Global Wave of Protectionism Forecasted at Annual International Credit Executives Conference

Highly Anticipated I.C.E. Conference Gathers Sharpest Minds in International Credit Management

COLUMBIA, MD – To stay abreast of the many economic complications caused by the global credit crisis, international credit professionals from across North America and Europe gathered at the Drake Hotel in Chicago for executive-level education and to benefit from the wealth of rich networking opportunities provided by FCIB - the premier association of practitioners in Finance, Credit and International Business established in 1919.

Keynote speaker John Caslione, who is President, Founder and CEO of GCS Business Capital LLC and co-author of the newly released book, Chaotics: The Business of Managing and Marketing in The Age of Turbulence, launched the conference by discussing why the effects of the current global recession will be felt for years after it officially ends. “The world economy has entered a new economic stage: from normality to turbulence…what we’re going to have now is chaos punctuated by normality,” explained Caslione after describing how global economic interconnectivity, short-sighted management policies and the substantial rise in protectionist policies will be the major causes of this history-defining shift.

Some of the sharpest minds in the world of international credit management reiterated and questioned Caslione’s unprecedented ideas during other presentations throughout the conference, providing a stimulating, academic debate and further illustrating not only the complexity of defining the current crisis, but also the difficulty that country leaders are experiencing when determining how best to move forward in today’s volatile global economy.

As the conference proceeded, attendees actively engaged in discussions on how the global credit crisis will affect bankruptcy systems around the globe, best practices for risk management, and region-by-region analysis of current market conditions. FCIB’s well-known Roundtable Forum further provided timely answers to attendees’ specific questions.

“FCIB’s international conferences are a great source of very useful information for credit professionals. I am glad to be a member and highly recommend it to others,” wrote 2009 attendee Aida Beharovic, CICP and Credit Analyst for GLS Corporation (PolyOne Corporation). An anonymous attendee also commented, “I always look forward to the Annual FCIB I.C.E. Conference for networking and receiving new international information.”

This year’s unparalleled program agenda created dynamic discussion at networking events, which were supported by FCIB’s sponsors – Atradius, Coface, CreditPointe, EulerHermes ACI, FCIA, International Risk Consultants Inc., ICBA, RBS, Wachovia and Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co. LPA.

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About FCIB
Established in 1919, FCIB is known as the premier association of export credit and trade finance professionals worldwide. Through its unique network of experts and suite of services, FCIB is a trusted source for members providing business credit insight, advice and intelligence to help companies do business internationally. FCIB’s parent, NACM (National Association of Credit Management) is a non-profit organization representing nearly 20,000 businesses in the U.S. Established in 1896, NACM is ‘the voice of business credit’ in America and one of the oldest and largest credit organizations in the world.