Dr. Mohamed Al-Beltagi is a professional and a scholar in the field of Islamic Finance for 40 years, contributing in major projects across the globe and specifically MENA Region. He is now the Chairman of Egyptian Islamic Finance Association, CEO of Muamalat for financial Advisory, Member of AAOIFI Accounting board and Head & a member of many Shariah boards of different international banks and companies.

Nassourou Aminou is the FCI Regional Manager Africa. Previously he was the Director of a Consulting Firm specializing in the development and implementation of Factoring in African countries. He obtained a master in Accounting and Finance in 2003 at the UCAC University, Cameroon. Then began his career as an auditor at PwC. Since then, he has gained almost 20 years ‘experience in the field of Audit and Consulting, including more than 15 years in Factoring and Credit insurance. Nassourou has developed significant experience mainly in this activity and market environment in the Africa Region.

Vinai George Biju is a data scientist with experience in academia and industry. He completed his PhD in Computer Science from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), India in 2021 and earned a Master’s degree in Computer Science from National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India in 2010. In 2023, he obtained a second Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence from the Technical University of Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS), Germany.

Vinai has more than 10 years of experience as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at CHRIST University, Bangalore, India, where he specialized in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. He also worked as a Software Engineer at Accenture in Bangalore, India.

Federico Avellán Borgmeyer is a consultant and entrepreneur in the FinTech ecosystem. After studying engineering in Berlin, he worked as a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois, researching the first artificial intelligence applications. Other positions he has held include Managing Director for Southern Europe of DataCard Corporation (Madrid), Board Member of FidelioNetworks S.A. (Madrid) and Managing Director of Postbank POSTransact (Rhine-Main area).

For 20 years, Mr. Avellán Borgmeyer has worked as a partner of the management consultancy Amontis AG for clients in Europe, the Middle East, South America and China. As an entrepreneur, he is the founder of Factoring Blockchain Solutions and Tech4Fin Deutschland in Kronberg.

Markus Bienek has been part of the efcom team since 2008. He is responsible for the ef3 web service and leads the further development of the functionalities. He also takes on tasks in the area of customer support and consulting and provides support in setting up ef3, ef3 Webservice and efOnline.

Stefanie Harkam has been part of the efcom team since November 2023. She works as a Talent Manager in Human Resources, specialising in recruiting, onboarding and processes. As a business economist (IHK), she has already gained experience in various industries, such as the software industry, and also at a global technology group in the security industry.

Neal Harm is the Secretary General at FCI, the global representative body for factoring and financing of open account trade receivables with 400 members in 90 countries. Prior to joining FCI in late 2023, Neal spent over 30 years in trade and receivable finance. He has held various senior roles across financial institutions in the US including President of BB&T’s (now Truist Bank) International Banking division and Bank of America’s Business Finance Corporation. Most recently Neal was the Managing Director of Strategy at CIT Commercial Services which included Factoring, ABL, and Supply Chain Finance. Neal is based in Amsterdam along with his wife, Bren.

Cristian George Ionescu is the CEO and Founder of InstantFactoring.com, a fintech platform focused on improving cash flow for small businesses and freelancers. With over 20 years of experience in financial services, corporate finance, and risk management, Cristian has also served as the Managing Partner at Expense Reduction Analysts Romania and led Chartered Debt Management, providing specialized financial services to help businesses optimize financial transactions and overcome challenges.

Previously, he was the Country Cluster Manager for Coface, overseeing operations in the CEE region, where he managed credit insurance, receivables management, and factoring. Cristian holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD, a BA in International Relations and Transactions, and certifications such as the Oxford Fintech Programme and a Professional Management Diploma.

Robert Ivanic has been working in project management for more than 15 years and holds PMP and IPMA Level B certifications. He studied education (Magister) and business administration (MBA) and has gained practical experience in various industries, including financial services, energy, aviation, public sector, software, transport & logistics and insurance. The focus of his activities was on programme and project management, project portfolio management as well as the programme/project office and training.

Since 2023, Robert Ivanic has been in charge of programme management at efcom and is leading the introduction and further development of comprehensive company-wide project management.

With a degree in economics, Stephan Kahlenberg has over 20 years of professional experience in the credit insurance market, including 16 years of experience as an insurance broker with international brokerage houses. He can also look back on 8 years of professional experience in the acquisition and support of national and international customer relationships with well-known credit insurers/factoring companies. Stephan Kahlenberg has been working for Willis Towers Watson since 2015.

Katalin Kauzli is the cofounder of PartnerHUB Ltd, a digital invoice management technology provider focusing on integrating financial services and e-invoicing since 2017. She serves as a Programme Committee member of WOA (World of Open Account) Digital. She is a promoter of the use of invoice data in financial services. Previously she has worked in business development, corporate finance and M&A in the insurance and banking sector in Hungary.

Mark Mandula is an internationally recognized factoring expert, speaker, author, serial entrepreneur and servant leader. He is Senior Vice President of United Capital Funding, a Tampa Bay, Florida B2B and B2G SME commercial finance professional services firm. He was Principal/ Managing Partner from 2000 to 2017 when the firm was acquired and has also served in a National Sales Director capacity. Mark has also become an equity owner of BCR Publishing, and in his role as Chief Learning Officer he leads the expansion of programs and best of breed events for BCR on a global basis. He believes that “power in knowledge, but only when shared.”

Effective January 1, 2024, Mark is serving in a new role at United Capital “of counsel” and anticipates investing his time speaking and teaching SMEs and others globally on the power of factoring and other topics of current interest. He holds an MBA and BBA in Finance and is a 2012 graduate of the Certificate in Private Capital Markets from the Graziadio Graduate School of Business at Pepperdine University, Malibu, California.

Pankaj Mundra, co-founder and Chairman of 360tf, brings over 21 years of experience in investment and consumer banking, with pivotal roles at ICICI Housing Finance, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN Amro Bank, and Mashreq Bank.

He has secured cross-border financing for global corporates, collaborating worldwide. Pankaj’s leadership at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Dubai Chapter, including his chairmanship in 2016-17, showcases his commitment to excellence. His active participation in global trade forums and contributions to FCI, ITFA, and BAFT highlight his expertise in Trade Finance and Supply Chain, underscoring his pivotal role in advancing 360tf’s fintech solutions.

Simon Michaelis completed his training as an office management assistant and then worked as a junior project manager at a digital agency near Frankfurt. There he managed projects and sub-projects in a wide variety of subject areas – including the import of goods, web development, online marketing and events.

Simon has been part of the efcom team since June 2023 and supports the introduction and further development of the comprehensive company-wide project management.

Marco Nindl is an Associate Director and Senior Banker at the European Bank for Reconstruction’s (EBRD) Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP). He joined the TFP in 2005 and his current role involves the day to day operations of the programme with particular focus on strategic developments of the trade finance industry in countries of operation where the EBRD invests.

Prior to joining the EBRD and during his academic studies, Marco gained extensive experience on the trade finance and banking market by working for Raiffeisen Bank in New York, Coface Credit Insurance and Oesterreichische Kontrollbank (OeKB) in Vienna. Marco graduated from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration with a Master of Science in Economics, where he specialised in Banking and International Business.

Michael Petrovic has worked at efcom since 2007. He is largely responsible for the further development, functionality and design of efOnline. His responsibilities also include customer support, consulting and initial installation.

Oliver Rölle has been part of the efcom team since 2004 and previously worked as a consultant for many years. He manages all internal and external product training – from standard to special training. Oliver Rölle has a very broad knowledge of ef3 and efX.

Mutual trust – for one of the four efcom founders Arnulf Romann, this is one of the core factors for the rapid development of professional solutions. Furthermore, he believes: the topic of efficiency is crucial for the success of factoring software. At efcom, he brings in his extensive experience as head of business analysis and thus ensures a smooth integration of our software into the respective customer IT.

Wolf Stumpf specialises in particular in supply chain finance solutions, factoring and receivables transactions. He advises clients as lead counsel and local counsel in complex cross-border factoring transactions as well as the structuring and international implementation of supply chain finance products including reverse factoring, forfaiting via platform solutions, dynamic discounting and other transactions.
discounting. He also represents banks and factoring companies in court (e.g. against clients, borrowers and debtors).