Program

Sunday, November 11th
10:00am–5:00pm	Golf Outing Sponsored by: JPMorgan Chase Bank
6:30–7:30pm	Welcome Reception Sponsored by: Coface North America
Monday, November 12th
8:00–8:30am	Continental Breakfast Sponsored by: FCIA Management Co.
8:30–8:45am	Conference Welcome - FCIB Activities Update
8:45–10:00am	Keynote Presentation High-Powered Teams and Successful Global Corporations Co-sponsored by: FCIB and Admerex Group, AIG You will be fascinated, motivated and inspired by this thought-provoking, fast-moving and full of practical ideas presentation on what it takes to build an effective team environment, a high-productivity team and a successful global corporation.
		Speakers:	Rick Foster & Greg Hicks - Foster, Hicks and Associates
10:00–10:15am	Coffee Break Sponsored by: PNC Bank
10:15am–12:00pm	Concurrent Sessions International Credit Management and Risk Mitigation Techniques – Theory and Practice Both new and experienced credit professionals will benefit from a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals, some of which we often forget, and from an update on the practical applications, advantages and disadvantages of various export payment terms and risk mitigation techniques.
		Speaker:	Alice Knight, Vice President of Finance & Administration - Paper Products Marketing (USA), Inc.
	Working Capital Management - Improvement Opportunities Improving working capital management, revenue maximization and profit optimization is the focus of this session. Take a closer look at some of the untapped areas of improvement such as Credit Operations and A/R Processes; Business, Finance and Credit Analytics; Trade Receivables Management, Supply Chain Financing and Risk Transfer Options as well as the strategic and tactical role of the International Credit Department.
		Moderator:	Jeff Jankowiak, Partner - International Risk Consultants Inc.
		Speakers:	Sergio Saichin, Vice President, Trade Distribution - JPMorganChase Bank David Weidinger, Senior Director, Credit & Accounts Receivable - The McGraw Hill Companies
12:00–1:15pm	Networking Luncheon Sponsored by: Euler Hermes ACI
1:30–3:30pm	Effective Credit and Collection Techniques in Latin America Learn how to ensure timely payments from your customers (and from CADIVI), how to detect and prevent mistakes commonly made by exporters and how to avoid uncollectibles. A panel of experts will discuss the critical elements and share best strategies for success in Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and the rest of Latin America.
		Moderator:	Bill Kulkens, International Credit Manager - Milliken & Co.
		Panelists:	Rafael Castillo-Triana, President & CEO - FTAA Consulting Inc. Romelio Hernandez, President and Director of Litigation – HMH Legal, Mexico Marcelino Plaza, Head of Trade Finance - Banco Mercantil, Venezuela
3:30–3:45pm	Coffee Break Sponsored by: Wachovia Bank
3:45–5:15pm	Export Compliance Regulations – New Developments, Critical Compliance Weaknesses and Effective Company Policies New developments on the enforcement side are rapidly taking place. Recent cases have proven that business pressures can lead to temptations and present critical compliance risks, resulting in severe penalties and criminal actions against companies and employees. Understanding the regulations, knowing the do’s and don’t's and developing effective company policies can keep you and your company out of trouble.
		Speaker:	Larry Christensen, Partner – Miller & Chevalier
5:30–6:30pm	Cocktail Hour Sponsored by: International Risk Consultants, Inc.
Tuesday, November 13th
8:00–8:30am	Continental Breakfast Sponsored by: Citi
8:30–10:00am	Spanning the Globe in 90 Minutes - World Markets in Review Join Dr. Belcsák in a discussion of the latest market developments and trade conditions throughout the world. Take a look at today’s volatile markets and hear the latest forecasts and key “watch outs”. Ample time for questions.
		Speaker:	Dr. Hans Belcsák, President – S.J.Rundt & Associates Inc.
10:00–10:15am	Coffee Break Sponsored by: Commerce Bank
10:15am–12:15pm	Round Table Forum: Focus on Asia, The Middle East, Latin America and Europe Discussion of the key issues of the day is the highlight of this forum. Join the moderator, the experienced panel members and your industry peers in the audience in an interactive exchange of information and expertise, with content derived from credit and country-specific questions submitted by conference participants.
		Moderator:	Paul Beretz, Managing Director – Pacific Business Solutions, A Q2C Partner
		Panelists:	Fernando Mesia, Vice President of Corporate Banking – Commerce Bank Alex de la Cal, Regional Director, Latin America – Motorola Credit Corp. Curt Rothlisberger, Manager, Financial Services, Elkay Manufacturing Company
12:15pm	Conference Adjourns
	Thank You to ABN-AMRO for their sponsorship of our conference binders.

Speakers:

Dr. Hans Belcsák is President of S.J. Rundt & Associates, Inc., headquartered in New York City. Born in Austria and educated for the most part in Innsbruck, he majored in commercial law and political economics and obtained the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence. He is the publisher of Rundt's World Business Intelligence dealing with global, political and economic trends, Rundt's World Risk Analysis Program of Country Risk Assessments, and the Financial Executive's Country Risk Alert.

Paul Beretz, CICE, is the founder of Pacific Business Solutions, a Q2C partner, and brings over 30 years of global experience in credit, finance and management with industries such as telecommunications, semi-conductors, forest products, chemicals, plastics and consumer products. He is on the faculty of St. Mary's College, teaching in undergraduate and graduate degreed programs and has helped create and instruct on-line certificate programs for both FCIB and CMA. Paul received his BBA from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA from Golden Gate University, the Executive Award from the Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management at Stanford University and the CICE designation from the FCIB association.

Rafael Castillo–Triana is President and CEO of FTAA Consulting, Inc., a coordination center for legal counsel throughout Latin America. He is also a principal of The Alta Group, a global business and financing consulting firm. An international attorney with more than 25 years of legal practice in the Americas, he is a former executive of international trade companies and equipment lessors. He participated in the draft of a multilateral convention and the Model Law on Leasing at UNIDROIT and advised the Governments of El Salvador, and through the IFC, private arm of the World Bank, the Governments of Ghana, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Rwanda in drafting the country’s Leasing Law and building a reliable sales financing framework.

Larry Christensen is a member of Miller & Chevalier Chartered.  He is in the firm's International Practice and concentrates on export controls, sanctions and embargoes under the ITAR, EAR and various regulations issued by OFAC as well as compliance processes, assessments, and audits. Since 1994, Mr. Christensen has also been an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center where he teaches export controls and trade sanctions. He began ITAR counseling in private practice in 1979.  During his eleven years at the Commerce Department he was primarily responsible for the regulatory and interagency issues surrounding the State Department scope of jurisdiction under the ITAR and, on behalf of Commerce, negotiated with State on the current standards for commodity jurisdiction under the ITAR.  Since leaving Commerce in 1997, Mr. Christensen has dedicated more than half of his time to ITAR matters.  He has trained and supervised consultants and managed services employees that have performed more than 10,000 self-determinations, over 80,000 classifications, and over 100 export compliance assessments while Vice President of Export Controls for JPMorgan Chase Vastera (1997-2007).

C. Alexander (Alex) de la Cal is Regional Director - Latin America for Motorola Credit Corporation and is responsible for arranging customer financing in support of product purchases by Motorola customers including the following types of equipment: cellular network infrastructure, two way radio communication, cellular handsets, and transmission and set top boxes for broadband.  The Customer Finance organization primarily works with Export Trade agencies, Multilateral Organizations, private financial institutions, forfait institutions, and insurance companies. Mr. De la Cal’s professional experience includes 14 years at Motorola; 12 years at Bank of Boston, including nine years as an expat in Latin America, and three years in the High Technology Specialized Industry Group in Boston; three years at Riggs National Bank of Washington, D.C., with responsibility for Corporate and Correspondent banking relationships in Latin America, Canada, Spain, and Portugal.

Rick Foster and Greg Hicks have spent the last decade studying people and communities that thrive. Their extensive research has taken them from the boardrooms of Manhattan to small medical centers in Budapest, and their behavioral roadmap to happiness is being studied by mind-body researchers around the U.S. With a unique ability to leave their audiences with life-changing skills, Foster and Hicks are sought after keynote speakers and trainers on leadership, team productivity, happiness and health. They have worked with such clients as G.E., Dell Computer, Mercedes-Benz, Mayo Clinic, Wells Fargo, AXA Financial, H&R Block, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Daimler-Chrysler, and are on faculty at San Jose State University and the American Hospital Association.

Romelio Hernandez is President and Director of Litigation at HMH Legal, a professional corporation specialized in credit and collection services in Mexico. Based in Tijuana, Baja California, he works extensively with foreign exporting companies and collection agencies assisting them with their out-of-court and legal collection efforts throughout Mexico. His litigation experience of twelve years and exposure to international commercial law while handling international accounts throughout this period has allowed him to provide guidance and general counsel to foreign companies in mitigating the various risks of selling international. He is a current member of the Commercial Law League of America, the International Bar Association, the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary. Romelio is a graduate of Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, having graduated and being admitted to practice law in Mexico since 1997.

Jeff Jankowiak is a Partner in the firm of International Risk Consultants, Inc. headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and Glasgow, Scotland. The firm specializes in credit and political risk insurance, credit risk mitigation and trade finance structuring. Previous to joining IRC, Jeff was Vice President of Marketing, Finance and Administration at Cozzini, Inc., a capital equipment manufacturer for the food industry. Jeff also serves on FCIB's North American Advisory Board.

Alice Knight is Vice President of Finance and Administration for Paper Products Marketing (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of PaperlinX LTD, a multinational Corporation headquartered in Australia. Mrs. Knight has over 40 years experience in international Finance and is an active member of FCIB and NACM. She has served as Co-Chair of NACM Oregon’s International Group, Chairman of the Board of National Packaging Group, Co-Chair, Panel Member and Presenter at Annual Global Conferences, served as President of FCIB Forest Products Group and participated in FCIB Conferences in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Munich and Brussels. She is currently a member of FCIB Board of Directors.

Bill Kulkens, CCE, CICP serves as International Credit Manager at Milliken & Co., a privately held, major textile and chemical manufacturing company selling globally to various industries including textiles, automotive, floor covering, and specialty chemicals. Currently, he leads the international credit area for the US manufacturing base, located in Manhattan. Mr. Kulkens has over 25 years of business experience.  He has been a member of FCIB since 1994, where he presently serves as a Board Member. His other roles include Board Member of the New York Institute of Credit; Advisory Board Member of the Silberman College of Business for Fairleigh Dickinson University; President of the 475-Esquire-Toppers Credit Club; former Chairman of the International Textile Credit Clearing House group; and former Chairman of the 1245 Credit Club.  In 2006, he was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the global business school honor society, as F.D.U.'s Chapter Honoree for exemplifying the ideals of the society.

Fernando Mesia is Vice President of Corporate Banking at Trade Finance for Commercebank in Miami, Florida. Prior to Commercebank, Fernando was head of international corporate and correspondent banking for Banque Sudameris, a french-italian trade finance bank.  He has more than 15 years of experience in trade finance, international lending and credit risk management.

Marcelino Plaza is the head of the Trade Finance Products Area of Banco Mercantil.  A Business Administration graduate from Caracas's Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, with post-graduate studies abroad, Mr. Plaza has over 30 years experience in the financial sector, more than 20 of which in international banking. Mr. Plaza is a specialist in Trade Finance-related business and has worked for several Venezuelan banks.

Curt Rothlisberger, CCE, CICE is the Manager, Financial Services for Elkay Manufacturing Company in Oak Brook, IL.  Curt holds two undergraduate degrees and a master’s degree.  Clearly appreciating the value of higher education, he has served as an adjunct faculty member at Harper College in Palatine, IL since 1994 teaching International Business Management.  In June 2007, NACM and the National Honors and Awards Committee named Curt National Credit Executive of the Year.  He served as the Chairman of the Board of the NACM Midwest Affiliate in 2000-2001 and is a member of the Credit Research Foundation (CRF) and FCIB.  Curt is presently serving on the FCIB Board of Directors and completed a term on the FCIB Advisory Board Council in 2006.

Sergio Saichin is Vice President in the Trade Distribution Group of JPMorgan’s Treasury & Securities Services. Sergio started his career at Banco Rio de la Plata, New York Agency trading defaulted Latin American debt in 1985 and moved on to Credit Lyonnais in France in charge of Latin Eurobond and Brady bond sales. In 1995, he was part of a trade forfaiting team at Bank of America and has also been a VP at the Latin American Syndications Group. Sergio graduated with a BBA from the National University of Buenos Aires and has a MBA from The George Washington University in Washington D.C.

David Weidinger is the Senior Director of Credit & AR for The McGraw-Hill Companies, a premier provider of information and products in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, Business Week and McGraw-Hill Education. David coordinates a team of 130 credit, collections and receivables professionals dealing with McGraw-Hill’s Education and Information & Media divisions. He previously spent 13 years at DuPont, most recently as DuPont's Global Credit Manager overseeing DuPont’s worldwide $5 billion receivables portfolio. His background includes years of international business and management expertise in varying financial roles. He has lived abroad for nine years, seven of which involved finance and credit management in Central and Eastern Europe. David holds an undergraduate business degree from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from Thunderbird.