OUR SPEAKERS
Alex Dunn
Head of Transaction Banking at National Bank of Kuwait
Amr is a seasoned banker with profound expertise in Trade Finance, Cash Management, and Working Capital solutions. His multifaceted experience encompasses team leadership, sales, product management across Corporate, Financial Institutions (FI), and Sovereign Funds sectors. In 1998, Amr embarked on his banking journey with Citibank, concluding in 2009 as the MENA Trade Sales Head. Among his myriad achievements at Citibank, he was thrice recognized within four years with the GTS Chairman club membership. Moreover, he secured multiple nominations as the top sales officer across EMEA.
Amr has then moved to Standard Chartered Bank to manage a team of experienced product managers to meet the strategic objectives of the trade business Subsequently, Amr spent a transformative 12 years at JPMorgan, initially as the MENA Head of Trade Product Management. His trajectory saw him overseeing EMEA Traditional Trade before globally helming funded solutions.
Throughout his tenure, Amr masterminded intricate solutions for diverse entities, from oil magnates in the Middle East to PoS companies in Latin America. He notably spearheaded a groundbreaking initiative to restructure all Trade Finance solutions, encompassing product standardization, agreement simplification, and sales training. Transitioning into tech, Amr steered CEEMEA Working Capital Digital Solutions at Kyriba. He crafts the region’s strategic market direction, pinpoints opportunities, and aids Kyriba's clientele in their digital metamorphosis.
Amr currently looks after Transaction Banking for National Bank of Kuwait. In this role, Amr leads the development and management of Transaction Banking products aiming to enhance the bank's product suite and foster business growth. Beyond his corporate commitments, Amr serves on the board of ITFA Middle East. Here, he champions the proliferation of state-of-the-art trade finance solutions, elucidating digital trade's virtues to regulators, banks, and corporations.
Since settling in Dubai in 2008, Amr has cultivated a robust network with premier enterprises and banks across MENA and further afield. He has frequently represented his affiliations at eminent forums, including GTR, EURO Finance, and SIBOS. Drawing from his vast regional insights, Amr contributes articles to an e-magazine, shedding light on the Transaction Banking landscape. A staunch advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion, Amr's personal passions lie in Aquascaping and photography. He is also deeply involved in philanthropic endeavors.
Or Liban
VP of Middle East and EU Enterprise at Airwallex
Liban leads Airwallex's regional expansion and operations, driving growth in key markets. With over 15 years of experience in Sales, Business Development, and Partnerships, he has a strong track record of scaling global businesses. Previously, he headed Google’s Global Partnerships team across the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Turkey, the EU and Russia. His expertise in hyper-growth businesses and deep knowledge of Middle Eastern markets and the EU make him indispensable to Airwallex and its clients.
Ramy Fahmy
Regional Treasury Lead - MENA at Jacobs Solutions Inc.
A seasoned finance professional specializing in strategic treasury operations, with a strong commitment to developing future finance leaders through training programs and leadership initiatives.
Regularly engages in discussions on leadership, financial agility, and sustainability with a conversational and approachable style. Outside professional activities, enjoys spending quality time with family and participating in community-driven educational initiatives.
Najma Salman
Managing Director - Co-Head Institutional Cash & Trade CEEMEA Region at Deutsche Bank
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, she is responsible for Cash and Trade sales for the region, which includes a team based in Frankfurt, Dubai, Cairo, Turkey and Lagos. She is a seasoned professional, with over 21 years of expertise in the banking industry. Commencing her journey in Corporate Banking at the National Bank of Dubai in 2002, she moved to Deutsche Bank in 2008, where she served as a Client KYC Officer and
subsequently led the KYC team. Having joined Sales in 2016, she transitioned to leading the team in 2022. Najma has completed her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Madurai University in India. She is also a Certified Anti Money Laundering specialist and an Associate of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.
Bahaadeen Merhi
Commercial Director & Regional Head of Partnership at Coface
Bahaadeen Merhi is the Head of Underwriting at Coface Credit Insurance. Coface is a multinational trade credit insurance company with direct and indirect presence in more than 100 countries and takes risks in more than 200 countries. Bahaa’s experience spans over 15 years, heading the Risk Underwriting, Credit Information and Policy Underwriting departments. In his roles, he has built Risk Underwriting Models to enhance risk mitigation, as well as Policy Underwriting Rules and Procedures, to strengthen ties with partners and policyholders. Prior to his role at Coface, Bahaa held several senior positions in reputable organizations such as Lebanese Credit Insurer, Obeji Chemicals Group (UAE), Rafco Trading Company, and Al Mawarid Bank. He holds a BS Degree in Business Banking and Finance from the Lebanese American University (2005) and is a certified Documentary Credit Specialist (CDCS).
Bharat Gupta
Sr VP & Head – Trade and Structured Finance at Olam Global Agri
Bharat Gupta is a veteran finance professional with more than 30 years of experience across Banking and Commodity Trading Companies. His expertise lies in structuring innovative trade finance strategies for supplier and customer finance that drive profitability, optimize working capital, build asset-light and debt-light solutions. Bharat has built and scaled businesses across Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Africa markets while working in India, Singapore and Dubai.
Bharat's career spans tenures with Olam Group, Louis Dreyfus Company, Cargill and large global MNC banks. He is currently based out of Dubai, UAE and manages his business as Sr VP and Head - Trade and Structured Finance, Asia and EMEA at Olam Agri.
Huny Garg
Country Head KSA at SWIFT
Hamayoun Khan
Head of Trade & Working Capital at Commercial Bank of Dubai
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.
Lord Edward Udny-Lister
Co-Chair at UAE-UK Business Council
Lord Udny-Lister was ennobled by the Queen on the 6th November 2020 and took his seat in the House of Lords on the 19th May 2021. He was made a Privy Councillor on the 10th March 2021. Lord Udny-Lister served on the House of Lords International Agreements Committee from 2022 ton 2025 and now serves on the Industry and Regulators Committee. In the Middle East he is the Joint Chair of the UK UAE Business Council and a Director of the UK Saudi Business Council and a member of its Advisory Board. In Business Lord Lister is a Director of Gemcorp Capital Management Ltd and Chair of its UAE business. From July 2019 to January 2021, Lord Udny-Lister was the Prime Minister’s Senior Strategic Adviser based in 10 Downing Street. In that role he was responsible for Business, Trade, International Affairs and he had a specific responsibility for the Gulf. Prior to that, he was Chairman of Homes England 2016 to 2019. Homes England was responsible for the UK Governments land holdings for housing and the planning processes to make them investable. He was also responsible for the provision of the Help to Buy and Affordable Grants programmes. From 2016 he was also an adviser on inward investment at the Department of International Trade and a non-Executive Director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. From 2011 to 2016, he was Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor of London responsible for Policy and Planning and was Leader of the London Borough of Wandsworth 1992 to 2011. He also served on the London Legacy Development Corporation from 2011 to 2016(the body responsible for the Olympic Park) and was the Chair of the Old Oak Common Development Corporation 2014 to 2016 which was the regeneration Authority for an extensive area of west London. In 2012 he had responsibility for all business engagement around the Olympic Games in London. From 2013 to 2016, he was Chairman of London & Partners – London’s investment agency. Lord Udny-Lister was knighted for Services to Local Government in 2011. His achievements in regeneration have been widely recognised and in 2011 was made a Freeman of the London Borough of Wandsworth. In 2014, he was awarded the London First Award and Estates Gazette London Award. He is also a Freeman of the City of London.
Aleem Siddiqui
Head of Finance - Gulf region at BRF
Aleem Siddiqui is the Head of Finance for the Gulf region with nine years of experience at BRF. Specialising in the FMCG sector, Aleem oversees the treasury functions for the GCC, Latin America, and the Far East. Their current responsibilities also include managing FP&A for the Middle East and Finance Controlling for regional factories. With a solid background in FP&A, finance operations, and revenue management, Aleem is dedicated to optimising financial performance and driving operational excellence across diverse markets.
Michal Ron
Chief International Business Officer at SACE Italy
Michal is the Chief International Business Officer of SACE, holding responsibility for the Overseas Network, 15 offices across the globe.
From 2020 to 2022, Michal was the elected President of the Berne Union, the global association of export credit and investment insurers, where she also served as Vice President from 2014 to 2016.
From 2018 to 2021 Michal acted as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATIDI), where she also held a director position until July 2023. From 2017 to 2020, she served as the first Secretary General of the International Working Group (IWG), a multilateral initiative between OECD and non-OECD countries aimed at setting common rules for official export credit support.
Yan Bechet
Chief Operating Officer, UAE at HSBC Bank Middle East Limited
Yan Bechet is the Chief Operating Officer for HSBC in the UAE, leading operations across one of the bank’s most strategically important markets in the region. He brings over 20 years of international banking experience, having held senior roles in the UK, France, Germany, Egypt, and the UAE.
Prior to his current role, Yan served as COO of Corporate Banking UAE, where he led key functions including client due diligence, onboarding, and financial crime risk. He also led Corporate Banking across Dubai and Northern Emirates.
He is actively engaged in driving operational excellence, regulatory engagement and transformation, and digital enablement across the bank.
Graham Scopes
UAE and Kuwait Country Head at UK Export Finance
Graham Scopes joined UKEF in January 2022. Graham brings with him over 35 years of commercial and investment banking experience, gained in London and the Middle East, living in the Gulf since 1997. He has a strong track record of originating, structuring, executing and syndicating diverse transactions, as well as establishing successful and trusted client relationships.
He worked for JP Morgan Chase for 19 years, completing his ‘credit training’ in New York. 12 years in London as a multi-products banker to energy clients in Europe, Africa and the Middle East; followed by four years in Bahrain, originating Corporate Finance transactions for clients across the GCC.
Graham spent a further 16 years with Bank ABC (formerly Arab Banking Corporation), headquartered in Bahrain, leading its Corporate, Project and Structured Finance business and Wholesale Banking (five departments). His team developed a >$6bn risk assets portfolio in the Middle East and North Africa, across all significant regional industries, while establishing a successful project finance advisory franchise.
Graham was appointed to Board positions for eight years, including Vice Chairman of ABC Islamic Bank, and then Chairman of ABC Tunisie. He represented the Wholesale Banking division on all major Head Office management committees, including Credit, Risk and Compliance – and co-led a bank-wide transformation programme with McKinsey.
Graham Scopes brings to UKEF a diverse and strong track record of delivering financing solutions across multiple geographies and industries. Since joining UKEF in Dubai, Graham has originated a significant pipeline of transaction opportunities and established a reputation for clearly presenting export financing support solutions to potential buyers and UK suppliers.
Sagar Kasare
Head - Trade Finance at Axis Bank, Dubai
Trade Finance leader with 15+ year’s experience driving client acquisition, revenue growth, and product innovation. Proven track record in building relationships with top Indian conglomerates and leading DIFC branch growth, while managing a diverse portfolio across structure trade finance, risk participation, and digital trade finance solutions.
Fatenah El Danab
Head of Trade and Working Capital, Middle East at Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank
Fatenah El Danab is currently the Head of Trade & Working Capital for Middle East at Barclays, focused on developing the Trade & Working Capital franchise with Financial Institutions and Global Corporates in key Middle East locations. Fatenah has over 20 years of banking experience in the GCC region and has previously held positions at Bank of America, HSBC, QInvest and other rinvestment banks. She holds an MBA from NYU Stern with an exchange at London Business School, having attended both institutions as a Mohammed Bin Rashed Fellow.
She is also the Vice Chair of ITFA Middle East’s Regional Committee and Member of the Governance Council for BAFT ME’s Women in Transaction Banking.
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Ashish Gokhale
Executive ‑ Business Development Strategic Marketing and Communications at National Bank of Fujairah PJSC
Ashish is responsible for driving NBF’s ESG strategy, policy and reporting. He has also developed the Sustainable Finance portfolio proposition for the bank.
A seasoned banker with an experience spanning 2 decades in the industry across India and the UAE, he has earlier worked in Standard Chartered and Citi across transaction banking, supply chain financing and credit structuring.
Ashish is a Mechanical Engineer and a postgraduate in Management from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. He is also a Certified Green and Sustainable Finance Professional (Chartered Banker) and holds the Certificate in ESG Investing, CFA.
Rasheed Hinnawi
Chairman at ITFA MERC Solutions Inc.
Rasheed relocated with HSBC from London to Dubai in 2019 to set up a Portfolio Management & Distribution hub in MENA and Turkey (MENAT) for the region’s Global Trade & Receivables Finance business. His primary responsibilities include effective management of the MENAT Trade Finance book and enabling healthy growth through primary & secondary distribution to a diverse investor base.
He has over 15 years of international banking experience with an extensive MENA focus. Prior to HSBC, Rasheed was the Head of Financial Institutions, Trade and MENA Corporates at Europe Arab Bank. He holds an MSc in International Banking & Finance and is a Certified Trade Finance Specialist.
Hans Moerman
CFO at DP World Digital
Hans Moerman is the CFO at DP World Digital, a global leader in logistics and smart trade solutions. In this role, Hans is responsible for driving the strategy for digital freight and trade solutions, delivering DP World's internal digital transformation and commercialisation of DP World’s systems. Prior to joining DP World, he led the enterprise sales strategy for Asia Pacific at Amazon Web Services and held the CFO position at Lazada Logistics. With a background in private equity, Hans brings a strategic financial perspective to his role. Hans holds a bachelor's in Physics from Leiden University and a master's in Quantitative Finance from Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Marcelo Moulin
Head of Trade and Working Capital Sales, Middle East and Africa at Citi
Marcelo is a highly accomplished sales leader with over 18 years of expertise in the banking sector. He currently spearheads the Trade Sales team across the Middle East and Pakistan.
Beginning his career as a trainee at Citi in 2007, Marcelo has cultivated a diverse background across various sales roles, regions, and business lines. His journey included a tenure in the Corporate Solutions Group Sales within Markets, followed by a move to Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS), where he provided comprehensive Cash, Trade, and Cards solutions to corporate clients before taking on his current leadership role in trade sales.
Known for driving significant growth and transformation, Marcelo consistently demonstrates a client-oriented focus throughout his extensive Markets and TTS experience. His global perspective is honed by spending approximately half of his career overseas, with pivotal assignments in Brazil, Russia, the UK, and the UAE.
Marcelo holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, a Post-Graduation in Business Economics, and an Executive Leadership certification from the University of Oxford.
Vinit Mishra
Head of Treasury – Nutrisco (ETG Group) | FCMA, CGMA, CIMA (UK), CTP at ETG Group
Vinit Mishra serves as Head of Treasury at Nutrisco (ETG Group), where he focuses on building resilient and efficient financial frameworks across liquidity management, trade finance, and sustainable finance. With professional certifications including FCMA, CGMA, CTP, and CIMA (UK), he brings a thoughtful and collaborative approach to treasury leadership.
Over the years, Vinit has contributed to several award-winning initiatives, including recognition at the ADAM SMITH Asia Awards for treasury and funding solutions, and The Asset Triple A Award for ESG-focused trade finance. These acknowledgements reflect his commitment to practical, purpose-driven financial strategies.
Vinit is passionate about fostering dialogue within the treasury community and sharing insights that help organisations navigate complexity and change with confidence.
Sinan Ozcan
Senior Executive Officer & Board Director for DP World Trade Finance
Sinan has 25 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 the Maersk Trade Finance business in the UAE, obtained a regulatory license, rapidly grew the business, and served as Senior Executive Officer, Board Director and Regional Trade Finance Head for the Indian Subcontinent, the 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 the Trade Finance/Financial Services unit of CNH Industrial for the Africa-Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions.
Before CNH, Sinan held the position of Auditor at VakifBank and covered many areas of banking & financial services.
Sinan holds an MBA degree from Philadelphia University and a Master’s Degree in Banking & Entrepreneurship from the joint program of Venice & Udine Universities in Italy. Sinan speaks English, Italian, Turkish, French, and German and lived & worked in Turkey, the USA, Italy, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE.
Ahmed Salahy
Head of Strategic Partnerships at Careem Pay
Ahmed Salahy is the Head of Strategic Partnerships at Careem Pay, the FinTech division of Careem, where he has played a key role since joining in 2021. In this role, Ahmed leads the development of strategic partnerships across product, tech, and commercial partnerships with FinTechs, PSPs, partner banks, regulatory bodies and global payment schemes. His primary focus is on building seamless, digitally integrated customer experiences and sustainable value props for Careem Pay’s suite of financial services and payment products. By delivering simplified digital payment acceptance and streamlined disbursement solutions, Ahmed aims to drive growth and expand Careem Pay’s footprint across the MENAP region.
Before joining Careem, Ahmed led payment partnerships at Network International (NI), the leading payment processor in the Middle East and Africa, where he managed a comprehensive portfolio of payment processing and merchant solutions, supporting both issuers and acquirers across the MEA region. Previously, he held strategic roles at Amazon Payment Services (formerly PayFort) in the UAE, where he was responsible for driving growth through strategy, product development, and business expansion across the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Ahmed began his career at HSBC Bank in Egypt as a Senior Investment Associate, where he developed expertise in product development, investment analysis, and portfolio management.
Ahmed holds a Master’s degree in International Finance and Management from Royal Holloway, University of London, a Postgraduate Diploma in Investment Management from the American University in Cairo (AUC), and a Bachelor’s degree in Financial Management from the Arab Academy for Science and Technology (AAST).
Ahmad Dabbousi
Regional Vice President - Head of Trade Credit at ACE Gallagher
Ahmad Dabbousi is the Regional Vice President - Head of Trade Credit at ACE Gallagher, where he leads the firm’s trade credit operations across the GCC. With over 17 years of experience in insurance and financial services, he has a proven track record in building and scaling business lines, structuring complex reinsurance programs, and driving sustainable growth. His leadership is marked by a strategic focus on market expansion, developing distribution networks, and designing innovative credit solutions for corporates and financial institutions. Ahmad is widely recognised as a leading voice in trade credit insurance across the Middle East and emerging markets.
Maninder Bhandari
Director at Derby Group
Maninder Bhandari has 40+ years of multinational experience gathered from his work in Latin America/Caribbean (Sao Paulo, Brazil), North America (Miami), Far East (Hong Kong & Singapore) & Middle East/Africa (Dubai) with regional leadership roles, board positions and as CEO of multiple businesses.
Via his years at HSBC, ABN AMRO and The Bank of New York Mellon in regional and global positions - he had specific responsibility for the respective regions, Mr Bhandari has seen multiple downturns and crisis (Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina, USA) yet steered the businesses to strategic growth. At the Bank of New York Mellon, Mr Bhandari had regional responsibility of over 30 countries in Middle East & Africa.
His quest for inorganic growth and leadership led him to be a founding partner of a Private Equity fund, investing in mid-cap companies in the IT/Education/Health care sectors. He was a board member of the investee companies prior to his sale of his interests in the fund. Whilst growing the fund via raising growth capital and investing in cross border deals, Mr Bhandari was also partner/director in a group providing non core back office services, which group now has 13 companies and 5000 staff. Mr Bhandari sold his interests to a USA Nasdaq listed multinational.
Concurrent to the above, Mr Bhandari was an advisor to an UAE financial institution and spearheaded a team to set up a new onshore bank in the UAE to promote trade with Africa & East Europe – the new frontiers of growth.
Subsequently, as CEO of a 4-company group, Mr Bhandari nursed the group to financial stability despite trying circumstances, which required a strategic turnaround.
He currently is an independent advisor to Ernst & Young as well a Director on multiple entities involving FinTech, Back Office Services, and International Operations.
Mr Bhandari enjoys public speaking and has written articles (published in finance magazines and in daily newspapers) on a wide range of commercial subjects. He remains on the editorial board of a global trade publication based out of London (UK) and continues to be a Speaker/Chair of trade conferences.
Mohamed Kortam
Regional Treasurer – Middle East & Afric at Lesaffre
Kortam is the Regional Treasurer for Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, one of Lesaffre’s largest, encompassing over 70 countries, 14 entities, 8 production sites, 7 Baking Centers and 7 Baking Ingredient Units, in key countries like UAE, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, and Kenya
Kortam has led several financing solutions for Africa businesses including Syndicated loans, ECA facilities, discounting facilities, supply chain financing facilities and bilateral facilities. In addition to formulating strategies and building business custom models to manage Liquidity, FX exposure and finance charges associated risks.
Kortam is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), with over a decade of diversified finance experience in the areas of corporate finance, working capital management and financial risk management across various industries including Heavy machinery, FMCG and Pharma focusing on the region of Africa and the Middle East.
Ayman Al Rayess
Commercial Director at Allianz Trade
Ayman Rayess is the Commercial Director of Allianz Trade Middle East, leading all commercial activities, including sales, account management, underwriting, and marketing. With 15 years of experience in trade credit insurance, he focused on building high-performing teams and developing strategic commercial approaches to drive top-line growth.
He has played a key role in restructuring the Saudi business to market leadership and achieving record-breaking growth for the company in the region. His next focus is on expanding the growth of Trade credit insurance through financial institutions.
Sachin Rustagi
Head Trade Finance of Wio Bank PJSC
Sachin is a seasoned banking professional and leads the Trade Finance team at WIO Bank. With extensive experience across international banks, he specialises in fundraising, structured trade finance, debt management, and syndications, with a strong focus on the UAE and African markets.
Varun Divecha
Head of Commercial – Middle East at Atradius
Varun Divecha serves as the Head of Commercial – Middle East at Atradius. He is based in Dubai and is responsible for steering regional growth and strengthening Atradius’s market presence in the Middle East.
With nearly two decades of experience in financial services, his career reflects a steady progression through roles requiring strategic insight and operational excellence.
He began in banking, spending seven years building a strong foundation in financial analysis and operations. He later transitioned into the credit insurance industry, where he has spent the past 12 years. His journey spans roles from Account Manager to leading regional commercial teams, shaping market strategies, driving revenue growth, and supporting businesses in mitigating credit risk across local and international markets.
Throughout his career, Varun has focused on building strong commercial strategies, fostering client relationships, and leading teams that deliver measurable impact. He is passionate about helping businesses navigate new markets and expand with confidence by leveraging trade credit insurance to mitigate risk while enabling growth.
Ghansham Das
Head Group TBML Quality Assurance at Habib Bank AG Zurich
With 21 years of banking experience, Ghansham brings deep expertise in Trade Finance, Trade Compliance, Financial Crimes, and Risk Management. Holding an MBA and Junior Associateship certification from the IBP Pakistan, he began his career in 2005 as a Management Trainee Officer at Habib Bank AG Zurich and has since maintained a 20-year-long standing association with the HBZ Group.
Throughout his tenure, he has led various key units within Habib Metro Bank Pakistan, including serving as Head Doc Collection Unit and Head FE Helpdesk, a dedicated team established to educate branches on FE regulations compliance. In 2020, he transitioned to the Compliance function of HMB Pakistan as Head TBML Monitoring Unit, which he built from the ground up, where robust controls were developed and implemented to mitigate TBML risks across the bank.
In January this year, he started at the HBZ Group Office in the UAE as Head Group TBML Quality Assurance, a specialised unit tasked with assessing the quality of TBML processes, identifying critical issues, and providing strategic recommendations to strengthen the compliance and risk management framework across all subsidiaries of Habib Bank AG Zurich.
Murad Fuad Awwad Fakhouri
Claims & Recoveries Manager at Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI)
Murad Fakhouri is an experienced leader adept at credit risk management and claims operations, currently overseeing claims at Etihad Credit Insurance - the UAE’s federal export credit agency. With over 14 years of experience in the financial and insurance sectors, Murad has extensive expertise in strategic thinking, operational excellence, and client-centric innovation.
Throughout his meritorious career, he has played a pivotal role in transforming claims operations, enhancing client servicing standards, and integrating legal, underwriting, and recovery strategies into streamlined claims frameworks. Murad is also experienced in cross-border trade risk, debt recovery, as well as legal enforcement processes, and he frequently collaborates with international partners and financial institutions.
A passionate advocate for knowledge sharing and industry development, Murad has contributed to various policy development and internal training programs. His practical expertise and strategic foresight make him a valued voice within the realm of credit insurance and sovereign export support.
Vincent O’Brien
Director at ICC UAE
Vincent has been actively involved in trade finance for more than a quarter of a century and has delivered technical assistance for trade finance in more than 100 countries. Vincent’s primary activity is trade facilitation with the major Multilateral Development Banks, and his recognised speciality is trade-related dispute resolution, where he often acts as Expert Witness in Trade Disputes and Legal Cases.
Vincent also holds the position of Associate Director of the Institute of International Banking Law and Practice (IIBLP).
