Future Leaders Program

What was your job title and company when you joined the Future Leaders Class?
I was a vice president of relationship management in BNY Mellon, covering a portfolio of sovereign wealth funds in Asia Pacific and banks in South-East Asia.

What is your current job title and company you work for?
I’m currently the Asia Pacific Chief Operating Officer for Bank of America’s Global Payment Solutions team.

What has the BAFT Future Leaders Program meant to you and your career?
The BAFT Future Leaders Program has been a really meaningful milestone in my career, and a rare opportunity to step outside the day job and see the transaction banking world from a much wider lens. It brought together a group of ambitious, like-minded professionals from across the industry, all trying to solve similar challenges from very different angles. That made for some great collaboration, healthy debate, and occasionally the realization that your “local challenge” is actually a global one.

More importantly, it helped sharpen my thinking around industry trends and leadership, and gave me a strong network that has proven invaluable in practice. I remember a time when I needed help resolving a client issue involving CLS settlement, and ended up calling a fellow alumni late at night at a counterparty bank. He immediately stepped in and helped move things forward. There have been a few moments like that, where the network really came to life—not just as a professional connection, but as a trusted support system when it matters most.

Anything else you want to share about the program or BAFT?
One of the biggest takeaways from the program is just how rare this kind of platform is. There are very few programs globally that bring together future leaders from across institutions, markets, and disciplines at this scale—and do so in a way that is genuinely collaborative rather than competitive. What BAFT has created is more than just a training program; it’s a community that encourages open dialogue, idea-sharing, and collective problem-solving across the industry. I hope the program will continue to benefit future leaders for many more years to come.

What was your job title and company when you joined the Future Leaders Class?

At the time of joining the BAFT Future Leaders Class of 2023, I was a Senior Treasury Manager at Bank Mendes Gans which is a business unit of ING Bank in the Netherlands. My responsibilities covered trading operations and liquidity management while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and organizational objectives.

What is your current job title and company you work for?

Currently, I am the Head of Treasury of Bank Mendes Gans. In this leadership role, I oversee all facets of treasury operations including investment strategies and risk management.

What has the BAFT Future Leaders Program meant to you and your career?

The program has been an exceptional way to deepen my knowledge of Transaction Banking beyond Cash Management. It has equipped me with a broader understanding of the field, enhancing my ability to contribute strategically to my organization.

One of the highlights has been working and learning alongside peers from various organizations. This experience exposed me to other perspectives and insights, which enriched my understanding of the industry. Additionally, the program has provided invaluable opportunities to network both within and outside my organization. These connections have expanded my professional network and opened doors to new collaborations.

Anything else you want to share about the program or BAFT?

Reflecting on my journey, the Future Leaders program stands out as a significant milestone in my career. It provided an incredible opportunity to connect with peers from around the globe, exchange perspectives and grow together.

I am deeply honored and grateful to been elected as Co-Chair of the Future Leaders Council. Together we will strive to further develop the program and BAFT global forum.

What was your job title and company when you joined the Future Leaders Class?

Vice President, Relationship Manager in the International Financial Institutions group at PNC Bank

What is your current job title and company you work for?

Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Head of International Financial Institutions group at PNC Bank

What has the BAFT Future Leaders Program meant to you and your career?

I have been fortunate to join BAFT community early on in my career, for years finding myself as one of the very few junior bankers in attendance. I was part of the inaugural cohort of the Future Leaders program in 2015.  The program gave me an opportunity for greater engagement with BAFT as an organization, collaborating on unique challenges within the industry and by growing my professional network.

This experience further fostered my career as well as propelled my integration with the Global Transaction Banking community. My engagement with BAFT continued to expand, I served as an advisor for BAFT’s Certificate in Introductory Transaction Banking, currently in my last term as a co-chair of the BAFT’s Future Leaders Council, as well as serving on the Americas council and the Board of Directors.

Anything else you want to share about the program or BAFT?

The Future Leaders program is a great start to get involved with BAFT. There is a tremendous amount of value that BAFT offers to its members, hence individual contributions whether you are just starting out or an alumni is critical to the continued success and succession for the industry.

What was your job title and company when you joined the Future Leaders Class?
When I joined the Future Leaders Program in 2019, I was a Vice President on the StoneX Payments sales team in New York. I had recently transitioned from the Client Services team at StoneX and was just beginning my career in sales.

What is your current job title and company you work for?
I have since been promoted to Senior Vice President of StoneX Payments. In my current role, I help financial institutions expand their local currency payment capabilities.

What has the BAFT Future Leaders Program meant to you and your career?
I have always enjoyed BAFT conferences because of the great group of people who attend year after year. I was the first Future Leader from StoneX and the opportunity to meet other young professionals in my industry from around the world was unlike anything I’d ever done before. The program allowed me to expand my network professionally, but also personally. I have friends I still stay in touch with today, 5 years later.

I had the opportunity to be a Future Leaders Mentor this past year, and that was one of the most rewarding experiences for me. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some truly exceptional mentors – some of whom I’ve met through BAFT – so I find the opportunity to step into that role for someone else to be very fulfilling.

Anything else you want to share about the program or BAFT?
I am very excited to begin my role of Co-Chair of the Future Leaders Council. I welcome any thoughts on how we can continue to build on the program, including opportunities to stay involved post-graduation. Thank you for this opportunity!

What was your job title and company when you joined the Future Leaders Class?
When joining the BAFT Future Leaders Class of 2020, I had just completed my traineeship within Credit Suisse’s FI department, and had assumed responsibility for an emerging markets FI portfolio. As a junior RM, I was predominantly looking after the MENA region, thereby working closely with the bank’s (Commodity) Trade Finance teams.

What is your current job title and company you work for?
Presently, I work for Zürcher Kantonalbank, Switzerland’s second-largest, albeit lesser-known universal bank. In my role as Vice President of Financial Institutions, I predominantly look after the FI groups in North America, Benelux and selected African markets.

What has the BAFT Future Leaders Program meant to you and your career?
It’s been a highlight, both from a professional, but also a personal perspective. Our group’s topic being somewhat more technical, it offered an excellent opportunity to acquire a deeper understanding of an issue that had been gaining topicality in the transaction banking industry. More generally, the program has been a springboard to broaden and complement my network. Lastly, being a part of the Future Leaders class has been a lot of fun.

Anything else you want to share about the program or BAFT?
I highly recommend it. If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be to develop and maintain your network with your Future Leaders colleagues during the program and also after graduation. With the FI and trade finance community being a ‘small world’, the BAFT Future Leaders network can prove to be a valuable resource beyond just the immediate term.

What was your job title and company when you joined the Future Leaders Class?
Head of Northern Europe, Transaction Services Financial Institutions, NatWest

What is your current job title and company you work for?
Managing Director, Banks Coverage Transaction Banking, NatWest

What has the BAFT Future Leaders Program meant to you and your career?
The fundamental impact at the time of joining the program was an increase in exposure to a multitude of opportunities outside of my direct responsibilities at NatWest. This included expanding my professional network with ambitious peers at a similar seniority level across the industry, determined to become significant contributors to the Transaction Banking agenda, specifically in regions and with institutions I had less day to day interaction. This was further enhanced with networking opportunities with and insights from global senior leaders focused on nurturing future talent, demonstrating a truly open and collaborative approach in supporting the leaders of tomorrow. The program itself exposed me and other Future Leaders to consider key topics affecting the industry through the demanding project work, which had the combined effect of enhancing industry knowledge but also further enhancing my professional network in seeking SME input to deliver the project. Since completing the program and by staying involved in BAFT, the exposure to an enhanced network as well as the opportunity to be involved in the debate on key topics affecting our industry, have provided a solid foundation to progress my career at NatWest, most recently taking on global responsibility for our FI Transaction Banking relationships. Fundamentally, the Transaction Banking community relies on strong collaboration, trusted relationships, diversity of opinion and a drive to improve and innovate global payments and trade, for which the Future Leaders Program provides the perfect introduction. I’m extremely grateful to BAFT for providing these opportunities, and to NatWest for sponsoring me into the program, and am confident that my application to contributing to our industry in this way has had a very strong and positive impact on my career.

Anything else you want to share about the program or BAFT?
Looking back, I can’t deny the program itself was also tremendously fun and delivers a lot of the key positives of working in Transaction Banking. Opportunities to meet new people, experience new cultures and geographical locations, impact the future of the real economy, and make new friends. It’s been a pleasure staying involved in BAFT and given the level of change and transformation in all aspects effecting our industry I’m looking forward to further developing my knowledge and supporting the talent of tomorrow in a similar way.

What was your job title and company when you joined the Future Leaders Class?
Senior Manager at Deloitte

What is your current job title and company you work for?
Managing Director at Deloitte

What has the Future Leaders program meant to you and your career?
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have graduated from BAFT’s inaugural Future Leader’s program seven years ago. It was an incredibly inspiring program that not only provided insights into the current issues facing transaction banking, but also helped me create meaningful business relationships (and friendships!) across the industry and the world.
As a former BAFT Future Leaders graduate, I am also thankful for the opportunity to be part of BAFT’s leadership as a member of the BAFT’s Board of Directors and ExCo. But my greatest appreciation comes from the chance to mentor and sponsor subsequent classes of BAFT Future Leaders, who I am very proud of to see graduate.

Anything else you want to share about the program or BAFT?
I consider the BAFT community to be my family, full of friends, colleagues, coaches and mentors I plan to carry with me throughout my career. BAFT is an incredible organization that brings together a network of professionals and leaders that are here to shape the presence and future of transaction banking, while tackling some of the most pressing industry challenges such as geopolitical forces, economic and trade sanctions, regulatory changes, supply chain disruptions, digitization and other innovation trends.