FCIB's 20th Annual Global Conference

Walter (Buddy) Baker has over 30 years of experience in international trade finance. In May 2009 he joined Fifth Third Bank as head of their Trade Services Sales team, based in Chicago. Fifth Third is one of the 20 largest banks in the US and provides a full range of risk mitigation and financing products for exports and importers. Prior to Fifth Third, Buddy worked for Atradius Trade Credit Insurance, ABN AMRO Bank, Bank of America, Wachovia Bank, and The First National Bank of Chicago.

Buddy is a recognized expert in trade finance and author of numerous magazine articles and the books Users’ Handbook for Documentary Credits under UCP 600, Documentary Payments & Short-Term Trade Finance, and The Regulatory Environment of Letters of Credit and Trade Finance. He makes frequent presentations for national associations of exporters, importers, bankers, and lawyers. Mr. Baker serves as a member-at-large of the National Letter of Credit Committee of the International Financial Services Association and to be actively involved in establishing national and worldwide standard practices for L/Cs. He acts as an advisor to the Wolfsberg Group, an international group that includes most of the largest banks in the world, whose purpose is to set standards for combating money laundering, and to the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice. Buddy also serves on the Advisory Council of the FCIB, a multinational association of export credit managers.

Buddy earned his undergraduate degree from Yale and his MBA from Northwestern.

LTG (Ret.) Daniel Christman is responsible for representing the U.S. Chamber before foreign business leaders and government officials and for providing strategic leadership on international issues affecting the business community. He oversees a team of policy analysts and program coordinators who are committed to global business engagement. He lectures extensively on foreign policy and national defense topics, including the ongoing war against international terrorism. His experience and his deep knowledge of foreign policy fuels each incendiary presentation.

Before joining the Chamber, Christman served for two years as the president and executive director of the Kimsey Foundation, where he helped launch a program on political reform in China in coordination with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Christman, a career military officer who retired from active duty in 2001, served for five years as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also served for two years as assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during which time he traveled with and advised Secretary of State Warren Christopher. He was centrally involved during this period with negotiations between Israel and Syria as a member of the Secretary’s Middle East Peace Team. Further, Christman represented the United States as a member of NATO’s Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium.

Christman served as a military analyst for CNN International during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a frequent contributor to CNN, and has also appeared on ABC, FOX, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN, to discuss defense and national security issues. During the Gulf War in 1991, he headed a strategic planning group that advised the Army’s chief of staff on war prosecution policies.

Graduating first in his class from West Point, Dan also received MPA and MSE degrees in public affairs and civil engineering from Princeton University and graduated with honors from the George Washington University Law School. He is a decorated combat veteran of Southeast Asia, where he commanded a company in the 101st Airborne Division in 1969. On four occasions, Christman has been awarded the Army and Defense Distinguished Service Medal, which is the Defense Department’s highest peacetime award. Christman serves as a member on the Council of Foreign Relations and on the board of directors of United Services Automobile Association, Entegris Corporation, and Ultralife Batteries, Inc.

Mona Ghazzaoui, CFA is senior vice president and North America head of Supply Chain Financing solutions at RBS. Based in Montreal, Canada, Ms. Ghazzaoui is responsible for developing RBS’s transaction banking franchise in Canada and the U.S. In this role, she oversees product development, positioning and sales strategy, pricing, training and delivery of the Bank’s account receivable purchase and supply side receivable purchase programs to corporate customers. Ms. Ghazzaoui was formerly responsible for trade services sales to large corporates in Canada.

Prior to joining the bank, Ms. Ghazzaoui worked at Banque de la Mediterranee in Lebanon. She was also a lecturer at Beirut University College.

Ms. Ghazzaoui holds both bachelor and master’s degrees in business administration.

Andre Python, Jr. is the Vice President and head of Multi-Buyer Underwriting operations at FCIA Management Co, Inc. FCIA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Great American Insurance Company, underwrites and services Great American's trade credit and political risk insurance policies. For 45 years, FCIA has offered an array of flexible coverages that insure companies and financial institutions against commercial and political non-payment risks.

FCIA’s Multi-Buyer Underwriting group is responsible for its core multibuyer business segment and handles all risk evaluation and related financial and credit analysis. In addition the group provides all policyholder servicing functions. Each policy is supported by a dedicated team of 2-3 underwriters who quote, write, and renew the policy during the life of the account.

Andre joined FCIA after receiving his B.A. degree in History from Manhattan College. He completed his M.B.A. in 1985 at Pace University. Since 1983 Andre has held a variety of underwriting positions and was elected Vice President in 1994. He is currently a member of FCIA's Senior Credit Committee and Business Development Committee.

Tina Sorrels, CICP joined AJC in 1978. She has built a very successful 33 year career in international business. Through her years at AJC, she has managed various global roles including Global Logistics, Documentation, and Credit.

As Corporate Secretary, Mrs. Sorrels resides at AJC's world wide corporate headquarters in Atlanta, GA is responsible for all Corporate Governance including Legal, Ethics & Compliance, and Documentation. In her role of Director, Global Credit she has responsibility for AJC's world wide accounts receivable and collection activities.

Mrs. Sorrels obtained her Certificate of International Credit Professionals (CICP) designation in June 2004. In 2007, Tina was elected to a 3 year term on the Board of Directors of the FCIB (Finance, Credit and International Business) Division of the National Association of Credit Managers. She is also Chair for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Hospital portion of the AJC Employees Community Involvement Committee.

Mrs. Sorrels and her husband, Scott, have two daughters. The Sorrels family enjoys boating, traveling, the Atlanta Braves, football games at UGA, and various scouting programs such as Venturing (a co-ed division of the Boy Scouts of America).

Mrs. Sorrels attended Indiana University-Purdue University extension in Indianapolis and completed her studies at Mercer University of Atlanta.

Dr. Venkat Srinivasan and an experienced team of industry veterans founded CreditPointe in early 2007 as a scalable and objective credit ratings and securities research provider. For credit risk assessment, CP is filling a significant void by providing true forward looking ratings without the conflict inherent in the ratings provided by the major rating agencies. CP has also introduced a unique continuous forward looking rating by systematically analyzing global economic developments that can impact default risk of companies. CP has also introduced innovative products for capital markets that help Portfolio Managers and Securities Analysts make more informed investment decisions.

Venkat and his team are experts in credit risk assessment having spent two decades providing thought leadership and original research in credit risk assessment and knowledge-based solutions for credit decision support. In 1992, Venkat founded eCredit.com, the leading provider of credit, financing and receivables management technology solutions for the business enterprise. eCredit solutions are in use in many leading global corporations including Apple, Cargill, P&G, ChevronTexaco, Ryder, Bayer, GE, Weyerhaeuser, Dynegy, HP, Gateway, amongst others.

Venkat is an internationally renowned researcher in credit risk assessment, artificial intelligence, working capital management, and knowledge-based systems architectures. His credit risk related research has appeared in a number of prestigious academic and practitioner journals including the Journal of Finance, Management Science, Decision Support Systems, and the Journal of International Business Studies as well as business and news publications such as The Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Jerry V. Teplitz' background is as unique as the techniques and approaches he teaches. He originally graduated from Hunter College and Northwestern University School of Law and practiced as an attorney for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Jerry then studied and received Masters and Doctorate Degrees in Wholistic Health Sciences, and over the last 32 years, has gained wide-spread acknowledgement for his expertise in helping others achieve their ultimate best in all areas of life.

The list of clients Dr. Teplitz has consulted for include such organizations as: Century 21, IBM, Holiday Inns, International Management Council, Young Presidents’ Organization, Sales and Marketing Executives, GlaxoSmithKline, EDS, American Bankers Association, American Society of Association Executives, American Accounting Association, plus over four hundred colleges and universities across the United States and Canada.

Jerry is the author of four books, including Managing Your Stress: How To Relax and Enjoy, and his two latest books are Switched-On Living and Brain Gym for Business. Articles on Jerry have appeared in such publications as Successful Meetings, Prevention Magazine, and Travel & Leisure Golf Magazine.

As a professional speaker, he has spoken to over one million people. Dr. Teplitz has also been honored by his peers in the National Speakers Association by receiving the "Certified Speaking Professional" designation, and has been selected as "Top Rated Speaker" by the International Platform Association. Dr. Teplitz is listed in several editions of Who's Who in America, and served eight years on the faculty of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management.