After seven years of experiences in corporate and project financing at MUFG, he joined NEXI in 2003. Since then, he has led underwriting teams in the infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing, power, and mining sectors. His experience spans sovereign, corporate, and project finance loan insurance, as well as political risk insurance for equity and subordinated debt.

He led the corporate planning division, overseeing strategic policy and the agency’s mid-term and annual plans. He also developed a risk premium system for new products.

While seconded to the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of Japan, he coordinated overseas infrastructure business promotion. He helped develop untied loan policy guidelines under the LEAD initiative and enhanced loan insurance incentives for green innovation.

He was NEXI’s chief negotiator of the OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits, and organised multilateral meetings hosted by NEXI, including the BU RCG CEO Meeting (2020) and G7 ECAs CEO Meeting (2024). As a senior advisor, he oversees international and strategic policy issues. He served as Vice Chair of the ECA Committee (2022–2023) and is a member of the Management Committee.

He holds an MBA from the University of Manchester, an MSc in Development Finance from SOAS, University of London, and is currently a PhD candidate in Public Policy at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo.

Rafael Docavo-Malvezzi is Global Chief Underwriting Officer for Political Risk, Credit & Bond (PRCB) at AXA XL. Prior to his appointment to the GCUO position in June 2021, Rafael had held the role of global head of risk management since joining the company in 2011 and, previously, at QBE Americas and Exporters Insurance in New York. He has over 15 years of experience in political risk and credit insurance.

Prior to joining the insurance world, Rafael worked at MasterCard International where he held various roles in strategic planning as well as operations and risk consulting for MasterCard Advisors. Rafael also worked as Research Associate for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and as Statistical Analyst, International Trade and Balance of Payments, at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

Rafael holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and a BS in Computer Engineering from the American University in Paris. He is fluent in Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese.

Pekka Karkovirta, Vice President, International Relations, Finnvera plc, the Official Export Credit Agency (ECA) of Finland has been working in the area of export credits for more than 30 years.

He has been involved in international negotiations in various fora including the OECD, the European Union, the Berne Union and Export Finance Laboratory. He has been chairing the meetings of the Participants to the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits for more than ten years, and before that various export credit groups in the OECD and EU Council Working Group on export credits during the Finnish Presidency.

He has worked in the EU Commission in DG Trade dealing with export credits. He has participated in the Berne Union activities since 1990s, as a delegate, facilitator, Chair of technical groups and participant in the Management Committee.

He holds a degree of M.Sc. (Economics) from the Helsinki School of Economics (today Aalto University)

Jim Thomas is the Global Head of Everest’s Credit and Political Risk insurance business, which he launched in 2016 to provide trade, non-trade, and project finance credit insurance and political risk coverage to banks, ECAs, multilaterals, and corporates worldwide.

Jim also serves as a member of the Berne Union Management Committee. Prior to joining Everest, Jim spent 16 years working for Zurich, serving as the Global Head of Zurich’s Credit & Political Risk business and actively participating in BU. He was elected twice as Vice-Chair of the INV Committee and represented Zurich on the Management Committee. Jim’s previous roles also include positions at Euromoney Publications in London and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile.

He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Florida, a Master’s Degree in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and is presently studying in the Johns Hopkins University PhD programme with a concentration in International Economics and Latin American Studies.

Jean-Paul is Deputy CEO of Credendo STN, responsible for Sales, Marketing and IT, since April 2014.

Prior to this he has held a nomber of other positions within Credendo, including Head of Sales and Account Management, Team Head of a mixed group of underwriters and commercial managers. Prior to this he worked as an Office Manager at Bacob Bank.

He holds a degree in International Marketing management from the University Diepenbeek and is a qualifed commercial engineer with a degree from the University of Antwerp.

Khalil is an accomplished executive and board member with over 25 years of experience leading operations, strategy, and business development initiatives across the banking, insurance, and financial services industries.

Currently, Khalil serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Credit Oman S.A.O.C, Oman's official Export Credit Agency, where he has led the development and launch of new products and achieved significant revenue growth. Previously, he held various leadership roles at Al Ahlia Insurance looking after various functions like Retail, Compliance, Legal, IT, and HR.

He holds a Bachelor's in Finance and double minors in MIS and Management from the University of New Orleans. Khalil has also completed banking, insurance, and compliance qualifications including becoming a Fellow of the International Compliance Association (UK). Currently, he serves on the boards of multiple companies including Takaful Oman, Al Batinah Power, and Taageer Finance. Khalil contributes his expertise in strategy, operations, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance.

Jan-Philipp Apking is a risk professional with 15+ years of experience in financial & credit risk analysis, commercial underwriting as well as credit risk insurance.

In his current role as Head of Underwriting & Risk Management at Euler Hermes AG - mandated by the German Government to act as the Official Export Agency (ECA) - Jan-Philipp is co-heading the ECA’s global underwriting practice across global markets and sectors. Previously he has led various underwriting teams within the ECA, with a regional focus on the African continent and CIS region. He has also been heading the ECAs Financial Institutions (FI) Team, managing the ECAs FI relationships globally and gaining experience with ECA products, requirements and regulations of the financial industry.

Before joining Euler Hermes’ in the ECA mandate he has been a Senior Manager in PwC’s Finance and Regulation advisory practice, working with Investments Guarantees as well as untied financing & products for project finance transactions. He started his professional career as a contract manager with multinational world leading industrial gases and engineering company, negotiating and executing high-volume financing and construction contracts (EPC / EPCM) in MENA-countries.

Combining professional experience from working with ECAs, the financial sector as well as the industry he has extensive knowledge of commercial and legal aspects of cross border transactions.

He holds academic qualifications at Master’s level in international business, international law and international relations from Macquarie University (Sydney) and La Trobe University (Melbourne). Jan-Philipp is a standing member of the Interministerial Committee for Export Credit Guarantees of the Federal Republic of Germany (IMC).

Jørn Fredsgaard Sørensen first joined the Danish ECA in 1995 and since 2012 heads the Country & Bank Risk department, where EIFO’s risk appetite on sovereigns and financial institutions is formulated. Due to its large exposure to wind projects, insight into the renewables sector is an EIFO trademark, and Jørn has been overseeing the development of energy competencies in EIFO.

Jørn has been a regular member of EIFO’s Berne Union team and has, among other activities, contributed to building BU’s Country Risk Attitude Dashboard.

Jørn has also contributed strongly to the launch of EIFO’s Ukraine facility as well as Denmark’s Green Investment Scheme. Jørn also launched and managed EIFO’s Green Accelerator facility in which companies can apply for grant support to their nascent export projects.

Ms Zhao Zheng is the Deputy General Manager of the Short-Term Trade Credit Insurance Underwriting Department at SINOSURE. She is responsible for the policy and credit underwriting of sectors like home appliances and modern agriculture, and for providing tailor-made services to key clients. She is also a member of the company’s internal credit committee.

Prior to this, she worked for nearly ten years in SINOSURE’s International Department, where she was responsible for foreign affairs administration and international communications. She led efforts to increase SINOSURE’s contribution to BU activities by leading or organising SINOSURE delegations to participate in BU meetings, supporting senior management to fulfill the duties of BU VP in 2018-2019, organising SINOSURE’s data submissions to BU, and promoting the BUlletin. She was a frequent attendee of BU meetings and a moderator for ECAs exchange meetings. She also led research programmes on areas ranging from the OECD Arrangement and ESG principles to supporting cross-border e-commerce enterprises.

She studied and worked in Hamburg, Germany, in the fields of financial consultation and credit insurance, and holds a Master’s Degree in International Business Administration.

Amal is the Deputy Director General at Jordan Loan Guarantee Corporation (JLGC). Amal held several managerial positions at JLGC. She was the Manager of Export Credit Insurance and Domestic Sales Department from 2017 to 2021, the Manager of Industrial Finance Department and the IFC Project Manager with the International Finance Corporation between 2013 and 2017. She is the Chair of the Steering committee and the Project Sponsor of JLGC Digital Transformation Strategy (DTS) in all key business decisions. She is achieving great success in operational excellence, securing operations and leading the team towards innovation. Amal represents JLGC in conferences and meetings for SMEs and export credit insurance locally and internationally. She works closely with the Banks, Microfinance companies, Chambers, SMEs associations, reinsurance entities and Loan Guarantee Schemes in the MENA region. Amal has 17 years banking experience at Bank of Jordan and was promoted to various positions in Retail and Credit Review between 1995 and 2012. She is member in the GET ON BOARD (The Next Generation of FEMALE BOARD MEMBERS) 2nd Cohort graduate advisors. Furthermore, she is a trainer in the field of SMEs at Institute of Banking Studies.