Former Citi global head of trade and ex-chairman of the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (Baft), John Ahearn, has been appointed strategic advisor to Traydstream.
Ahearn will work closely with the trade digitisation platform’s CEO Sameer Sehgal and its senior leadership team to “provide strategic guidance, industry insight, technology thought leadership and operational expertise”, the company said.
He brings decades of executive and senior-level experience across global trade finance, banking, and financial services – including more than 16 years at Citi, where he served as head of global trade.
Prior to that, he also held senior executive roles at ABN Amro in Chicago, where he ran the US trade franchise and led financial institutions coverage within the global trade department.
Ahearn joins the trade finance platform – which focuses on automated trade document checking and compliance solutions to accelerate and strengthen trade workflows – after spending nearly five years as Americas CEO and group vice-chairman for Falcon Group, a provider of inventory management solutions.
He has also been managing partner at Prism Consulting Group since November 2024.
Additionally, Ahearn has held various board positions, including chairman for Baft between 2015 and 2016, where he helped shape industry standards and best practice across transaction banking.
In his Traydstream advisory role, he will also support the company’s engagement with International Chamber of Commerce initiatives and evolving International Standard Banking Practice standards, “helping ensure the platform remains at the forefront of best practice as global trade continues to digitise”.
“John brings incredible experience spanning several decades, with a unique grasp of the many nuances of global trade,” Sehgal said.
“His practical wisdom of how trade operates on the ground, combined with a deep appreciation of the macroeconomic environment, makes him an exceptional addition to Traydstream.
“John’s counsel will be invaluable as we continue to scale internationally and support our clients with greater certainty, efficiency, and confidence.”
Ahearn said he was “delighted” to join Traydstream and “help shape the platform’s evolution and support the wider industry’s transition towards a more digital, standardised, resilient, and risk-reduced future”.
“Traydstream is on a game-changing mission, addressing some of the most persistent inefficiencies and risks in global trade,” he added.
“It’s hugely exciting to work closely with world-class technology and apply it to trade and transaction banking in such a visible and definitive way.”
