Speakers of the SCHUMANN Conference 2025

Katarina Jovanovic has more than 20 years of experience in finance, risk management, and the travel industry. She began her career at the Deutsche Bundesbank before moving into senior roles at Thomas Cook, where she led various international risk and contracting functions. In 2020 she joined UNION TANK Eckstein, where she has been responsible for Credit Risk Management & Collection in the DACH & WSE region. Since 2025 she has served as Head of Credit Risk Management & Collection. She is also a Certified Credit Officer (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management) and a Certified Compliance Officer.

Paul Philand is an insurance specialist with over three decades of experience in the international surety and credit insurance market. After senior roles at AIG and Liberty, he founded PMG Financial Services in 2001, which became the largest independent surety broker in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. Following the sale to Howden in 2016, he served as Global Head of Surety, leading the group’s worldwide surety operations. Since 2022, he has been CEO and Founder of Vault MGA, a London-based specialist insurer focused on surety, structured credit, political risks, and management liability for financial institutions.

Markus Deubert is since September 2022 as Head of Underwriting of the business unit Credit Lines of the Zurich Group Germany active. In this function is he responsible for the existing customer business base of product the product divisions trade credit and surety.

Markus Deubert has over 30 years experience in business particularly in the areas financing, credit analysis and credit insurance. He gained his experience in Germany and abroad.

He is business economist and has a vocational training, married and father of two children.

Dr. Jürgen Kreil holds a doctorate in physics and has many years of experience at the interface of technology, IT and purchasing. After completing his doctorate at the University of Kaiserslautern, he held various management positions at companies such as SAP, RWE and Deutsche Telekom. Since 2015, he has been responsible for Procurement Systems & Tools at Heraeus, where he is driving forward the digital transformation of the supply chain.

Professor Tallau has over 25 years of experience in the credit business. He is Professor of Finance at the Münster School of Business (MSB) at Münster University of Applied Sciences and Director of the Institute for Credit Analysis (IfK). Professor Tallau worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and held operational financial management positions at Bilfinger SE. In addition to his professorship, he advises credit institutions and companies as managing director of Quantil Consulting GmbH. Professor Tallau is the author of numerous scientific and practice-oriented publications in the fields of banking supervisory law, rating and credit analysis.

Heiko Harlapp was born in Hamburg and lives with his family in Lüneburg. While still studying law, he founded esyoil GmbH in 2002, an online price comparison platform for heating oil, which he successfully managed as CEO until 2016. He is the founder and managing director of HARLAPP GmbH, a digital agency, and was appointed Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at Hoyer SE. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s digital strategy and its implementation. A particular challenge lies in meeting the heightened IT security requirements of a company classified as critical infrastructure. He practices Ashtanga Yoga and, as the founder of a multi-generational living project, is committed to fostering communication between generations.

Ludovic is responsible for all European surety bank transaction business, including master risk participation agreements or direct participations. Based in France, he brings more than 15 years of experience to this steadily growing business. Prior to joining Tokio Marine HCC in 2018, Ludovic held positions at Chubb and Zurich Insurance. He gathered experience in international surety underwriting and structured participations in several guarantee facilities in the syndicated and leveraged markets. Ludovic graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Strasbourg EM Strasbourg Business School and a MBA from Boston College Carroll School of Management. He speaks French, English and German.

Stefan Herschel studied Public Service Administration and Quantitative Economics and started his career in the banking industry at the former Dresdner Bank and WestLB in Germany in credit risk.

In 2006, he joined Zurich Insurance Group. Based at the Group's headquarters in Switzerland, he first worked there as senior credit risk manager and credit and market risk modelling expert. 

Later, he led a number of larger projects, including IT projects, for Zurich’s Group Risk Management department.

From 2012, he accompanied various leadership roles in the Group Risk Management department at the Zurich Group. Since July 2020, Stefan Herschel has been responsible for the credit & surety business of Zurich Germany as Head of Credit Lines Germany.  

In the course of his many years of work, Stefan Herschel has been heavily involved in the credit and surety business, in credit risk modelling and credit portfolio management, as well as in the implementation and application of technology and digitalisation in credit risk management. 

With over 30 years of experience in financial services and international business development Katarzyna Kompowska is CEO of Coface in Northern Europe. During her career she has managed and built strong and successful companies in over 20 European markets.  

In her role as CEO Coface Northern Europe she has been managing the business of the international trade risk specialist in Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia since 2017. From 2012 to 2017 as CEO of the Central and Eastern Europe Region she led and developed businesses for 14 countries into leading positions within their markets. She has been member of Coface Group Executive Committee since 2012 and member of the boards of the German information, debt collection and factoring units since 2017. 

After her Master in Economics and Business Administration at the Warsaw School of Economics she joined Coface in 1992 to establish the business in Poland. For her achievements she was honored as “Business Women of the Year” in 2007. In 2022 she was nominated French Foreign Trade Advisor at “Les Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France Allemagne (CCE)”.

Within the Nexus Group, Samuel is responsible for the Trade Credit Insurance business across Continental Europe, operating out of Hamburg.

He has several years of experience as a Credit Analyst and Credit Risk Underwriter. Additionally, Samuel worked for several years as a Commercial Underwriter and Key Account Manager, with a particular focus on international Top Up programmes and ‘Non-Can’ solutions for larger ‘Mittelstand’ clients. He led the German operation of Nexus Trade Credit for five years.

Since November 2024, Samuel is heading the European business of Nexus Trade Credit, with its locations in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and France.

Stefan Vogel successfully completed his degree in Economy Insurance in 1994 and started his career in sales at EUROFACTOR AG. In 2007, he moved to Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance Ltd. in the position of Sales Director Germany. At ABN AMRO Commercial Finance GmbH he deepened his knowledge as Senior Sales Manager. In 2011 he moved to HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG. There he held various responsibilities, most recently as Head of Product Proposition in Global Trade and Receivables Finance. 2022 Stefan Vogel took up his position as Managing Director with shared responsibility for the MidMarket (deas Credit, CFG, Schunck Credit) of CFG Finance, which is part of the Ecclesia Group.

Ecclesia Credit as an umbrella brand unites different credit brokers and consultants with a focus on liquidity, financing and credit management and protection.

Philipp Prechtl is Managing Director of Koehler Innovative Solutions GmbH and Koehler Invest GmbH. Both companies are part of the Koehler Group with the core business areas of speciality paper and renewable energy. In this role, he is responsible for the future fields of digital transformation, innovation and sustainability. Innovation at Koehler not only takes place from within, but also through targeted collaboration with young companies as part of venture clienting and venture partnering. In this context, targeted investments are also made by Koehler Invest. He is a member of various advisory boards and a supervisory board.

Philipp Prechtl is the father of two children, holds a degree in business administration from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, a Power MBA and is a certified supervisory board member of the German stock exchange. He has many years of experience in various management consultancies and operational management functions.

Alexander Niemeyer has been with R+V since 1997.

Positions during this time:

• Joined as Head of Strategic Policy Issues Sales and subsequently Group Development in the Chief Executive Officer department
• Head of Commercial Credit Insurance
• Head of surety insurance

Since 2016, he has had overall responsibility for these areas as Head of Credit/Surety and Fidelity Insurance.

He previously completed a banking apprenticeship and then studied business administration with a subsequent trainee programme at R+V.

Niemeyer lives in the Rheingau near Wiesbaden and spends his free time rowing and cycling.

Tom Würfel is Director Solution Sales at Dun & Bradstreet Germany. As a data expert, he has over 20 years of experience in establishing data-driven business processes. A current focus of his work is supporting global B2B organisations in creating AI readiness for their data and automating risk management processes.

Thomas Schulte has been with Henrich Baustoffzentrum GmbH & Co. KG since 1995. As Head of Credit Management, he is responsible for risk management, credit issuance, and optimizing receivables management. He successfully implemented a Credit Management System and developed a sustainable Credit Policy. In 2015, he initiated the founding of BauTreff, a network of building materials wholesalers. Schulte serves on the board of the Bundesverband Credit Management and as a group spokesperson for BauTreff. He also volunteers as Managing Director of FC Hennef 05.

Lallinger has been Chief Executive "Financial Risks" at Munich Re since 2010, with global responsibility for the Credit Insurance, Credit Reinsurance and Digital Factoring business at Munich Re, the world's leading Reinsurer. Lallinger serves also as Member of the Supervisory Board of a Spanish Credit Insurer, Member of the Board of Directors of a US Inc. Company and in the Credit Committee of the German Insurance Association. Lallinger is also responsible for the Automated Credit Risk Assessment and Value-chain Enhancement initiatives at Munich Re. 

Between 2008 and 2010, Mr. Lallinger built up and headed the "Global Reinsurance Strategy and Organisation" division, with responsibility for the strategy, mid-term planning, organisational structure and efficiency of the Munich Re Reinsurance Group. Since 2006, he has been “Head of Strategy” for the Munich Re Group, having joined the same department in 2002 as a Strategy Consultant. 

Prior to joining Munich Re, Lallinger was Financial Risks Underwriter at GE Frankona Re, having started his insurance career in 1993 as a Trainee at Gerling Credit Insurance, Cologne. 

He was born 1965 in Göttingen, Germany, is married, 3 children, and holds a Master of Business Administration from Georg-August-Universität.

Mike is an innovative, entrepreneurial Chartered Director with a strong track record of creating and growing businesses across Europe, USA and emerging markets.

Mike has 39 years’ experience in trade credit and political risk insurance, as well as in trade finance. He has been at the forefront of innovation in the industry and has been active in the Dutch and German markets as well as the UK and the US. He was a founder and CEO of trade credit insurer Equinox Global Limited.

Mike’s recent activities include being a director at Nexus Trade Credit, a consultant at Charles Taylor Adjusting, a director of a motor insurance MGA; providing advice to the Irish Government on credit insurance, and acting as Deputy Chair of the London Handel Festival (of classical music).

Mike recently became a Chartered Director after studying with the Irish Institute of Directors.

Experienced managing director (CFO) with a wide range of business literacy. Many years of management responsibility in a medium-sized family owned company. Knowledgeable in the implementation of market and financial topics, such as M&A transactions, strategic controlling, risk management and compliance as well as in the sustainable development of transformation and change processes, strategy development and compensation systems.

Self-employed management consultant since April 2020, in particular as a member of the Transport & Logistics industry group at BDO as well as in several advisory board mandates.

Dr. Adam Melski is a seasoned top-level executive with proven expertise in driving digital and agile transformations across large, business-critical organizations. As Managing Director and CTO at SCHUMANN, he is currently responsible for the company’s digital strategy. Previously, he served as Managing Director of MachDigital GmbH – an award-winning joint venture between HDI and Neodigital. Leadership roles at HDI Group (including as Head of Claims IT) and VHV Group (including as Head of Agile Transformation and Program Lead) underscore his deep industry experience. Dr. Adam Melski holds a PhD in Information Systems from the University of Göttingen and brings over 15 years of leadership experience to the table.

Since 1991, Prof. Dr. Matthias Schumann has held a professorship in Business Administration and Information Systems (Chair of Application Systems and E-Business) at the University of Göttingen. He also heads the joint computing center of the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Social Sciences. He is a shareholder of Prof. Schumann GmbH.

Prof. Schumann's research interests include information systems at financial service providers and systems for credit management, as well as issues related to knowledge and education management. Prof. Schumann has a wide range of experience in consulting companies, extensive lecturing activities and more than 350 publications.

Tobias Nießner holds a PhD in Business Information Systems from the Georg-August University of Göttingen. He studied mathematics and business information systems with a focus on data science. During his PhD, he worked on risk use cases in accounts receivable management.

He joined SCHUMANN in 2023 as Product Owner to enable the product landscape with AI capabilities