You will not want to miss the 88th Annual IECA Conference this fall, which will showcase two exceptional keynote speakers and offer a platform for professional development on other timely and in

formative energy credit and risk topics. 

 

The first keynote speaker, on Monday, October 15, will be Todd Buchholz, an international economist who brings his experience as a former White House director of economic policy, a managing director of the $15 billion Tiger hedge fund, and teacher of economics at Harvard to the cutting edge of economics, fiscal politics, finance, and business strategy. Buchholz frequently writes for major media (The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post) and appears as a commentator on ABC, CNBC, Fox, PBS and NPR. He has delivered keynote speeches to such influential corporate and financial institutions as Microsoft, IBM, Goldman Sachs and the United States Chamber of Commerce. He has served as a consulting advisor to the White House, Microsoft, Allstate, Goldman Sachs, IBM, SAP and Toyota. His lively and informative speaking engagements have earned him a place in Successful 

Todd Buchholz

Meetings magazine's "21 Top Speakers for the 21st Century" and his best-selling books on economics and financial markets have been widely translated and taught in universities worldwide. His keynote topic will be, "The Hopes and Dangers of the World Economy and Politics."

 

Our Tuesday, October 16, address will be delivered by Dennis Gartman, who is widely recognized for producing The Gartman Letter publication. The Letter's clients include many of the leading banks, brokerage firms, mutual funds, hedge funds, energy trading companies, and grain trading companies. Gartman has lectured on capital market creation to central banks and finance ministries around the world, and has taught classes for the Federal Reserve Bank's School for Bank Examiners on derivatives. He served a two-year term as an outside Director of the Kansas City Board of Trade from 2006-2008. Gartman appears often on CNBC, ROB-TV and Bloomberg television discussing commodities and the capital markets, and speaks before various associations and

Dennis Gartman

trade groups around the world. His topic will be, "Energy, Economics, and the Election: A Trader's Perspective on the Capital Markets." Gartman will provide a broad overview of the domestic economic climate. He will also address the political and regulatory landscape in the United States. Special emphasis will be placed on the upcoming U.S. Presidential and Congressional elections, his predictions for both, and how those outcomes will affect investing in the short and long term. Lastly, he will focus his time on the energy sector, offering his opinions on natural gas, crude oil and ethanol markets.

 

The IECA Annual Conference registration forms will be delivered to you in early August. Please take advantage of this networking and educational opportunity to expand your skill sets by joining your industry colleagues at the conference October 14-17, 2012, at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort in Marco Island, FL. You will not be disappointed. 

 

IECA & Moody's Educational Seminar, "Concepts of Credit and Liquidity Analysis," is scheduled for July 16-17, 2012, in Houston, TX. 

 

This two-day course is designed to give a broad and comprehensive grounding in the concepts of credit risk and an introduction to liquidity analysis. It proceeds methodically through the stages of credit risk assessment and debt analysis, liquidity analysis of both investment and non-investment grade debt, and the assessment and development of transaction structures, including the significance of seniority and subordination. The class is presented in an interactive format, using case studies of public energy companies and examples. 

 

The seminar is part of the IECA Certification Program training and is a must-attend event for credit risk professionals that want to gain a practical but rigorous understanding of the concepts of credit risk assessment. Abraham Goldstein of Moody's Analytics will present the seminar. 

 

IECA members receive a deeply discounted rate of $650. Registration deadline is Monday, July 9, 2012.

 

IECA Conferences have always been one of the leading educational and networking opportunities within the energy sector for credit and risk professionals. These conference events are only made possible through the generous support of our valued sponsors, and without them we would be unable to offer our membership quality educational programs at a reasonable pricing point.

 

More than 125 attendees registered for the highly anticipated IECA European Credit Education Group Conference in Madrid, Spain, June 24-26, 2012. The beautiful Westin Palace Madrid served as the backdrop for three days of education and networking activities. 

 

In addition to the legal breakout session, the conference included sessions on a variety of topics and featured two keynote sessions. David Strahan, an award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker who specializes in business and energy, delivered the address, "Economic Peak Oil: Price, Volatility and the End of Growth."

 

The other keynote session focused on the development of the Iberian market. Jamie Román is Vice President at Endesa. He is Head of the areas of Asset Hedging Strategy, Market Analysis and Forecast, and Risk Management for the energy business of Iberia. 

 

A special guest speaker, Leo Johnson, was also at the conference presenting the session, "The Energy Challenge." He is co-founder of SFL, now part of PwC, and host of the BBC World News "World Challenge."

Canadian Credit Education Group Wraps Up its Annual Conference

 

The 20th Annual IECA Canadian Conference was held May 22-24, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary, Alberta. The event drew more than 130 registrants, including delegates, sponsors, and speakers.

 

The education sessions were very well attended and included topics such

The education sessions at the annual Canadian conference helped draw almost 150 energy credit professionals to Calgary.

as Global and North American economic updates, Dodd-Frank regulation, forensic accounting, credit and receivables insurance, cash collateral risks in Canada, analyzing energy trading companies, master netting agreements, and market based risk signals. The Canadian Credit Education Group wants to thank all of the speakers, who did a great job in their delivery.  

 

Sponsorship for the Canadian conference was excellent with numerous companies contributing both financially and through prize donations. Thank you to all of our sponsors.

 

Despite the cool and wet spring weather, the golfers had a good time on the course and the cooking class was also a big hit. 

 

According to Zenin Malazdrewich, Chair of the Group, feedback from attendees has been good and they look forward to seeing everyone back for next year's conference in Banff, Alberta (June 9-12, 2013). Thanks go to all of the Canadian Credit Education Group Committee members for another successful event.

Tell Us About Your IECA Membership Experience

 

As an IECA member, YOU are essential to the growth of this association. 

 

Let your voice be heard. Please share what's important to you, your organization, and your industry by completing this short, 5-minute member poll. Act now, the poll closes on July 13, 2012.

Have You Started Your 2013 Professional Development Budget?

 

As most members approach the start of their annual budgeting process, the IECA would like to encourage you to include IECA in your 2013 plans.  It's never too early to identify which educational opportunities you would like to attend, as well as budgeting for annual association dues. The IECA offers a number of valuable development resources, such as its annual conferences, seminars, and its credit risk certification program. 

 

Also please consider sponsorship of an IECA Conference, event or program when planning your 2013 marketing budget. IECA sponsorship is an effective and affordable way to reach your target audience through support of educational efforts. 

 

If you need assistance on future pricing or fees, please contact the IECA office. 

Get to Know Your Board: Zackary Starbird, VP of Communications

 

The son of a Naval combat pilot, Zackary Starbird, Managing Attorney for BP Global Americas, learned the value of discipline, hard work and dedication to principles at an early age. He claims he also learned how to cuss like a sailor, but chose not to. Moving around quite a bit he had the "benefit" of a modern American family, with step parents, ex-step parents, step-siblings, ex-step-siblings, half siblings, and whatever you call the other parent of

Zackary Starbird

your half siblings. He worked full time in high school, and worked throughout college. He was an undergrad at Drake University, earning a B.A. in Economics in 1988. He attended Law school at the University of Kansas, getting his J.D. in 1995. Zack has been married to his wife Antje for 17 years and has two terrific daughters.

 

During his career Zack has gained a magnitude of experience in energy credit and has deep knowledge of bankruptcy. He led the team responsible for managing Mirant's bankruptcy, including the development of the counterparty assurance program and persuaded counterparties to retain more than 90% of open trades despite the bankruptcy filing. He has also led a company's entry into the gas and power markets, and is involved in various other industry initiatives. Zack also deserves credit for the creation of IECA's Contracts & Legal Education Group. 

 

Where did you grow up? I was an itinerant child, never living in the same house or going to the same school for more than three years. We lived in various places in Kansas, California and Japan.

Who was your favorite cartoon character as a child? It's a toss-up between Underdog, Letterman ("stronger than a silent E"), and Foghorn Leghorn.

What is the name of the last book you read? "Jesus in Beijing"

If you could meet a famous person (dead or alive) who would it be? Jesus; barring that, Abraham Lincoln.

What is your idea of a dream vacation? A week at Melvern Lake, Kansas, surrounded by family and friends. Pretty crazy stuff, huh?

What is your dream car? Dodge Viper

Something you'd be surprised to know about me...My favorite meal in New York City is...a bowl of Frosted Flakes and a pint of Haagen-Dazs. (Yes, my boss likes my expense report.)

What is something you would recommend for someone starting out in the credit field? First, find a great mentor, like a Kevin Belknap or a Jerry Burt, and learn as much as you possibly can from them. Second, build a network. Finally, be curious.

If you would like to submit member news for a future issue of IECA Insights send your information to Laura Brown at Laura_Brown@murphyoilcorp.com.