Andreas Tesch, Chief Market Officer and member of the Atradius N.V. Management Board, was elected President of ICISA at the Annual Meeting in Hamburg last June. He is not a stranger to the Association as his past with ICISA goes back to 2001. In this interview he shares his views regarding the Association and his goals as President.
Andreas Tesch stated in a recent interview: “The key themes for my Presidency are growth and dialogue.” According to Tesch, the SME sector will be at the center of his growth strategy. SMEs are nowadays facing significant challenges. “They not only face difficulties in obtaining financing, but their buyers also urge them to finance their purchases through trade credit insurance.” Tesch explains that to support the SME sector the industry already has special SME contracts and is active in finding ways to better cooperate with banks.
“My second key theme is therefore indeed Dialogue. It is important to work towards a better dialogue with banks and the banking associations discussing how credit insurance and surety can help and support the financing needs of the SMEs and other traders.”
Tesch indicates that Dialogue goes beyond a better relationship with banks, but also means building bridges between industry associations. “We can only be successful and more effective as an industry or as an association when working closer together with other associations. And that goes not only for industry associations in terms of credit insurance and surety, but also associations for brokers, bank and information agencies. I invite my peers at other associations to join me in a constructive dialogue to find common grounds for a closer cooperation. I am convinced this will be beneficial for all members and industries alike.”
Andreas Tesch is Chief Marketing Officer of Atradius N.V.
The full text of the interview can be downloaded by clicking on this link
BIIA editorial comment: Building bridges with other associations, such as BIIA and working more closely with the information industry is indeed a welcome idea. BIIA was invited to participate in the June annual general meeting of ICISA and we are looking forward to an ongoing dialogue.
