Reproduced with Permission A group of global trade and supply chain finance specialists has launched Prism Global Partners, a new London-based boutique consultancy. Initial founding partners of the new firm are industry stalwarts Craig Weeks, Alexander Malaket, James...
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Expertise Across Trade, Financing and Policy: Trade, From Every Angle
Our Team
John Ahearn
John Ahearn is Vice Chairman of Falcon Group and CEO of Falcon America where he is responsible for establishing and growing the business across the Americas. Prior to Falcon, John ran Citibank’s Global Trade as part of their Treasury and Trade business having worked there for 16 years. Prior to joining Citi, Ahearn worked for ABN Amro in Chicago IL where he ran the US Trade franchise and their Financial Institutions for the Trade Group globally. John also held a senior position at the Bank of New York/National Community Bank (merger).
John also held various board seats including Chairman for BAFT (Bankers Association for Finance and Trade) and PEFCO (Private Export Funding Corp) of which he is still a member.
Maninder J. Bhandari
Mr Maninder Bhandari has multinational experience gathered from his work in Latin America/Caribbean (Sao Paulo & Miami), Far East (Hong Kong & Singapore) & Middle East/Africa (Dubai), Indian Sub Continent (Delhi, Mumbai & Kolkata) with regional leadership roles, board positions and as CEO of multiple businesses. At HSBC, ABN AMRO and The Bank of New York Mellon he focused on the Wholesale Bank with specialization in Transaction Banking, particularly in Trade in the multiple regions.
His career path also led him to be a founding partner of a Private Equity fund, investing in mid cap companies in the IT/Education/Health Care sectors. He was a board member of the investee companies prior to his sale of his interests in the fund. Whilst growing the fund via raising growth capital and investing in cross border deals, Mr Bhandari was also partner/director in a group providing non core back office services. Mr Bhandari sold his interests to a USA Nasdaq listed multinational.
Concurrent to the above, Mr Bhandari was an advisor to an UAE financial institution and spear headed a team to set up a new on shore bank in the UAE to promote SME trade with Africa & East Europe. Subsequently, was CEO/consultant of a 4-company group.
Mr Bhandari enjoys public speaking and has written articles (published in finance magazines and in daily newspapers) on wide ranging commercial subjects. He remains on the editorial board of a global trade publication based out of London (UK) and continues to be a Speaker/Chair of trade conferences.
Robert Handfield, Ph.D
Robert Handfield, Ph.D., is the executive director of the SCRC and the Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management in NC State’s Poole College of Management. Handfield is a consulting editor of the Journal of Operations Management and has written several books on supply chain management, including “Supply Market Intelligence, Supply Chain Re-Design.”
Identified as one of a handful of professionals in the 2007 Pros to Know list complied by Supply and Demand Chain Executive journal, Handfield is regularly quoted in such periodicals as the Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Supply Chain Management Review.
Over the course of his career, Handfield has consulted with more than 25 Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. Such experience has helped inform his ongoing research on the performance of companies with “best in class” supply chain management processes versus those whose supply chain practices are mediocre, which shows that best-in-class companies experience greater stockholder value and enjoy higher savings. Handfield joined the college in 1999 and received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1990.
Alexander R. Malaket
Mr. Malaket is a recognised specialist in international trade, trade financing and trade-related international development.
He has advised banking, government and international institution clients around the world, currently serves as Deputy Head of the Executive Committee, ICC Banking Commission, Paris in addition to contributing to numerous boards and advisory committees.
Malaket is the President of OPUS Advisory Services International Inc. in Toronto and a Founding Partner of London-based ESG Validation LLP.
Mr. Michael Quinn
Mr. Michael Quinn is a veteran Trade Finance and Supply Chain Finance product executive with 38 years of experience with Citibank and JPMorgan Chase. Mike focused on international and domestic business performance through unique product design, sales strategy, customer-focused service, process improvement and technology and led business compliance transformation initiatives liaising with internal partners and external regulators. Mike developed end to end solutions for clients leveraging automation and digitization of documentation in order to ensure visibility as well as process efficiency and worked extensively in development of supply chain finance products and client solutions.
Mike has a long history of service to the transaction banking industry having had important leadership roles in industry associations while contributing to those organizations’ strategic direction as well as their tactical accomplishments. Mike served as the Chair of the International Financial Services Association (IFSA) overseeing the expansion of its global footprint and serving on the board and as Vice Chair of its successor organization, the Bankers Association Finance and Trade (BAFT). Mike also served on the board of the US Council of International Business chairing their US Banking Committee and led the ICC Banking Commission’s development of rules in the digitization space as well as commercialization efforts for new digital products endorsed by the ICC.
Lisa Robins
Lisa Robins is a Senior Executive, Board Director, and trailblazer in emerging financial markets recognized for special expertise and leadership developing business across Asia Her strong business judgment and focus on digitization of transaction banking have led to her success in global and U.S. domestic roles. Ms. Robins is known for effectively leading organizations with diverse teams, across multiple geographies, through transformation to embrace change and become cultures of action and collaboration.
Most recently, Lisa served as Managing Director and Global Head of Transaction Banking (TB) for Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore. Previously, Lisa was Regional Head of Global Transaction Banking, Asia Pacific at Deutsche Bank from 2011 – 2018. Lisa started her banking career with JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Chase Manhattan) in Paris in 1980 and held a variety of leadership positions in NY, HK, and China in transaction banking.
Currently, Lisa is a senior advisor to Oliver Wyman for Transaction Banking. In addition she is Vice Chair of Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA). She also serves on the board of OH! ( Open House) a non profit arts organization in Singapore. She has served the financial industry through BAFT and SWIFT. In appreciation of her professional expertise, Ms. Robins was honored as an IBF Fellow by the Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore, named as a Hall of Fame – Legend by Global Custodian Magazine, and named Transaction Banker of the Year by The Asset’s Triple A and The Asian Banker. She earned a MA in Asian (Chinese) Studies from Stanford University and her BA, magna cum laude, in Asian Studies and History from Tufts University. Ms. Robins speaks Mandarin and French. She and her husband live in New York City.
Craig C. Weeks
Craig Weeks consults for organizations needing Trade Finance, Supply Chain and other Transaction Banking expertise, including sustainable finance and sustainable supply chains.
Craig serves as an advisor to the Global Trade Professionals Alliance; an Executive Practicum Adviser and member of the Advisory Board of the North Carolina State University Supply Chain Resource Cooperative. Craig serves as a member of the Trade Finance Advisory Council (TFAC) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, an Advisory Board member of the Falcon Group and an advisor to Capital and Credit Risk Manager (CCRM), a Singapore-based FinTech.
Previously Craig served as SVP and Manager of the International Banking Group of US Bank where his responsibilities included managing the Trade Finance, International Financial Institutions, and Supply Chain Finance teams.
Expertise Across Trade, Financing and Policy: Trade, From Every Angle
Advisory Group
James Emmett
Mr. Emmett is a highly experienced financial services leader with a wealth of global experience in business, strategy, technology, and operations, gained through his 25 years with HSBC, one of the world’s leading international financial services institutions.
He previously held the Chief Executive role of HSBC Bank plc and Europe, where he was responsible for HSBC’s UK Wholesale Bank and operations across Continental Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Bermuda. Before his CEO role, Mr. Emmett served as Chief Operating Officer of HSBC Bank plc, where he oversaw technology and operations across the firm. Previous roles at the company include serving as the CEO of Turkey, Global Head of Trade and Receivables Finance, Regional President for Metro New York Retail and Small Business banking, and senior roles in Strategy and Business Management.
Dr. Mia Mikic
Dr. Mia Mikic is a trade economist with a keen interest in sustainable development and with a proven track record and experience in academia and international civil service. She served as Director, Trade, Investment and innovation Division in United Nations ESCAP.
She is currently an Adviser for and has previously coordinated the ARTNeT, an open network of research and academic institutions and think-tanks in the Asia-Pacific region and covering all key means of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (more details on artnet.unescap.org). Prior to her UN tenure, she was Head of the Department of Economic Theory, Professor of International Economics and Director of Economic and Business International Program at the University of Zagreb, and Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. She is the author of many books, reports, and papers and has edited or co-edited several volumes on international economics, regional integration, and development.
She oversaw preparation of Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR), a flagship publication in area of trade and investment. Her current research and advisory work focus on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on trade and Global Value Chains, frontier technologies and inclusive future of work, advocating for women as influencers in policymaking, services trade, and promotion of evidence-based policymaking. She is collaborating with several universities on modernising trade curricula. She has a Doctorate in Economics from the University of Zagreb.
Susan Skerritt
Susan Skerritt is the CEO of West Walk Advisors, serving as an independent director on four corporate boards and providing advisory service in the areas of commercial banking, board governance and leadership. Ms Skerritt has consistently demonstrated the strategic vision to deliver results and to create environments where change is successful. A proactive leader, she is acknowledged for strengthening culture and advancing innovation to transform organizations into market leaders. She is a consensus builder able to unite boards, management staff and industry leaders around a common purpose. She encourages a robust approach to human capital management to achieve corporate strategies.
Ms Skerritt’s successful 35 year financial career included leadership roles with premier banking institutions. She was Chairman, CEO and President of Deutsche Bank (DB) Trust Company Americas, DB’s U.S. commercial banking entity; earlier she led the transaction banking division in N. and S. America. Ms. Skerritt made significant contributions to industry thinking about de-risking, new financial technologies, and regulatory compliance. Previously, she was an Executive Member of the Board of Directors of Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. and served as an Executive Vice President in a variety of increasingly important roles. Ms. Skerritt successfully co-led the acquisition and integration of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Trust business, which more than doubled the size and global scope of the division.
In recognition of her leadership and expertise, Ms. Skerritt was included in the WomenInc.’s Most Influential Corporate Board Directors in 2019 and American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking ranking for multiple years. She is a NACD Board Leadership Fellow and a member of the Women’s Forum of New York as well as The Committee of 200 (C200), both by invitation only. She is also actively involved in not-for-profit board roles serving as a Life Trustee of Hamilton College and a Vice Chairman of The Brooklyn Hospital Center.
Rick Striano
Mr. Striano’s career spans over 35 years with senior postings in the New York, Washington D.C., Milan and Frankfurt with industry leading organizations including Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, The London Forfaiting Company, and AIG. His experience ranges from structuring complex and esoteric structured trade finance, Forfaiting, and Supply Chain Finance transactions to various forms of structured risk distribution. In addition to his expertise in deal origination and distribution, Mr. Striano also has extensive experience in product management as Global Head of Deutsche Bank’s Trade Finance Product function and a member of Deutsche Bank’s Transaction Banking Product Management Executive Committee.
Beyond trade Finance, Mr. Striano also has extensive experience in Cash Management, Technology, Innovation, and Project Management.
As Global Head of Market & Client Intelligence, Mr. Striano ran Deutsche Bank’s global Cash RFP response team. He also headed the Cash Digital Product Development function where he identified and executed on new technology and product opportunities including investing and/or partnering with fintech partners, and successfully concluded Deutsche Bank’s first ever block chain based payments and collections in the production environment. Mr. Striano also holds a U.S. patent on a multi-channel electronic payment system.
Currently based in Frankfurt, Germany, Mr. Striano is a dual national carrying both Italian and U.S. passports.