Conference Agenda of the 25 Years - The SCHUMANN Experience

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.

Sean Edwards is Head of Legal at SMBC Bank International plc, part of the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. He is a Special Adviser to the Trade Finance Department of the Bank and in the Trade Innovation Unit. Also Sean is Chairman of the International Trade & Forfaiting Association (ITFA). He helped draft the Uniform Rules for Forfaiting (URF) and the Standard Definitions for Techniques of Supply Chain Finance published by ITFA, ICC, FCI, BAFT and the EBA.

He is a former member of the Executive Committee of the ICC Banking Commission and the ICC Working Group on Digitalisation in Trade Finance. Sean is a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Finance Expert Group. He is a non-executive director of KomGo S.A. Sean has written for all the major trade finance magazines and is on the editorial board of Global Trade Review (GTR). He has presented at many conferences.

Lallinger has been Chief Executive "Financial Risks" at Munich Re since 2010, with global responsibility for the Credit Insurance and Credit Reinsurance business of Munich Re, the world's leading reinsurer. Lallinger serves also as Member of the Supervisory Board of a Spanish public company, Member of the Board of Directors of a US Inc. Company and in the Credit Committee of the German Insurance Association.

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.

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.

Mr. Sillars has been the Product Owner for Tokio Marine HCC International, a leading specialty insurance group with offices in the United Kingdom and continental Europe. He has been responsible for the vision and product development of the Surety Business in the UK and Continental Europe since 2019. He is a member of the member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and the British Computer Society, with qualifications in Business Architecture and System Development.

Between 2016 and 2019, Mr. Sillars headed up the Trade Credit system development programme, with responsibility for design, build and vendor selection for a new Trade Credit system. Prior to joining Tokio Marine, he led a regional underwriting division for Aviva Insurance UK, focusing on delivery of commercial professional risks Insurance.

Alex started his career in 2008 as a Commercial Insurance Broker before joining Aviva’s Trainee manager programme, working as a Claims Investigator, Underwriter and subsequently Underwriting Manager.

He was born 1986 in Leicester, United Kingdom, and has 2 children.