Former Country Managing Director at Coface Joins ICBA Sweden

By Curt Hässler

As of January 1, 2012, the former Managing Director of Coface for the Nordic countries, Mikael Szabo, has joined ICBA Sweden, known also as Söderberg & Partners, in Stockholm, Sweden. ICBA is the largest broker of financial services in Scandinavia. Szabo had been with Coface since 2001, and had held the positions of Country and General Manager for Hungary, Slovakia, and Sweden as well as Managing Director of Coface Norden Services A/S in Denmark.
 
After such a long time working at a global insurer, I began looking for another way to expand my skills and knowledge, and what is more logical than to join a brokerage that deals with all aspects and suppliers within this exciting business? Having made this decision, ICBA Sweden was the natural step to take: On one hand Söderberg dominates the Swedish financial advisory market and on the other hand ICBA is the most expansive and exciting network of trade credit insurance and political risk specialists in the industry.
 
In my Coface years I had the opportunity to see how effectively ICBA works with its clients and how well-organised the ICBA group is. It is with great joy that I take on this new challenge! - Mikael Szabo, after one month on board as Partner at ICBA Sweden.

(Curt Hässler is Head of Credit Insurance with ICBA Sweden, Söderberg & Partners, in Stockholm)

Global ICBA trade credit insurance alliance members celebrate ten years

By ICBA staffICBA Chairman Emmanuel Portier & Michel Mollard EULER HERMES GROUP Board Member (click on the photo to see a slideshow of the evening)

Paris au Printemps! What better place to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the ICBA than by returning to the city where it all began. Taking time out from their annual general meeting & conference ICBA members hosted executives from leading insurance companies at the George V Hotel in an evening celebrating the growth and success of the ICBA, a unique group of individually owned and operated credit insurance brokerages.

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Coface's Corine Troncy says transparency and trust between Coface, ICBA and clients are priorities

Excerpt from ICBA Advantage Issue 5 – Winter 2009/10Corine Troncy

Coface, based in Paris, France, with 130,000 clients worldwide and a direct presence in 67 countries, recently introduced its “New Deal” giving clients more flexibility in the managment of portfolios and increasing dialogue among risk underwriters and clients. Improved transparency allows Coface to show clients how the company monitors accounts, identifies portfolio quality, and helps Coface be extra agressive in underwriting clients’ limits. Corine Troncy is Global Sales & Business Development Director, Coface Holding.

Question: Since the credit crisis began in 2007, Coface has maintained excellent guarantees, totalling €364 billion mid-way through 2009. Coface also reports improvements to its risk profile. How do these measures benefit customers?  

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The Coface Group’s CEO discusses credit crisis effects – transparent financial information will ease trade credit

By Mark Attley

The big three global credit insurers Euler, Coface and Atradius continue to maintain their Investment Grade ratings despite the worst financial industry results in decades. At a recent meeting of the International Credit Brokers Alliance (ICBA) in London, England, Jérôme Cazes, CEO of The Coface Group, outlined his perspective on the current credit crisis and what we can expect over the coming year. Alliance members were treated to a blunt assessment of the present situation, which, if mirrored by the other two insurers, gives an indication of the scope of the challenges confronting the industry. Ironically, M. Cazes provided some hope and assurance that there is light at the end of the tunnel–versus a torch carried by the grim reaper of capitalism.

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Trends identified at the 2009 Coface Country Risk Conference

Excerpt from ICBA Advantage Issue 2

At the 2009 Coface Country Risk Conference, corporate, governmental and financial executives, who make decisions about export and risk in new markets, discussed the effects of downgraded country credit ratings across the globe.

Coface defines a credit crisis as a significant worsening in companies’ payment behaviour.

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