About us

Who we are

The Company

CTA-Finance was established in 2018 and is now operating from Switzerland & Cyprus. cta-Finance intends to offer to a diversified scale of investors the possibility to invest, alone or by sharing the risk, through tailored-made structures, into an innovative senior and secured private debt product. The underlying assets are credit facilities granted to well-established and selected trading companies, active in metals and all related raw materials mainly.

The Team

Origination Team

Christian Bauer

Christian Bauer

ORIGINATION TEAM

57 years old, has 31 years of experience in the field of the Commodity Trade Finance.

Read more

A specialist in import-export with a federal diploma, Christian has developed technical expertise of commodities, especially in metals and all related products. Through his large number of business trips and visits, Christian was able to gain and widen his customers’ and counterparties’ loyalty. Alternatively, Christian worked on trading and on banking sides, which strengthened his business expertise. In the course of the last years, Christian was CFO of Steelcom, the former steel division of Metalcorp Group (www.metalcorpgroup.com) and the Swiss administrator and treasurer of a German-based Group active in raw materials. Between 2014 and 2016, Christian was a Vice President at Arab Bank in Geneva, in charge of the development of a portfolio of clients who are active in metals and all by-products.
Patricia Liechti

Patricia Liechti

RISK OFFICER - MEMBER OF THE BOARD

Patricia has more than 25 years of experience in commercial credits, especially in Commodity Trade Finance.

Read more

Before joining CTA-Finance, she has been a credit analyst, chief analyst, Senior Credit Officer, Head of Credit and Head of Risk in Banks and in an international finance company.
Maxime Coquoz

Maxime Coquoz

MEMBER OF THE BOARD

Maxime Coquoz is 40 years old, a Swiss national based in Denens (Vaud) and father of three kids.

Read more

Over the past twenty years, he has built his career in International Banking and Commodity trading with a particular focus in Metals, Oil & Gas, and Agricultural commodity sectors.

He began his career in 2004 at Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV) in Lausanne, where he spent a decade in various roles across trade finance and commodity-related activities, including documentary credits, account management and later as Relationship Manager in the metals desk.

In 2014, he joined Société Générale Group as Relationship Manager, where he was responsible for managing and developing relationships with international commodity trading companies and corporates in several geographical areas . Over the following ten years, he worked closely with clients active across global commodity markets, supporting their financing needs and banking activities.

Two years ago, Maxime joined Radiant World Corporation as a CFO Europe, large commodity trading company active in the iron ore and base metals industry, further strengthening his exposure to the commercial dynamics of the trading sector.

Maxime is also an Advisory Board Member of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce since 2026.

Origination Commitee

François Greiner

François Greiner

ORIGINATION COMMITTEE

61 years old, has 18 years of banking experience in the field of trade finance with the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. He served for 10 years as CFO with Investal Holding, a company based in the UAE, active in commodity trade and infrastructure investments.

Read more

Benefiting from extensive travel experience, François has developed acute analytical and technical skills in business strategies and new market developments. He now works independently as a consultant on projects in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for a group of investors. His mandates focus on various commodity trades, an underwater excavation business, a portfolio of lifestyle venues, and analysing strategies for new business. François is based in Dubai, UAE.

Risk Assessment

Andreas Georgallis

Andreas Georgallis

RISK ASSESSMENT

51 years old, is a Chartered Alternative Investments Analyst (CAIA) who has more than 13 years’ experience in the financial sector.

Read more

He is currently an Executive Director and member of the Investment Committee at a Private Equity firm managing a €250m distressed opportunities S.E.E. fund. He previously worked as a Corporate Finance Associate at Egnatia Securities, a subsidiary of Marfin Bank in Greece and as a Financial Analyst at GE Capital in London, while he also served as General Manager for 7 years at an industrial firm in Cyprus. He holds a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College, London and a MBA from INSEAD (France & Singapore). Andreas serves as member of the Board of Directors of several of the fund’s acquired companies.

Strategy and Supervision

Marios Hannides

Marios Hannides

STRATEGY AND SUPERVISION

Chairman, 51 years old years old, has vast experience in the public, healthcare and hospitality sectors. He served for 3 years as Director General of the Cyprus Tourist Organization during which he was elected Vice President of the European Travel Commission.

Read more

Previously he had held for 10 years the position of Director General of the Cyprus Heart Foundation, where he represented the Foundation in both the European Heart Network and the World Heart Federation. Marios has also served on the Board of Directors of USB Bank, a Cyprus-based bank that operates through 14 branches across the island. In 2006 he was elected for a 5-year term as a council member at the Strovolos Municipality, Cyprus’ second largest municipality. Marios holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at the University of Hull in the U.K. as well as a Masters in European Intercultural Management at the ICHECK Brussels Management School.
Stefano Granieri

Stefano Granieri

STRATEGY AND SUPERVISION

63 years old, is a certified public accountant with a wide experience in financial and trade institutions; Stefano worked as magistrate of the Court of Auditors of the Canton of Vaud from 2008 till 2013.

Read more

An Expert in audit and accounting, Stefano also worked for the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, Mirabaud Bank and Ernst & Young. He has an experience in trading business; in particular, he endorsed the role of Chief Accountant for André & Co and Optima Energy Group; he acted as consultant for Noble Group. In parallel, Stefano developed an important network of active partners in the assets management, in audit and in finance. He also published articles for the STSA association (Swiss Trading & Shipping Association).

Head of account manager

Samuel Vazquez

Samuel Vazquez

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

With over 17 years of experience in Trade Finance, both on the commercial and banking sides, Samuel has developed in-depth expertise in commodity trade financing. He has built a strong client portfolio and established trusted relationships with key industry players.

Read more

His rigor, strategic mindset, and excellent communication skills enable him to thrive in dynamic and demanding environments. His methodical approach and positive energy are key assets in achieving objectives and successfully tackling challenges.

Regional Agent

Michele Hardonk

Michele Hardonk

REGIONAL AGENT

59 years old, is today covering the position of CFO, in charge of all financial related matters, of SAIF SpA, an Italian based trading company.

Read more

Before joining SAIF, Michele spent almost 10 years as CFO of FLAME SA, an international trading Company based in Lugano, Switzerland.

Our Value

« Understanding the rationale of our borrower’s business is the root of our risk approach »

Contact us

Swtizerland
+41 21 312 86 94

Cyprus
Tél +357 220 27 667

info@cta-finance.com