Program

Sunday, November 13th
10:00am–5:00pm	Golf Outing Sponsored by: JPMorgan Chase Bank
6:30–7:30pm	Welcome Reception
Monday, November 14th
8:00–8:30am	Continental Breakfast Sponsored by: FCIA Management Company
8:30–8:45am	Conference Welcome FCIB Activities Update
8:45–9:45am	Keynote Presentation Understanding a World in Conflict From the Balkans to the Middle East to the changing economies in Russia and China, Daniel Christman brings content and clarity to the frontlines of international relations and business issues. Speaker: Daniel Christman Lt. General (Retired), Senior Vice President- International Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
9:45–10:00am	Coffee Break Sponsored by: PNC Bank
10:00am–12:00pm	Concurrent Sessions Session One Export Credit Management Basics A comprehensive overview of the basics of export credit management, including assessment and mitigation of export credit risks, and avoidance of international payment problems. A comparison of the different mitigation and trade finance techniques and a look at the changing role of the international credit professional.
		Speaker:	Ed Curren, The Babcock & Wilcox Co.
	Session Two International Credit Policies and Contracts - a Strategic View Discussion of the necessary and optional components of effective international credit policies and contracts. Modifications, legal implications and enforceability of contracts and credit applications in different markets.
		Moderator:	Paul Beretz, Pacific Business Solutions
		Panelists:	David Franklin, Franklin & Franklin Hajo Siemers, Trane Co.
12:00–1:15pm	Networking Luncheon Sponsored by: Euler Hermes ACI
1:30–3:30pm	Global Portfolio Credit Risk Analysis Practical knowledge on how to analyze and manage the risk of your portfolio comprised of many customers whom you have analyzed on an individual basis. Portfolio segmentation, risk measurement and monitoring, strategic planning and risk mitigation are some of the areas the speaker will cover.
		Speaker:	David Weidinger, DuPont
3:30–3:45pm	Coffee Break Sponsored by: ABN-AMRO Bank
3:45–5:15pm	World Markets in Review—a Credit Perspective Take a look at today’s volatile markets and hear the latest forecasts and key “watch outs”. Join Dr. Belcsák in a discussion of the changing trade conditions throughout the world. Ample time for questions.
		Speaker:	Dr. Hans Belcsák, S.J.Rundt & Associates, Inc.
5:30–6:30pm	Cocktail Hour Sponsored by: International Risk Consultants, Inc
Tuesday, November 15th
8:00–8:30am	Continental Breakfast Sponsored by: Greenwood International
8:30–10:00am	Trade Regulations and Export Controls - Knowing Your Customer, Documentation Management and Corporate Compliance Companies are faced with the challenge to expand the customer base and generate increased profits, while complying with ever-changing trade rules. The demands for new documentation and security requirements are creating a heavy burden on credit personnel and company resources. Learn how to do things right.
		Moderator: Speakers:	David Marsh, Novus International Inc. Larry Christensen, Vastera, Inc. Wendy Wysong, U.S. Department of Commerce, BIS
10:00–10:15am	Coffee Break Sponsored by: Wachovia Bank
10:15am–12:15pm	Round Table Discussion: Around The Globe Join the moderator, panel members and everyone in the audience in this interactive discussion with content derived from country-specific questions and export credit topics submitted by conference participants and FCIB members.
		Moderator:	Pat Connelly, University of South Florida
		Panelists:	Alan Andrews, PNC Bank Dr. Hans Belcsák, S.J.Rundt & Associates, Inc. Bill Kulkens, Milliken & Co. Eduardo Paz, Tenaris Group
12:15–1:30pm	Networking Luncheon
1:30pm	Conference Adjourns

Speakers:

Alan Andrews is Vice President of Global Treasury Management at PNC Bank N.A. Based in Pittsburgh, he works with PNC’s corporate customers assisting them in mitigating the varied risks in selling internationally. Alan has over twenty years of experience in trade finance. Mr. Andrews has been an active member of FCIB for many years. He has served as an FCIB Advisory Council member and currently holds a position on FCIB’s Board of Directors. In addition to being a board member for the Southwestern PA District Export Council, he is currently active in the Cleveland Foreign Credit Group and the International Credit Group of PACM in Pittsburgh.

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 and Managing Director of Pacific Business Solutions, a consulting company specializing in strategic planning and cash flow solutions. He brings over 30 years of experience in global management and finance in low and high tech industries—chemicals, forest products, semi-conductors and telecommunications among others. He has been an instructor in finance and business at the University of California at Berkeley and is an adjunct professor at both St. Mary’s College of California and University of Phoenix, as well as an instructor for the FCIB Online Course in International Credit and Risk Management.

Larry Christensen is vice president of export controls for JPMorgan Chase Vastera and adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center. He has worked in export controls and trade sanctions since 1979. A 1972 graduate of Duke Law School, Mr. Christensen served the Department of Commerce for eleven years in the Office of Chief Counsel of Export Administration and as Director of the Office of Regulatory Policy. In that role, he headed the complete redrafting of the Export Administration Regulations in 1995 – 1996, the first such rewrite in 40 years. Mr. Christensen participates in the consulting practice and managed services offerings of JPMorgan Chase Vastera.

Lt. General Daniel Christman is Senior Vice President for International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Christman is responsible for representing the 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 dozens of policy analysts and program coordinators who are devoted to fostering free trade throughout the world. 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.

Pat Connelly, MBA, CCE, FICM, CGBP is President of Entelyx International, Inc., and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Credit Risk Management at the University of South Florida. He has rounded out thirty years of executive credit risk management in the trade with his retirement from Tech Data Corporation in January 2004, where he served as Senior Vice President and Officer. He is now pursuing an aggressive strategy to bring global human capital process, capital and business competitive capability to the trade and further the marketability of credit risk professionals. Mr. Connelly also serves on several Boards of Directors, including FCIB and the Florida Council for Economic Education and numerous state, national and international advisory boards.

Ed Curren, CICP is the Credit Manager for The Babcock & Wilcox Company. Ed's career has revolved around international business since he graduated from The Garvin School of International Management; also known as Thunderbird in Phoenix Arizona with both a Bachelor of International Management and an MBA in International Management. During the course of his career, five credit departments were built from the ground up, including three departments in Asia. International assignments have included Berlin, Germany and Singapore. While most of Ed's career has focused on credit management, he is also involved in education, teaching and developing curriculum in International Credit, Export Marketing, general International Management, Finance and Economics at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Early this year, Ed earned FCIB's professional designation, Certified International Credit Professional (CICP). He is currently serving on an FCIB team to develop curriculum for a new online international credit course and working toward earning the Certified International Credit Executive (CICE) designation.

David Franklin is a practicing lawyer since 1960 in the field of international creditors= rights and debt collection. In addition to handling collections throughout Canada, David’s practice also concentrates on international debt collections. He has been a frequent guest speaker to various legal and business organizations and has spoken in over 15 countries on various topics dealing with international creditors= rights and debt collection. David is a Professional Adjunct at Concordia University where he teaches “International Business Law” and “Business Law” in the MBA Program. He is on the Executive Council of the Creditors’ Rights Section of the C.L.L.A., is a frequent panelist at C.L.L.A. meetings and was Chairman of the International Creditors’ Rights Conferences of the C.L.L.A. in both London and Amsterdam.

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 U.S. manufacturing base, located in Manhattan. Mr. Kulkens has over 20 years of experience in the credit field and has been a member of FCIB since 1994. His other roles include Chairman of the 1245 Global Credit Club; Vice Chairman of the International Textile Credit Clearing House group; and board member of the New York Institute of Credit.

David Marsh, CBF, CICE has been Manager of Credit for Novus International, Inc. since the company was formed in 1991. With Novus, he travels frequently throughout Latin America and periodically to Europe and Asia Pacific. Before Novus, Mr. Marsh was a division credit manager at Anheuser-Busch, and was corporate credit manager at Chromalloy American Corporation from 1971-1986. He started his career in 1963, working in agricultural and international credit at Monsanto Company, and then as a division credit manager for Textron in St. Louis. Mr. Marsh is an active member of FCIB’s Board of Directors and currently serves on the Board of NACM-St. Louis where he was named Credit Executive of the Year in 2002.

Eduardo Paz is Global Credit Director of Tenaris Group, headquartered in Buenos Aires. Served as Credit Manager for Siderca Argentina for 7 years. Since 2001 designed and put in place the Credit & Collection organization of the Tenaris group in 10 countries that was launched in December 2002. Tenaris is a leading manufacturer of seamless pipe mainly intended for the Oil & Gas Industry, has 9 manufacturing facilities in 8 different countries and is listed in NYSE, Mexico, Milan and Buenos Aires Stock Exchanges.

Hajo Siemers has 14 years of experience in credit management and contract terms and conditions on an international level. He had served as a member of the FCIB European Advisory Council until he moved to the US in 2002. Currently he is Manager Financial Services for Trane, a business of American Standard in La Crosse, WI. Beyond accounts receivable, billing and claims management, his responsibilities include contract risk management for North America. Prior to this, Hajo was the Manager of Global Contract Services (2002-2004), Customer Financial Services Manager for Trane in Europe (1997-2002) and served as Treasury and Credit Manager for Scitex Europe (1992-1997), covering both credit and contract terms and conditions for Western and Central Europe.

David Weidinger, SMA is the Global Credit Manager for DuPont, coordinating a team of 113 credit professionals that reside in individual DuPont business units and regions around the world. His background includes twenty years of business and management expertise, with thirteen years involved with international operations. He has lived abroad for nine years, seven of which involved finance and credit management in Central and Eastern Europe.

Wendy Wysong is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement in the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Ms. Wysong serves as the senior career executive in the Export Enforcement arm of BIS. Prior to joining BIS, Ms. Wysong served in the Justice Department for 16 years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. She clerked for U.S. District Judge Stanley Harris of the District of Columbia and later worked at the law firm of Hogan & Hartson, before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office in 1989.

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