Speakers

Since August 2006, Marc Aguilar is member of the TOPS (Technology, Operations, Processes and Systems) Management Team and deputy chairman of the OMT (Operations Management Team) at FORTIS . TOPS represents a total of 8500 FTEs and a global budget of 1.5 Billion Euros covering world-wide IS/IT activities and Operations such as Securities Handling, Payments, and Credits.

In addition Marc holds the position of General Manager “Fortis Payments Services”.
PAY strategy is to create one shared service centre, operated from multiple locations, with local skill centres. These services are offered and delivered via standardized, automated and focused distribution channels on the basis of a stream-lined process and functional model free of redundancies. PAY leads a process improvement program that aims at introducing “lean and mean” operational processes schemes. Under the leadership of Marc, Fortis has achieved: (1) productivity gains of 14% each year; (2) a budget reduction of 25% and (3) a workforce reduction of 31%. By 2009, Pay will source an additional 22% FTEs out of low-cost countries such as Turkey or Poland.
Marc is also active on the international and inter-banking scene, representing Fortis at the European Payment Council (EPC) as a member of the EPC Plenary and a member of the Co-ordination Committee. He although holds a position at COGEPS (ECB Contact Group on Euro Payments Strategy)
Until November 2003 and as a member of the OMT, Marc was in charge of Operations (OPS) Strategy Co-ordination. Together with his team, Marc focused his activities on OPS Strategic Orientations and ensured consistent project management and investment via a Program Management Office. Other areas of interest and activities included business process/IT architectures.
Marc began his career at “Banque Générale du Luxembourg” in 1995 and held different senior positions including Head of Organisation, Head of Corporate Planning and Director of the “CARAT” Program (Competitive Advantage Realised through Advanced Technologies).
From 2000 to 2002, Marc was General Manager of Fortis Corporate e-Business Centre in charge of launching e-commerce activities based on new business models. Several projects have been successfully completed, including BtoB ventures in the investment fund area and BtoC alliances in the security brokerage area In 1998, Marc joined a government task force to define the new legal e-commerce framework for Luxembourg.
Marc Aguilar holds a degree in mathematics and a PhD degree in computer science and is the author of two patents in the telecommunication/radio direction finding area.
Before joining BGL in 1995, Marc Aguilar has been working as a teacher for mathematics, as Assistant Professor of the University of Fribourg/CH and as a researcher in computer science for the Swiss IPP research program (1993-1995).
Marc was President of the SIPAR association (Swiss Informaticians Society – Parallel Processing Interest Group) and Senator of the University of Fribourg.
During the last years, Marc published several research papers in international proceedings, has been invited as speaker to national and international conferences, and was a member of several scientific advisory boards at the Lippmann Research Centre/Luxembourg.
He furthermore followed the modular International Management Program at CEDEP-INSEAD (1998), the Strategic Management Program of Fortis Corporate (2001) and the “Next Generation Leadership Program” of Fortis (2002).

Brent Bellm has served as Vice President and General Manager of PayPal Europe since October 2005. He joined eBay Inc. in April 2001 as Director of Corporate Strategy and played an active role in the acquisition of PayPal. After completion of that acquisition in October 2002, he transferred to PayPal and led its global strategy from 2003-2005. Prior to eBay, Mr Bellm worked at the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company from 1993-2000, where he focused on the retail, e-commerce and payments industries.

Mr Bellm has also worked for three banks, including Credit Suisse in Switzerland, Goldman Sachs in New York, and the community bank founded by his great-great-grandfather in Illinois. Mr Bellm received a B.A. from Stanford University in Economics and International Relations and an M.B.A. from Harvard University, both with highest academic honors.

Pablo Castillón is Partner, Banking Back Office Solutions of IBM Benelux Global Business Services. He is responsible for driving selected business solutions into the core banking and payments markets of the region, including those related to SEPA requirements. He's also been part of the IBM Banking consulting practice out of Chicago and Mexico City. Previous to joining IBM, Pablo was a VP of Institutional Banking at Banamex Citibank, based out of Mexico City and London.

Petra van Duuren is Head of Marketing & Communication and SEPA Publisher at gtnews. She joined gtnews in 2004, working directly with global financial service providers to define and implement strategic thought leading and new business development campaigns. Petra leads the gtnews SEPA project aimed to increase communication and dialogue
amongst stakeholders on this crucial issue. The gtnews SEPA project has since it was launched in June 2006, attracted over 15,000 readers and established a fast growing SEPA stakeholder community. Initially trained as a Management consultant, Petra holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication and MBA from University of Tilburg.

Bo Harald (born 1948) is in charge of Nordea’s Electronic Banking operations. He began his banking career in 1975 when he joined Union Bank of Finland. He has held positions among others as Credit Director in Union Bank of Finland International, Luxembourg, Deputy Managing Director of Union Bank of Finland Singapore, Managing Director of Union Bank of Finland in London, Board Member of Union Bank of Finland, Head of Corporate Sector, Large Corporations and Helsinki District.

After the merger of Union Bank of Finland and Kansallis-Osake-Pankki to form Merita Bank in 1995, Mr. Harald was appointed Deputy Member of the Board with responsibility for Western Finland and Payments & Network Banking within the Retail Banking division.

In 1998 Merita Bank and Nordbanken (Sweden) formed MeritaNordbanken. Mr.Harald was appointed Executive Vice President, Payments and Network Banking. In 1999 he also became member of the Group Management. After the integration with Unibank and Christiania Bank the bank changed its name to Nordea in December 2000.

Mr. Harald also acted as Chairman of Mobey (Mobile Financial Services Forum) and has held and holds directorships in various companies and associations. He is a frequent lecturer of Internet and E-commerce topics and was named by Institutional Investor in April 2000 as one of the most influential technologists of the 20th century. He was granted the first award by the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications for promoting the information society in 2004. Bo Harald is since the beginning of 2006 in charge of the Executive Advisors Unit at TietoEnator PlC.

Gerard Hartsink is Senior Executive Vice President of the European Union Affairs and Market Infrastructures of ABN AMRO Bank. During his career he had managerial roles in sales, product development and operations in several of the Business Units of the ABN AMRO Group. Today he holds responsibility for the relationship ABN AMRO has with the European Union and for the relationships with the market infrastructures world in the securities, payments and cards industry.

Gerard Hartsink represents ABN AMRO Bank as:

Payments:

• European Payments Council, Chairman
• COGEPS (ECB: Coordination Group European Payments Strategy), Co-Chairman
• Euro Banking Association, Board member
• CLS, Vice-Chairman
• Payments Policy Committee Dutch Association of Banks, Member

Securities:

• LCH.Clearnet: Board member
• Euroclear: - Dutch Market Advisory Committee, Chairman
• Member Cross Border Advisory Committee
• CESAME (European Commission), Member
• COGESI (ECB), Member
• Securities Policy Committee Dutch Association of Banks, Member

Technology and Standards:

• SWIFT: Dutch National Member Group, Chairman
• ISO: ISO Registration Management Group 20022 XML, Vice-Chairman
• ECP.NL (Electronic Commerce Platform Netherlands), Board Member
• Standardisation Forum Dutch Government: Member

General:

• FBE: Global Banks Committee, Member

Tom Isaac is Managing Director Financial Institutions Group. He joined Global Transaction Services in January 2003 and prior to his current role, Tom was head of the Citigroup's Global Relationship Bank's UK banks and brokers team, where he worked for six years. Tom began his banking career in 1993 in London with Citigroup. Other areas he has worked in are: Global Securities Services, the financial institution strategy team and the foreign exchange business.

Born in Oxford, Tom received an MA in Civil Engineering from Churchill College Cambridge in 1987 and an MBA from the Open University Business School in 1993. Before joining Citigroup, Tom served as an officer in Royal Engineers (British Army) in the Gulf War, Canada, Denmark, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Kenya, and the UK.

Hermann-Josef Lamberti is Member of the Board of Managing Directors of Deutsche Bank AG. As Chief Operating Officer he has global responsibility for Deutsche Bank Group's Cost and Infrastructure Management, Information Technology and Operations, Building and Facilities Management as well as Purchasing. He was appointed to the Board of Managing Directors in October 1999, where he was in charge of the Global Technology and Services Division. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Hermann-Josef Lamberti worked at IBM for 14 years. After several management positions in Germany, France and the USA he took up the position of Chairman of the Senior Management of IBM in Stuttgart in 1997. Hermann-Josef Lamberti graduated with a master's degree in Business Administration in 1982 from the universities of Cologne and Dublin. He subsequently worked for Touche Ross in Toronto and the Chemical Bank in Frankfurt.

Philippe Menier was appointed Deputy Chief Executive, Visa Europe in July this year. Amongst other duties he is responsible for extending Visa Europe's relationship within the banking community and ensuring the success of V PAY, Visa Europe's new chip and PIN debit product for the Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA).

Previous roles within Visa Europe included Chief Operating Officer of Visa Europe - a role he had held for five and a half years, in which he was responsible for the Finance and Treasury, Human Resources, Processing Payment Services, IT and Business Services and Systems.

Mr Menier was also Executive Vice President Relationship and Marketing Management. At that time he managed the nine local offices in the European region. His responsibility was to nurture and cement the relationship between Visa and its member banks and financial institutions, working with a team of relationship managers across the local offices.

Prior to joining Visa in January 1998, Mr Menier spent ten years at Citibank, where he worked in a number of roles, culminating in Business Manager for Citibank Cards UK. He has also worked in the US and Belgium.

Previously, Mr Menier spent eight years with Diners Club Benelux, based in Belgium, where he spent his last two years of employment as Financial Controller. Mr Menier holds a Commercial Engineering Degree from the Ecole de Commerce Solvay Brussels University.

Chris’s role within BT Global Financial Services is to monitor the potential impact of industry initiatives and changes on the business of BT’s customers, and to interpret these changes in terms of BT’s own business. His experience covers a broad range of treasury-related activities, from designing, developing and implementing financial applications systems over thirty years ago through to addressing the impacts of major regulatory changes on the financial services industry internationally. His previous jobs have included marketing with Reuters in London, Paris and Frankfurt, carrying out projects for the OECD, UK Government and major vendors on behalf of PA Management Consultants, and being Head of Exchange Products at Deutsche Börse here in Frankfurt. On behalf of BT, Chris is actively involved in the work of international standards bodies, including TWIST, ISO and FIX.