Speakers:
Joachim Bartels
Chairman, Founder, Intrepid Explorers, Inc., USA
Mr. Bartels established Intrepid Explorers, Inc. in 2000 to serve information content providers in the development of new international markets, the identification and selection of potential partners and the development of new strategies and information concepts. He is an information specialist with over 40 years of global business experience. As Senior Vice President, global business development, at Dun & Bradstreet, he pioneered new information concepts, new business models and set up businesses in emerging markets with continually changing political and economic environments. Mr. Bartels debates on a regular basis with political and industry leaders around the world about the role of information in national economies and business decision processes.

Buddy Baker
Group Vice President, ABN-AMRO Bank
Buddy Baker is a Group Vice President with the Dutch bank, ABN-AMRO. Based in Chicago, he is the global head of the bank’s Trade Advisory Group, responsible for understanding and interpreting the various rules and regulations governing cross-border trade in the seventy countries where ABN-AMRO has branches. Mr. Baker is a recognized expert in letters of credit and makes frequent presentations for national associations of exporters, importers, bankers and lawyers.

David Bassett
Director, Int’l Operations & Finance, Int’l Truck & Engine Corp.
David Bassett has worked for Int’l Truck & Engine Corporation for almost 30 years. Twenty of these years have been in the export/overseas trade finance area. In his current position he has global responsibility for credit and special funding for sales outside of North America. In addition to his regular responsibilities, he spent two years during the company’s start-up in Brazil establishing bank relationships to support domestic sales to Brazilian dealers and customers.

Dr. Hans Belcsák
President, S.J.Rundt & Associates
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.

Tom Brady
Credit Manager, Corning Cable Systems
Tom Brady is the Domestic and International Credit Manager for Corning Cable Systems LLC, responsible for CCS Hickory’s worldwide credit evaluation process, collections and LC administration. He has over 35 years of experience in manufacturing, factoring and banking.

Kevin Chandler, CCE
Director of Global Credit & Collections, Halliburton Energy Services
Kevin Chandler serves as the Director of Global Credit and Collections for Halliburton Energy Services in Houston, Texas where he is responsible for the company's global portfolio. He has over twenty years of experience in international credit, finance, and receivable management. Prior to joining Halliburton, Mr. Chandler worked for Landmark Graphics Corporation, Westinghouse Electric Corporation and General Electric Capital Corporation.

Jeff Jankowiak
Partner, International Risk Consultants, Inc.
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.

John Larson
General Credit Manager, Cooper Power Systems
John Larson is the General Credit Manager for Cooper Power Systems where he is responsible for all domestic and international credit decisions and credit policies and procedures for this 1 billion dollar manufacturing corporation with a proven record of managing change to achieve business objectives. Prior to Cooper Power Systems, John Larson held various positions at several companies, including stockbroker, director of credit, assistant vice president of operations and manager of business development.

Kevin O’Connell
Senior Partner, O’Connell & Co.
Kevin M. O'Connell, Senior Partner of the law firm of O’Connell & Co., with offices in Washington, D.C., Annapolis, Maryland and Hong Kong, regularly assists U.S. companies in connection with PRC direct investment matters as well with a variety of business and commercial transactions in China. With two decades of Chinese legal experience, Mr. O’Connell has structured and obtained Chinese government approvals for foreign invested enterprises (equity and cooperative joint ventures and wholly-foreign owned enterprises) in a broad range of industries, and has represented numerous U.S.-based clients in their acquisition of equity in, and restructuring, of Chinese companies.

Dr. Robert Shuter
President, Interaction
Dr. Robert Shuter, President of Interaction, received his Ph.D. in 1973 from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and has been consulting for U.S., European, Asian and Latin American corporations for the past 27 years. An internationally recognized management consultant, Dr. Shuter has written four books and over 60 articles that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Crain's, International Management, and other business periodicals. He has appeared as a guest on "Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser," Financial News Network, and other nationwide television programs.

Jeff Willis
President, China Leads, LLC
Jeff Willis is the President of ChinaLeads.net. Prior to founding China Leads in June of 2001, Jeff Willis worked for a Kansas City based machine tool manufacturer, first overseeing the Asia Pacific sales effort as Managing Director Asia Pacific and later developing a complete customer relationship management system for the company as Chief Information Officer. Mr. Willis is also a former Commercial Officer with the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service and held positions at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, and the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai.

CICP Points:

2 professional development points will be awarded to all Certified International Credit Professional (CICP) designation holders.

Education Credits:

The Education Department of the National Association of Credit Management^TM has reviewed the educational content of this advanced level program. Participants attending this program will earn .95 continuing education units (CEUs), all of which are valid for CCE recertification or 11 continuing professional education (CPE) credits in the Accounting and Auditing field of study. The NACM Control Number is 12756.

The continuing education units have been awarded in accordance with the standards recommended by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training. The CEU is a nationally recognized unit designed to provide a record of an individual’s continuing education accomplishments. One continuing education unit (CEU) is awarded for each 10 contact hours of instruction.

NACM is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37219-2417. Web site: www.nasba.org

Hotel Information:

The conference will be held at The Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton Place, Chicago, IL 60611. Reservations must be made by calling the hotel directly at: 1-800-55-DRAKE (37253), Mon-Fri 7am-8pm, Sat 8am-4pm, or Sun 9am-5pm CST or emailing the reservation desk at: reservations@thedrakehotel.com and asking for the FCIB - ICE Conference room rate of $189 single/double per night, plus applicable taxes. Reservations must be made by March 18, 2005 to ensure the conference rate. Reservations made after March 18th will be subject to availability at the prevailing rate.