Keynote speakers

Professor Donato Masciandaro, Bocconi University (Italy), Director of the Paolo Baffi Centre on Central Banking and Financial Regulation and Member of the Management Council of SUERF. He is also an economic Advisor of the United Nations, the Interamerican Development Bank, and the World Bank. His as actively engaged into the academic and regulative initiatives concerning financial regulation and functioning of the financial markets as in Italy so in Europe. His work has covered three main topics: central banking, financial regulation and supervision, illegal financial markets. He is always welcome as a speaker at the top scientific events in different parts of the world.
Előd Takáts, Senior Economist, Monetary and Economic Department, Emerging Markets, Bank for International Settlements (Basel, Switzerland).

Előd Takáts monitors emerging markets focusing on Central and Eastern Europe. He earned his PhD in financial economics at Princeton University in 2006. Prior his PhD he worked in banking. During his studies, he conducted research at the European Central Bank and at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. After graduation, he worked for the International Monetary Fund in the Western Hemisphere; the Strategy, Policy and Review; and the Monetary and Capital Markets Departments. He conducted surveillance missions, worked on country programs and during his last assignment he was the monetary economist for China. He joined the Bank for International Settlements in 2009, where he organises policy meetings for emerging market central bankers and provides background analytics for ongoing policy work. His research focuses on issues particularly relevant for emerging market policy makers, such as cross-border financial flows or macroprudential measures.
Dr. Borislav Bjelicic, Senior Vice President of the DVB Bank SE, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.

Founded in 1923, DVB Bank with assets over 24 billion Euros (September 2012) is the leading specialist in the international Transport Finance business. The Bank offers integrated financing solutions and advisory services in respect of Shipping Finance, Aviation Finance, and Land Transport Finance. DVB is present at all key international financial centres and transport hubs: at its Frankfurt/Main head office, as well as various European locations (Athens, Bergen, Hamburg, London, Oslo, Rotterdam and Zurich), plus offices in the Americas (New York City and Curaçao) and in Asia (Singapore and Tokyo). DVB Bank SE is listed at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Majority shareholder is DZ Bank AG, which is ranked the fourth by of assets among German financial institutions. DVB Bank SE is interesting as highly specialized financial institution that ensures its effective operation in the post-crisis period.

Dr. Borislav Bjelicic joined DVB Bank SE in 1998 and, since 2000, held position of Senior Vice President Corporate Communications. Lecturer on Transportation Management at the University of Mannheim since 1995. Appointed to Honorary Professor by the University of Mannheim in 2001. Various roles at Deutsche Lufthansa German Airlines (1990-98) including: General Manager Airmail and General Manager Contract Logistics. Studied Business Administration majoring in Logistics and Transportation Management. Graduation as a Doctor of Economics in 1990. Academic Awards: Rhenania-Logistics-Award (1985), Academic Award of the Stinnes-Foundation (1990), Award of the Prechel-Foundation (1991). 63 academic papers and articles, ca. 100 lectures and presentations (at universities, at international conferences, and in corporate training programmes). It is expected that his report will be focused on the practical aspects of DVB Bank’s management, particularly in the post-crisis period.
Professor Andrei V. Vernikov (Higher School of Economics, Moscow)

Professor Vernikov occupied executive positions in banking and finance since 1992, i.e.: Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, Thessaloniki (Greece); ABN AMRO Bank (Moscow); International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C. (USA); Central Bank of the Russian Federation and so on. He has been a non-executive director in banking and real estate since 2005 in 6 institutions in Russia, Lithuania and Ukraine. He is a member of the Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences.

In 2008 Professor Vernikov was awarded with “Director of the Year National Prize” in the "Independent Director" nomination. In 2012 he was included into the national rating "Top-50 non-executive Directors".
During his professional career he had numerous internships and work experiences in as in the UNO, International Monetary Fund, National Association of Corporate Directors (USA), World Bank so in Central Banks of European countries and Japan.
Kenneth Spong, Senior Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Kenneth Spong is a Senior Economist in the Banking Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Mr. Spong has been with the Federal Reserve since 1973 and is engaged in research on a variety of topics related to the regulation, supervision, and performance of banks and other financial institutions. This research includes: corporate governance and the ownership and management structure of banks, large banks and too-big-to-fail concerns, small business lending, interstate banking, and home financing and homeownership issues among low-income households. This research has been published in a variety of Federal Reserve, academic and banking trade publications. In addition, Mr. Spong has written a book on bank regulation—Banking Regulation: Its Purposes, Implementation, and Effects—which is now in its fifth edition.
Mr. Spong has a MA in economics from the University of Chicago and a BA in mathematics and economics from the University of Kansas.