Khalil El Zarka

Zouk El Khrab, Dbayeh / Lebanon

+961-******* +961-*******

adrup0@r.postjobfree.com / adrup0@r.postjobfree.com

Trade Finance/Operations

Senior professional with extensive experience in Trade finance activities such as Import/Export letter of credits, in/outward documentary collections and Bank Guarantees. As well as, proficient in centralized Banking Operations such as in/outward payment transfers, swift Alliance, checks clearing, methods and procedures, software testing.

Well-versed in ICC rules and practices (UCP600, URDG758, URC522, ISBP, ISP98).

Core Skills

Bank Operations

Trade Finance Management

ICC Rules & Practices

Import/Export Letter of Credits

SBLCs and Bank Guarantees

Structured Commodity Finance

Strategy Planning

Process Upgrade

Swift Alliance

System Changes & Updates

User Acceptance Testing

Fusion Trade Innovation (Finastra)

Executive Summary

Skilled in evaluating requirements of business units in terms of operational support and discuss in detail with concerned business units.

Ensure the processes are smoothly and error-freely transacted in Fusion Trade Innovation (FTI) System.

Rollout transactions within pre-set standardized turnaround times for all trade finance activities and service level agreements with business and all other concerned units.

Evaluate department delivery processes with a view to ensure smooth workflow within the department, reduce turnaround times and achieve efficiency and cost benefits

Adept at maintaining transaction records, documents and create archival system for easy retrieval.

Manage audit control, reconciliation control, Ops risk reporting, and other control mechanisms within the team.

Monitor customer trade transaction, settlements and report any exceptions to concerned units.

High mentoring ability with excellent communication and team management skills. Possess an analytical mindset to cater to business and operational exigencies.

Proficient in providing Business requirements and leading UAT test Scenarios for Trade Services

Develop and restructure operations procedures to maximize efficiency and minimize time waste

Professional Experience

Credit Libanais Sal, Lebanon 1995 – Present

Career Graph:

Trade Finance Department Deputy Head, 2006 – April 2022

Central Processing Operations Senior Officer, 1999 – 2006

Problem Solving & Issuer Of Visa BankerNet Cards, Visa Center, Jdeideh/Leb 1998 – 1999

Teller Employee, Jisr Branch,Quarantine/Leb, 1995 – 1998

Responsibilities:

Spearhead operations related to Documentary Credit Section, Documentary Collections, Local and International Demand Guarantees, including pre-export financing such as Structured Commodity Finance Services.

Work across various aspects of trade finance services encompassing Import/Export Letter Of Credits, Inward/Outward Documentary Collections, Local/International Demand Guarantees.

Coordinate and controls activities related to the issuance of Import L/Cs and the advise of Export L/Cs to ensure alignment with the latest UCP version (UCP 600 and ISBP 745).

Manage the issue of SBLCs and International Demand Guarantees as per the applicable rules and laws using the knowledge of URDG 758, ISP98, and UCP 600.

Coordinates the generation of structured commodity finance services in collaboration with the financial institution department.

Cater to transactions related to the Local Guarantees which are governed by the applicable local laws.

Discuss and Resolve discrepancies with the import and export senior Documentary Checkers.

Draft and communicate correspondence across the globe based on the business and operational requirements. Enhance operational efficiency and service quality by implementing various process improvement initiatives.

Follow up with the IT department for incorporating new parameters/maintaining or modifying existing parameters based on the operational and statutory requirements.

Function as a point of contact for the bank's clients and concerned branch employees to solve and discuss any technical problems.

Focus on the introduction of upgrades on the FTI system (Finastra) and other trade related systems (such as FCC Fusion Corporate Channels) and conduct UAT before implementation

Influence the development of key new products service initiative in order to identify product gaps or new service opportunities and anticipate client needs.

Manage Audit control reconciliation control Ops risk reporting and other control mechanisms within the team. Monitor customer trade transactions, settlements and report any exceptions to concerned units.

Review department delivery processes with a view to ensure smooth workflow within the department, reduce turnaround times and achieve efficiency and cost benefits.

Prepare and present various status reports to the senior management and other stakeholders to enable effective decision-making.

Education

MBA – Executive Masters In Business Administration, Lebanese Canadian University 2006

(In partnership with University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) with a Canadian Certificate Awarded and a GPA of 3.52/4.3)

BA – Business Administration, Option Accounting & Finance, Lebanese University 1998

(Thesis project: A Financial Study of Liberty Executive Center Sal. (LEC), a company that deals in offering full complement of managerial services, for individuals & companies who needs to establish a business center for them in Lebanon)

Training Courses

Certified Documentary Credit Specialist (CDCS), London Institute of Banking and Finance, 2017

Introduction to ICC IncoTerms 2020, Banking and Financial Institute in Beirut, 2019

Training in URDG 758 of ICC, from the General Union of Arab Chambers, Beirut, 2010

Extensive training in UCP 600 of ICC from the Association of Banks in Lebanon, 2007

Microsoft Excel, Certificate of Achievement by Formatech, Beirut, 2019

Training in Fusion Trade Innovation System (FTI), conducted by FINASTRA at Credit Libanais Head Quarters, Beirut, Lebanon, 2014

Workshop organized by the European Bank (EBRD) regarding concerning fraudulent transactions in Trade Finance, 2019

Personal Details

Date of Birth: 02 Jul 1977

Nationality: Lebanese

Languages Known: English and Arabic (Fluent)

French (Basic)

Passport Details: LR0866809 valid till May 2023

Address: Bachir Khoury Building, 2nd Stage, Zouk El Khrab, Dbayeh/Lebanon

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