Malta 2014

Giando is an Italian lawyer, admitted to the Supreme Court and senior partner of SLB law firm since 2014. For more than 20 years he has been practicing insurance, maritime and transport law, providing legal advice to underwriters, companies and private clients both in Italy and worldwide. After the study, also in the UK, and the practice of some years in a Law firm in London, he joined the family law firm established in Genoa by his father, Angelo, developing two new offices in Milan and Rome.

SLB is rated as one of the elite law in international dispute and Giando is commended in particular in cash-in-transit and fine art cases.

Ernest (Ernie) Blom is a third generation member of a South African diamond family. As the son of one of the original group of diamond manufacturers who travelled to South Africa from Holland and founded the South African diamond cutting industry, Mr. Blom entered the business as an apprentice diamond polisher, qualifying as a cross worker after a five-year training period. In 1976, he became the factory manager at the plant in which he worked.

Mr. Blom became involved in the public life of the South African diamond and jewelry industries from his early days as a polisher, already serving as the youngest ever vice president of the South African Diamond Workers Union at the age of 24. He has served as chairman of the Rough Diamond Dealers Association of South Africa from 1980 to 2005, revolving chairman of the Diamond Bourse of South Africa from 1980 to 2007, as the revolving chairman of the Diamond Foundation of South Africa from 1985 to 2007, chairman of the Diamond Merchants Association South Africa from 1995 to 2003, chairman of the Diamond Training School in Johannesburg from 1996 to 1998, chairman of the Sectoral Partnership Fund from 2001 to 2004, chairman of the Jewellery Council of South Africa from 1998 to 2005, and chairman of the Diamond Dealers Club of South Africa from 2003 to date. As a Board Member on the Diamond Regulator of South Africa, he is a Chairman of the Master Diamond Cutters Association of South Africa from 2007 to date.

Carl is a partner in the San Francisco office of Nossaman LLP. Carl specializes in complex civil litigation, with a focus on representing and advising policyholders on insurance coverage matters.

He has helped policyholders to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in defense and indemnity payments in environmental, employment, asbestos, directors’ and officers’, patent and high tech claims. He has given numerous presentations on insurance issues. Av “AV-Rated” attorney, Carl is also a trained mediator who has served as a neutral in more than 50 commercial lawsuits.

Maria Grazia Cassar, trained and worked as an interior designer, moving on to study Baroque Architecture at the University of Malta. She has been involved in cultural heritage for the past seven years, being very active in the NGO Din L-Art Helwa. Her role as executive council member coordinating restoration projects, has led her to follow the restoration work at Our Lady of Victory Church very closely, having also drawn up the inventories for the deed of guardianship for the church.

She has also organized three international Restoration Camps for youths, and is the chair of the annual Din L-Art Helwa Awards for Architectural Heritage. She is currently reading for a Master of Arts Degree in Cultural Heritage Management at the University of Malta.

Yannick has been underwriting jewelers block business for more than 15 years. Together with his team, he serves a variety of clients, including a number of major watch-makers and jewelry manufacturers. In the last 10 years he has also specialized in fine art and has underwritten some of the most prestigious museums in the world as well as many blockbuster exhibitions. He joined XL Group in 2003 to develop its fine art and specie business in Europe.

Massimiliano is the founding partner of MDM Studio Legale and provides legal and regulatory advice to insurers and reinsurers and their underwriters in respect of insurance issues and on the practical impact of the changes in European and Italian insurance regulation.

Massimiliano has an extensive practice advising insurance sector clients on the development of new products, drafting and revising insurance policies and documentation, and on a wide range of regulatory, defence, commercial risks, marine, non-marine and special risks. His clients include major international insurers and reinsurers, and underwriters at Lloyd’s. He also advises the clients on legislative and regulatory issues affecting the insurance sector.

“Dick” Ellis is an internationally recognised art crime investigator with over 25 years experience. He served in Special Operations at New Scotland Yard where he set up the Art & Antiques Squad in 1989, which he ran until 1999 when he became general manager of Christie’s Fine Art Security Services Ltd. In 2000 he was made managing director of Trace recovery services running their stolen antiques database and magazine. In 2005 he joined with security and conservation specialists to form the Art Management Group of which he is a director.

His many recoveries include “The Scream” stolen from the National Gallery of Norway, Audubon’s “Birds of America” stolen from the State Library in St. Petersburg, and over 6,000 antiquities looted from Egypt and China, which resulted in changes to the legal process in both the UK and USA.

Natasha joined the XL Group in July 2004 as a claims manager for the fine art, jewelry, specie and equine specialty businesses, having previously been with AXA Art where she served as Claims Analyst and Legal Advisor. Prior to her position at AXA, Natasha worked in the legal department of Sotheby’s Inc. where she negotiated settlement, consignment and consulting agreements, benefit auction contracts and authenticity and title claims.

Natasha earned her Bachelor of Arts and her Master of Arts in Medieval History from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She earned her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School and is a member of the New York Bar.

Joanna has over 30 years experience working with jewellery beginning her career as a goldsmith before joining De Beers as a rough diamond valuer. Joanna then went to work in Antwerp as a polished diamond dealer before joining Philips the auctioneers in London. She then moved to Sotheby’s and for fourteen years was their senior jewellery specialist and auctioneer.

Joanna is a jewellery consultant and has established ‘The Jewellery School of Excellence‘ program conducting masterclasses and lectures worldwide. She is a published author, an accredited NADFAS lecturer, a Fellow of the Gemmological Association, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths Hall and is a regular jewellery specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow.

Valarie is a partner in the San Francisco office of Meckler, Bulger, Tilson, Marick & Pearson LLP. She has for the past 25 years focused her practice in the areas of first and third party insurance coverage, bad faith and complex commercial litigation in matters across the Western United States. Her expertise includes extensive experience in marine claims work, fine art, jewelers block, specie and cargo, as well as environmental insurance coverage and toxic tort. She is “AV Preeminent” rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Valarie has tried numerous jury and bench trials before state and federal courts and is frequently asked to speak before her peers and clients on a wide variety of insurance and litigation issues.

Mark is the President of Lowers & Associates, a firm specializing in risk mitigation, international risk management, and loss prevention services that provides services to insurance companies, banks, the cash-in-transit industry, and other financial institutions. He is a certified fraud examiner and has over 30 years of experience administering risk management functions including risk assessments, risk mitigation techniques, audits, and compliance programs.

Mark is actively involved in the CIT Industry with the National Armored Car Association and currently serves as President and on the Board of Directors of the new Secure Cash & Transit Association known as the SCTA.

Gareth graduated from Lancaster University in 2011 having completed his Master’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics, before joining Xchanging Claims Services as a Cargo and Specie Claims Adjuster. He now works for Catlin as an Assistant Underwriting Analyst.

In his spare time, Gareth maintains an interest in Technology; it is this interest, in addition to his experience in the insurance industry, which prompted him to become interested in Bitcoin and digital currencies – a topic which is forcing its way onto the agenda of financial services firms internationally.

Mr. Meiri has more than 40 years experience in the diamond industry. He is the Chairman of Meiri 88, a consulting company that specializes in matters related to the insurance, evaluation, inspection and auditing aspects of diamonds. Mr. Meiri previously owned an insurance company that specialized in diamond insurance, before selling the company to Migdal, Israel’s largest insurance company. He has been a member of the Israeli Diamond Exchange since 1972 and a member of its Auditing Committee, for which he was previously the Chairman.

Mr. Meiri graduated from Tel Aviv University, Israel, with an LLB. He is a licensed attorney, a licensed insurance broker and a licensed diamond trader.

Michael is a Client Partner at Verizon Enterprise Services with 20 years’ experience in the IT services sector covering outsourcing, programme management, people management and sales.

More recently business development minded, Michael has gained an in depth knowledge of the insurance sector, building value propositions focussed on the application of Verizon’s capabilities as the world’s largest cyber security provider to the core areas of helping underwriters and brokers grow revenues and reduce business expenses.

MaryLouise has been a fine arts museum professional at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York City for over 20 years. As the Guggenheim’s Director of Registration, MaryLouise oversees all artwork movement, storage, packing, handling, and insurance for the Museum’s permanent collection of over 7000 artworks, as well as the more than 500 loaned artworks in the Guggenheim’s care each year in the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright building in New York and traveling abroad, including to the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao, Spain and Venice, Italy, and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

MaryLouise has travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia on behalf of the Guggenheim as a courier of artwork and has overseen installations in over 100 institutions worldwide. She has helped shape the institutional policies and procedures for best practices and risk management for the Guggenheim’s New York location and global affiliates.

Shahid heads up Willis’ Fine Art, Jewellery and Specie claims team. Prior to joining Willis in 2006, Shahid spent 15 years at Xchanging Claims Services, formally Lloyd’s Claims Office, in the role of Senior Claim Adjuster. During this time, Shahid specialised in Cargo, Fine Art, Jewellery and Specie claims and represented Lloyd’s underwriters’ interests in several high profile losses, mediations, depositions, market associations and advisory groups.

He has extensive knowledge and experience of all facets of Fine Art, Jewellery and Specie claims, together with a detailed understanding of the claim practices and processes in the London and International insurance markets. Shahid is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Dan Ribacoff is a Licensed Private Investigator and a Certified Polygraph Examiner. As the CEO of International Investigative Group, Ltd., Dan has served Underwriters, Adjusters and Attorneys for over 22 years with Jewelers Block, Fine Arts and other Specie investigations though-out the US and the World. Dan’s unique background as a Graduate Gemmologist and many years of law enforcement patrol experience as a member of the NYPD Auxiliary Police have resulted in his being named as “One of the Top 15 Private Investigators in the United States.”

Dan and his firm have been featured on CNN, CNBC, Globo-TV, New York Times, New York Law Journal and many more. He is a skilled Forensic Interviewer and Credibility Assessment professional. He trains attorneys on how to detect deception during depositions and in Continuing Legal Education courses on investigations. He serves as the polygraph examiner for an internationally syndicated TV show.

Stephen Rickerby received his MA in art history from Aberdeen University before undertaking the Courtauld Institute of Art/Getty Conservation Institute postgraduate diploma in the conservation of wall painting (1985–1988). He has since worked extensively on wall painting projects internationally. He has been a wall painting consultant to the Getty Conservation Institute on a number of its projects, including the tomb of Nefertari, Egypt (1987–1992), the royal bas-reliefs of Abomey, Benin (1995–1999), the Cave 85 project, Dunhuang, China (1999–2004), the Queens Valley project, Egypt (since 2006) and the Tutankhamun Project (since 2009). He is also involved in conservation teaching in Dunhuang and co-supervises Courtauld Institute fieldwork sites in Cyprus, Malta and China.

Arnold Schwisberg is a lawyer who specializes in sophisticated commercial litigation. Including judicial review s of jurisdictional excesses of regulatory agencies and tribunals. He has appeared at all levels of the Ontario Courts, at the Federal Court’s Trial and Appeal Divisions and in the Supreme Court of Canada.

In particular, he is Canada’s top liquor-regulatory lawyer and its pre-eminent jewellery, fine art, cash-in-transit and specie insurance defence litigator.

Lisa Shekede obtained her first degree in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art (1981) where she also obtained her Post-graduate Diploma (1994) and Masters Degree (1997) in the Conservation of Wall Painting, specialising in the technology and conservation of wall paintings on earthen supports.

She now works internationally in wall painting conservation and has collaborated for many years with the Courtauld Institute on projects in Bhutan, Cyprus, China, Ethiopia, Georgia, Jordan and Malta. She has also worked extensively with the Getty Conservation Institute as a consultant in the Valley of the Queens, Luxor, Egypt, and at the Mogao Grotto site, Dunhuang, China

Anthony has been a claims adjuster at Zurich Insurance for seven years and specialises in Marine, Fine Art and Specie losses. As part of this team, Anthony has been involved with a variety of complex losses for some of the industry’s most prestigious clients, and has experience of adjusting a variety of large losses within the Fine Art and Specie market, including: Bullion thefts, infidelity and Contingency Cash in Transit losses worldwide.

Claudio has over 27 years’ experience in the development, design and delivery of global IT Services and IT Security Solutions for both private and public sector. Claudio’s experience stems from mainframe security operations and network security design, as well as the delivery and management of security operations centers.

For the last 14 years, Claudio has been working with the Fortune 500’s Chief Information/Security Officers to develop IT security management and control frameworks to combat the constantly changing global cyber-security threat landscape. Claudio is CCSK certified, and has gained ITIL, Prince2, CISSP and various sector specific qualifications relevant to his job role.

Dennis M. Wade is a founding partner of WCM. For more than 20 years Dennis has handled fine art and specie matters for domestic and international insurers. His cases have taken him across the United States and to many parts of the world. Recently, for example, Dennis successfully defended a major art insurer against a USD 42m claim. Beside defense and coverage work in these areas, Dennis has recovered stolen art and diamonds throughout the United States and has collaborated with counsel to achieve recoveries in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

Before entering private practice, Dennis devoted his energies to the investigation and prosecution of organized crime cases as the Deputy Chief of the Rackets Bureau of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.