Cross-blog post by Fred P. Hochberg, Chairman and President, Export-Import Bank of the United States

Each Spring, Ex-Im’s Annual Conference brings together more than a thousand American exporters, brokers, bankers, lenders, government officials, journalists, and members of the U.S. and international business communities to meet, hear from speakers, do business, and talk about the global financial landscape.  The conference is an important forum for exporters to strike up new deals, and for potential buyers from around the world to meet with U.S. exporters face-to-face—this year, we already have registered attendees from more than 32 countries.  With our Annual Conference now just a few days away, I wanted to give you a first look at what you can expect from this year’s schedule of events.

One of the most exciting features of our conference is the lineup of speakers who will be joining us for our keynote speeches and panel discussions. These speakers are among the brightest and most innovative minds in business, government, finance, and academia.  Their discussions will engage attendees and ensure that conversations about the key issues on the minds of today’s entrepreneurs don’t end when the conference is over.  Let me give you a quick overview of a few of the people you can expect to hear from.

Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will provide keynote remarks on the first day of the conference.  Madame Lagarde, of course, is one of the world’s foremost voices on financial and monetary issues, and we’re pleased to have her join us to offer her perspective on current trends in the global markets.  Our second keynote, which will be delivered on the closing day of the conference, will come from Susan Rice, the National Security Advisor.  Ambassador Rice brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and will speak to the audience about the future of American global leadership.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will be interviewed on our main stage by Foreign Policy Editor-in-Chief David Rothkopf—and I’ll conduct an interview with Secretary of Labor Tom Perez as well.  Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will join with leading American CEOs, including Jacqueline Hinman of CH2M Hill, Joe Kaeser of Siemens AG, and Jim McNerney of Boeing, to talk about prospects for growth and investment for U.S. businesses on the horizon.  Former Governor George Allen (R-VA) will moderate a panel providing a congressional perspective on Ex-Im that will include Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK), and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA).

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, will join telecom mogul Dr. Mo Ibrahim, NBC News’s Andrea Mitchell, UAE Ambassador Yousef Otaiba, and Gillian Tett of the Financial Times to discuss the global challenges and trends that will define the landscape of international business in the coming years.  Another panel will look at how energy trends—including the price of oil—will color global investment in the near future, featuring Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman, Gamesa North America CEO Borja Negro, Duke Energy CEO James E. Rogers, and Stephen Poloz, Governor of the Bank of Canada.  And that’s in addition to several other panels and breakout sessions covering a wide array of issues of interest to American exporters and all those with a stake in U.S. global economic leadership.

The Annual Conference will be held on April 23rd and 24th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.  A detailed agenda can be found by visiting this link—and you can participate in the conversation on Twitter by using #EXIM2015.  We hope to see you there!