Andrew Pappas is the Managing Director and Head of the ABL Special Industries Group at BMO for the past 13 years. He leads a team of 22 individuals focused on managing senior secured credit facilities as part of corporate finance solutions, primarily for metals companies in the US. He is responsible for over 115 accounts and $9 billion in commitments. BMO is the fourth-largest North American commercial lender with over $1 trillion in assets. BMO is a long-standing capital provider in the metals segment, including mills, distributors, metal recyclers, importers, trading companies and metal fabricators. BMO was awarded the Financial Service Provider of the Year award by AMM in 2016, 2017, and 2022, and was awarded the Financial Metals Service Provider of the Year award by S&P Global Platts in 2018 and 2019. Andrew has spoken at various metals conferences as an industry expert including Fastmarkets, ISRI, S&P Global Platts, MSCI, Steel Summit and others. Mr. Pappas graduated from Loyola University of Chicago with a B.A. in Accounting, and from New York University with an M.B.A. in Finance.
Didem Taşkıran is sales manager for long products at Turkish steelmaker Colakoglu Metalurji, a position she has held since 2018, having joined the company as a sales executive in 2011. She holds a degree in metalurgical and material science engineering from Marmara University, where she also completed her master’s degree in engineering managemet.
F. D. Baysal founded SEBA’s US subsidiary in Houston, Texas, in 1982 and has served as its president and CEO ever since. Under his leadership, SEBA pioneered the import of steel products such as rebar, structural bars, pipes, and HSS tubing from Turkey, later diversifying its portfolio with additional steel products and sourcing from Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland, South Korea, China, and Russia. Today, SEBA supplies steel products to construction and energy industries across the US and globally. Prior to founding SEBA, F. D. Baysal served as regional marketing manager at Fugro McClelland, the world’s leading geotechnical engineering firm. He holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Bogazici University (1977) and an M.S. in civil engineering from Louisiana State University (1979). An engaged community leader, Mr. Baysal, has chaired the Houston Mayor’s International Trade & Development Council. He currently serves as honorary chairman of the Turkish American Association of Business (TAAB) and chairman of the board of the American Turkish Association (ATA) in Houston, Texas.
Murat Askin is the founder and CEO of StaalX LLC, an e-commerce and international trading company that specializes in trade automation, sales, logistics, and finance optimization. StaalX's mission is to provide value to both buyers and sellers and make transactions easier. Prior to establishing StaalX, Murat served as president and member of the board of Tata International Metals Americas Limited (TIMAL) based in the greater Chicago, Illinois area. Murat held various prestigious steel management positions at Corus Group, Ferrostaal, Mannesmann and SteelOrbis prior to joining Tata. He has also served on the boards of various industry associations. Murat's career spans 30 years in the steel and metals industry.
Tommy McCartin is a principal economist and manager of the metals team within the S&P Global Market Intelligence Pricing and Purchasing Service. He contributes to the team’s steel sector analyses and forecasts and has previously covered the electronics, building materials, machinery and energy sectors. Tommy McCartin received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland and his master’s in economics from American University. Previously, he worked as a regional economist at Moody’s Analytics.
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