
BAFT & TTP: International Women’s Day
Date & Time
Mar 5, 2026 1:20 PM - Mar 5, 2026 5:00 PM
Location
Park Plaza London Riverbank 18 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TJ, United Kingdom
Status
Past EventAbout the Event
The BAFT and Trade Treasury Payments International Women’s Day programme, taking place on 5 March 2026 in London as part of the BAFT Europe Bank to Bank Forum, brings together senior leaders from commercial banks, corporates, fintech firms and multilateral development institutions to examine how women are shaping the next phase of global payments, treasury and cross border finance.
Framed around the theme Give to Gain, the afternoon focuses on the systems, decisions and structures that define modern international finance, from liquidity and resilience to standards, inclusion and the future architecture of money. Through keynote perspectives, panel discussions and interactive roundtables, the programme explores how leadership, governance and collaboration are evolving in response to real time settlement, fragmented liquidity, rising regulatory scrutiny and data driven payment infrastructures. Designed to move beyond representation, the event offers participants practical insight into how broadening leadership and access strengthens markets, builds trust and accelerates innovation across the global financial ecosystem.
This event is free of charge for attendees of BAFT Europe.
Complimentary tickets for this event are no longer available.
Topics Covered:
Featured Speakers



Adizah Tejani
Ex Portfolio Manager and Board Advisor

Sara Castelhano
Head Payments and Digital Product for EMEA, Wholesale Payments Division
J.P MorganChase






Sponsors
Partners
Official Opening
Tod Burwell, President & CEO, BAFT
Deepesh Patel, Editor in Chief & Managing Director, Trade Treasury Payments
Systems, influence and the next chapter of global payments
BAFT and TTP outline the programme’s purpose and the rationale for situating International Women’s Day within a bank-to-bank forum. It will frame the afternoon around how women are leading the next phase of global payments, treasury, and cross-border finance.
Deepa Sinha, Senior Vice President, Payments & Financial Crimes & Women in Transaction Banking, BAFT
Eleanor Hill, Treasury Editor, Trade Treasury Payments
Speakers: Deepa Sinha, Eleanor Hill
Liquidity and the new economics of speed
A senior treasury or payments leader presents a forward view of how real-time settlement, richer data standards and new operating models are altering liquidity management, forecasting and control within global institutions. The focus is on decision-making in complex environments and the practical implications for governance and risk.
Nicole Sandler, Chief Ecosystem Officer, Ubyx
Speakers: Nicole Sandler
Women building the foundations of modern finance
This discussion brings together women founders and senior product leaders working in payments, treasury technology and supply chain data. It explores leadership challenges, where the most significant product gaps lie, how infrastructure innovation is financed, and why women-founded firms continue to receive a small share of global capital despite strong performance indicators. Panellists will examine the commercial realities of scaling B2B and infrastructure ventures and the market incentives required to direct more investment to women-led firms.
- Dr Ruth Wandhöfer, Head of European Markets, Blackwired
- Adizah Tejani, Ex Portfolio Manager and Board Advisor
- Sara Castelhano, Head Payments and Digital Product for EMEA, Wholesale Payments Division, J.P. Morgan
- Yasemin Swanson, Chief Operations Officer, OpenPayd
- Zeynep Sayin, Head of Visa Direct Partnerships, Visa
Moderator: Joy Macknight, Transaction Banking and Payments Editor, Trade Treasury Payments
Speakers: Ruth Wandhofer, Adizah Tejani, Sara Castelhano, Yasemin Swanson, Zeynep Sayin
Moderators: Joy Macknight
A treasurer’s view of data, automation and organisational change
An intervention from a global corporate or public sector treasurer on the practical application of automation and data-driven forecasting inside a large institution. The speaker will reflect on the internal conditions that enable reform, how to maintain credibility across business lines, and what the next phase of treasury transformation is likely to involve.
Moderator: Eleanor Hill, Treasury Editor, Trade Treasury Payments
- Kemi Bolarin, Head of Treasury, Europe, GXO Logistics
- Rita King, MD, Head of Business Development, Lloyds Bank
- Vanessa Manning, Head of Transaction Banking EMEA, MUFG
- James Kelly, Founder, YourTreasury
Speakers: Kemi Bolarin, Rita King, Vanessa Manning, James Kelly
Moderators: Eleanor Hill
Public-private partnership: How to drive export development, and inclusive trade
In this conversation, Daniela Barrdear (Sullivan) and Victoria d’Sylva (UKEF) examine how state-backed capital shapes cross-border trade in a more fragmented world.
The discussion will explore:
- How UKEF balances commercial mandate and policy objectives
- The evolving role of export finance in trade and supply chain resilience
- Whether gender and inclusion goals can meaningfully influence ECA-backed transactions
- What the next decade of export credit looks like amid industrial policy competition
Speakers:
- Daniela Barrdear, Partner, Sullivan
- Victoria d’Sylva, Head of Export Development and Inclusive Trade, UK Export Finance
Speakers: Daniela Barrdear, Victoria d’Sylva
Participants will join one of a series of moderated discussions designed to explore specific aspects of cross-border finance, technology and leadership. Topics include:
- Macroeconomic and geopolitical risk update
- Evolving treasury technology – Francesca Bennetts, Partner, Markets Innovation Group, A&O Shearman
- The future of cross-border money movement – Egle Skomskyte, Swift
- Women leadership in transaction banking – Joy Macknight, Trade Treasury Payments
- Reducing risk and compliance burdens through inclusive digital trade – Andrew Dalton, Cleareye
- ESG and risk governance inside treasury and transaction banking – Eleanor Hill, Trade Treasury Payments
- Pathways to board and committee-level influence – Catherine Lang-Anderson, A&O Shearman
Summary of the main insights and invitation to engage with follow-up content produced by TTP and BAFT.









