENBD Group (Emirates Islamic Bank) and Standard Chartered Bank, as well as major local banks in Pakistan. Hamayoun has demonstrated a successful track record in origination, client coverage, and product management. He has excelled in leading substantial business operations and possesses a profound knowledge of both conventional and Islamic banking trade and PCM propositions, including supply chain financing.

Sorab is a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan and heads the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region for Financial Institutions Payments business. Covering 30+ countries, his team provides innovative payment solutions to Banks, Non-Bank Financial Institutions, Central Banks and Sovereign Wealth Funds. In addition to Financial Institutions business, Sorab is the Co-Head of J.P. Morgan Payments business in MEA where he is responsible to ensure provision of market leading payments solutions across client segments in MEA. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Sorab was the Head of Client Engagement for MEA within Deutsche Bank AG’s Transaction Banking business. He spent over 15 years in various leadership roles and was responsible for navigating the business through complex regulatory and governance environments. Sorab is a recognized industry leader and also member of the Europe, Middle East and Africa Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. He is a sponsor of Women in Payments program for the MEA region, and passionate about mentoring and developing talent. Outside of professional pursuits, Sorab enjoys playing Golf and spending quality time with his family.

Ian is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Bank ABC, leading the bank’s journey to integrate sustainability throughout the bank’s global value chain covering 15 different jurisdictions. He has over 17 years implementing sustainability within asset management and banking, having worked in London, Asia and Turkey. This has involved developing sustainability strategies and integrating sustainability into global investment processes. His extensive work experience includes being a founder of a global asset management firm, building up the firm’s institutional investor client base and managing top quartile performing global and emerging markets investment strategies. Prior to Bank ABC, Ian worked at Citigroup helping to embed environmental risk across their European corporate banking business. Ian is a Fellow of the Charted Association of Certified Accountants and has a BA (Hons) in Accountancy & Finance from Heriot-Watt University.

Selima Mehiri is the Head of Trade and Working Capital for Asia pacific and the Middle East since October, 2023 reporting to the Barclays Global Head of Trade and Working Capital. Selima has overall, 24 years experience in the International Trade Industry across corporate in the oil Giant Total Energies where starting her career in Paris, and then moving to banking for the last 17 years across different locations in Dubai, Geneva and Singapore. Before Barclays Selima worked for ABN AMRO, Natixis Bank and Rakbank where she was the Head of Trade and Commodities for 5 years and ESG leader the last year before joining Barclays. Throughout her career, she has always been active in the gender diversity topic: WINN Initiative in Natixis, part of networking forum “Women in Finance” in Switzerland and member of Diversity & Inclusion Council in Rakbank.

Jean-Claude joined StoneX in 2011 as a trader for the Payments department. In 2013, he moved to the correspondent banking team focussing on West Africa and MENA regions and, since 2016, has also been leading sales and business development in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, looking after various client segments including FIs that need to move funds across the world.

Lina is the Regional Head of Sustainable Finance, Africa & MENAP at Standard Chartered Bank. She has over 18 years of banking experience across Sustainable Finance, Corporate Finance, and investment banking, delivering innovative deal origination and execution across various industries and regions. In her current role, Lina has developed key relationships with clients advising them on sustainable finance solutions and instruments, and on suitable transition opportunities for their businesses. She also sits on various working groups with the objective of mobilizing capital towards green, social, and transition projects.

Sinan has 22 years of experience working in executive roles across various industries, focusing on several areas of banking, financial services & logistics i.e. trade & structured finance solutions, supply chain finance, new ventures and business development. Sinan joined DP World in April 2021, set up DP World Trade Finance where he continues to serve as Senior Executive Officer and Board Director, and globally leads DP World’s Trade Finance arm. In March 2017, he set up Maersk Trade Finance business in UAE, obtained regulatory license, rapidly grew business, and served as Senior Executive Officer, Board Director and Regional Trade Finance Head for Indian Subcontinent, Middle East & Africa region until 2021. Previously, Sinan was Regional Director of UK Export Finance (a British Government Department and the official Export Credit Agency of the UK) for Europe, MENA and Central Asia region, established UKEF’s overseas presence and originated trade & project finance deals. Prior to UKEF, he headed Trade Finance/Financial Services unit of CNH Industrial for Africa-Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. Before CNH, Sinan held the position as Auditor at VakifBank and covered many areas of banking & financial services.

Najma Salman is the Co-Head of Institutional Cash and Trade for Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region at Deutsche Bank, based in Dubai. In her role, Najma is responsible for Cash and Trade sales for the region, which includes a team based in Frankfurt, Dubai, Cairo, Turkey and Lagos. Najma is a seasoned professional, with over 21 years of expertise in the banking industry.

Hani is a seasoned entrepreneur with a proven track record of driving innovation in Financial Technology across the MENA region. He played a key role in modernizing Jordan’s payment infrastructure and has co-founded several successful ventures, including Madfooatcom, Drizzle-Up, and GateExpress. Currently, Hani is spearheading the development of Meltech AI, a groundbreaking Arabic language model specializing in fintech and gaming.

Oscar Sanz-Paris is CQUR Bank Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He joined the bank in May 22 and has led the bank’s digital and commercial transformation as part of a management buy-out restructure. With a passion for knowledge sharing and community engagement, Oscar has become a sought-after speaker, gracing numerous events with expertise, charisma, and insight. He is a Fellow and US ambassador for GLOBSEC, board member of United Capital, a US venture capital investor focused on Africa.

Simone is responsible for the value articulation and market support of BNY Mellon’s Digital Channels solutions. Her global team assures that we are offering optimized digital solutions and connectivity strategies that meet the needs of our clients. Simone previously headed the TS Relationship & Business Development business for Germany, Austria and the CEE Region. Prior to re-joining BNY Mellon, Simone spent 6 years with Visa in a Senior Relationship & Sales Management role. With more than 20 years experience in the payment field Simone has a deep understanding of the client base, their business models and needs paired with a prof ound knowledge of Treasury Services’ products including new payment technology & solutions.

Chris Southworth is Secretary General at the International Chamber of Commerce UK and a regular voice for business in the international media speaking on a wide range of business issues including trade, sustainability, international priorities and government policy. Chris is Co-Chair of Commonwealth Legal Reform and Digitalisation programme launched by Commonwealth Trade Ministers in June 2023, a member of the Legal Reform Advisory Board at the ICC Digital Standards Initiative and co-founder of the UK Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation. He is also a member of the ICC World Council as well as the International Advisory Board of the Queen Mary-UNIDROIT Institute of Transnational Commercial Law.

As Head of Products and Solutions, Godfrey oversees the growth, adoption and evolution of Visa’s products and services to meet the needs of the vast set of fintechs, sellers, financial institutions, and consumers Visa serves across Central & Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Godfrey’s journey at Visa began in 2021 as Senior Vice President, Head of Strategy for CEMEA, overseeing the implementation of multi-year growth plans across dynamic and diverse markets. With an extensive 25-year career in the regional banking and payments industry, Godfrey has been instrumental in rolling out a range of transformational strategies that have defined the achievements of traditional and non- traditional financial institutions.

In his current role, Daniel Szmukler is in charge of business development, thought leadership, innovation, events and educational activities. He runs the association’s working groups, the EBA day conference and EBA’s professional training seminars and schools.