Speakers line up 2025

David Cuckney

Director - ICC- Commercial Crime Services (ICC-CCS), Assistant Director – International Maritime Bureau (IMB) UK. David assists in overseeing the daily operations of the International Maritime Bureau and co-ordinates with the IMB’s banking, shipping, and insurance members with regards to trade finance fraud, document manipulation, cargo misdelivery, theft, sanctions issues and loss prevention. Supervises IMB investigations and casework and has carried out investigations into several large-scale shipping and financial frauds and conducted on the ground investigations into smuggling and cargo misdeclaration. He has provided expert testimony and witness statements to financial regulators and law enforcement. Leads IMB training seminars and regularly speaks at conferences and seminars about trade finance fraud, cargo theft and maritime sanctions. 

Gabriele Katz

Director, Deutsche Bank AG, Germany; in charge of Global Transaction Banking in Product Management for the Documentary Trade Business for Europe & MENA; has a more than 25 years’ experience in the LC and BG business. Member of the ICC Germany Banking Committee;

Michael Lehotzki

Managing Associate General Counsel at HSBC – acts as global Wholesale Lead for Digital & Transformation projects using new and emerging technology such as DLT, digital assets or AI.

Stephanie Powell

CSDG, Senior Consultant Trade Finance Advisory at Siemens Mobility GmbH, Germany.  Stephanie joined Siemens in 2010 and after various operative roles moved to trade finance in 2017, where she gained substantial experience advising Siemens’ large-scale projects on guarantee and suretyship topics as well as corporate risk mitigation measures. Since 2019, she has been specializing exclusively on mobility projects, providing guarantee advisory to projects as well as providing internal trainings on guarantee-related risk and risk mitigation.

Glenn Ransier 

Head of Documentary Trade and SBLCs, Wells Fargo, USA; Glenn is furthermore one of the Technical Advisors of the ICC Banking Commission; He maintains strong ties to domestic and global trade communities; has been actively involved in trade finance for more than 35 years;

Judith Schmalnauer

Senior Trade Finance Advisor, Linz. Judith joined Primetals Technologies (former Siemens VAI) in 2011 where she gained extensive experience in trade finance activities as well as export financing for projects all over the globe. In 2015, when MHI became the main shareholder of the former Siemens VAI and when Primetals was founded, Judith was greatly involved in setting up the new centralized Center of Competence for guarantees and LCs in Austria, Linz, incorporating headquarter responsibility. Since then, Judith is servicing the Primetals group on all trade finance related questions as well as globally responsible for harmonizing guarantee and LC wordings with Primetals’ customers worldwide, executing and updating of the internal processes and guidelines hereto and majorly involved in shaping the digital future of Primetals’ trade finance.

Christina Elisabeth Seierup 

Vice President, Trade Finance Operations, Dankse Bank AS, Denmark; Member Danish Banking Committee. Since 2010 Head of Training & Education for Trade Finance, Danske Bank Group - responsible for corporate Trade Finance and related subjects as AML trainings; She joined Danske Bank A/S in 1985 and has been working with International corporates since 1989;

Lorna K. Strong

Managing Director, Strong Consulting Group (SCG) & Associate Programme Director, MSc Law & Finance, London School of Economics (LSE), UK. For over 20 years, Lorna Strong has advised financial institutions on legal and regulatory risk, including international trade finance, financial crime compliance (AML & sanctions), int disputes, ESG, digital innovation, and policy development, and risk management and played a lead role in the finance industry’s regulatory and policy debates. For the last ten years, Lorna Strong has held the position of Managing Director and global lead counsel for HSBC Global Trade, As Deputy General Counsel, she managed HSBC legal counsel in over 50 jurisdictions. In 2024, Lorna left HSBC to join the Finance Department of LSE as Associate Programme Director of the MSc Law and Finance Programme and to set up Strong Consulting Group She continues as a member of the ICC Legal Committee and is also a regular lecturer with the ICC, IIBLP, LIBF, and BCR Receivables Finance & Alternative Finance Forums.

Mireille Troosters

Head Expert Trade Finance at KBC Bank Belgium, Board Member of ICC Belgium. Mireille started working in KBC bank in 1992 and switched to Trade Finance in 2005, as a Trade Finance Officer (a commercial job), then as Head of Operations Documentary Credits. In 2015 she switched to being Risk Manager Trade Finance and today is combining this with being Head Expert trade finance again.

Martin Wolfbauer

International Legal Department of STRABAG Group (CML). Martin is an Austrian and New York qualified lawyer. In STRABAG’s legal department he is in charge of guarantees in international projects. He gained extensive experience in reviewing, drafting and negotiating guarantees for major construction contracts in various countries but also advises and supports STRABAG entities in litigation and arbitration proceedings related to guarantees. Martin holds lectures on international law and securities.