About Currency Research

Through its close relationships with central banks, regulators, payment operators, printworks, and other companies that are part of the cash and payments industry, Currency Research (CR) is the leading global provider of premium conferences for this audience. By connecting senior executives and experts from across the industry in an intimate environment that fosters collaboration and profound discussions, Currency Research (CR) aims to play an important role in enabling thought leadership in an industry that is seeing an unprecedented pace of change. Complemented by its publications, Central Bank Payment News, the Currency Research (CR) Payments Directory, and industry-specific reports, as well as its consulting services and initiatives such as training programs and webinars, Currency Research (CR) is the single source for all things cash and payments. Currency Research (CR) held its first conference ever in 1992 and has maintained its independence since, providing an objective view of developments in the industry.

The Currency Research (CR) team is located across the globe to stay close to its valued customers. With more than 200 years of combined experience in the payments industry, the Currency Research (CR) team is ideally placed to identify the latest trends and the newest developments and reference these throughout everything we do.

We Are Here To Serve You

Our Team

Nur Afiqah
Nur AfiqahAccountant
Perak, Malaysia
Joined in 2026

Nur Afiqah is an ACCA Member with over four years of experience in accounting and finance, having worked across multinational companies, SMEs and shared service environments in Malaysia, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Her experience has given her a broad perspective on financial operations, reporting and accounting processes across different industries and business settings.
She is committed to bringing a practical and detail-oriented approach to finance, with a focus on delivering reliable financial support and adding value to the organisation.

Natasha Bajic
Natasha BajicEvent Development Lead
Pretoria, South Africa
Joined in 2016

With over 20 years of experience in the currency industry, Natasha expertly develops regional and global cash and payments-focused events for Currency Research. She is committed to creating memorable and worthwhile user experiences at Currency Research events and values interpersonal relationships. Prior to joining in 2016, Natasha began her career at The South African Mint, where she concluded her tenure as the Regional Manager for Circulation Coins Exports, focusing on circulation coin export sales, business development activities in target regions, and relationship management with the existing Central Bank, Monetary Authority, and Mint customer base.

Ashwinee Balasundaram
Ashwinee BalasundaramFinance Manager
Penang, Malaysia
Joined in 2025

Ashwinee Balasundaram is a finance professional with over six years of experience in financial analysis, forecasting, reporting and stakeholder communication. Based in Penang, Malaysia, Ashwinee has honed her expertise in financial modelling and data-driven decision-making across roles in the technology industry. Her career includes significant contributions at AMD and Dell where she played a pivotal role in streamlining processes and delivering actionable insights.
Ashwinee is passionate about leveraging her financial acumen to drive organizational growth and efficiency, with a particular interest in global financial operations.

Paula Caniglia
Paula CanigliaRelationship Manager - Americas
Buenos Aries, Argentina
Joined in 2025

Paula Caniglia brings over 14 years of experience in sales operations, account management, and event coordination to Currency Research. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she excels in building client relationships, optimizing CRM systems, and driving strategic growth across Latin America. Holding a Licentiate in International Trade from UADE, Paula is fluent in Spanish and English, with conversational proficiency in Portuguese, and is passionate about connecting with diverse markets. Previously, she held key roles in Logistics and Oil & Gas industries, managing high-value bids and international events. Outside work, Paula enjoys travel, photography, and exploring global cuisines.

Mariosa Cutajar
Mariosa CutajarFinancial Accountant
Żurrieq, Malta
Joined in 2017

Mariosa has over 10 years’ experience in finance and accountancy. Throughout her career she has achieved many goals and aims and worked in different sectors which have made her stronger and more knowledgeable in what she loves to do, which is understanding and working the numbers. Mariosa’s experience prior to joining Currency Research allowed her responsibility for preparing and analyzing financial reports, managing deadlines, projects and teams to ensure the smooth running of the department and accounting function. She is currently studying for the ACCA qualification.

Marlvin Dube
Marlvin DubeDesigner, Print & Digital
Johannesburg, South Africa
Joined in 2026

Marlvin (Marv) Dube brings more than 15 years of experience spanning UI/UX, web design, video editing, digital marketing, and creative project management — equally comfortable producing print-ready collateral as building digital and marketing assets.
A self-taught designer and creative director, Marlvin has built his career across freelance client work and his own entrepreneurial ventures, including remote collaborations with international teams across diverse industries. He's also embraced AI-powered design tools as part of his workflow, always looking for new ways to sharpen his process.
At Currency Research, Marlvin leads design for the team's conferences and publications across print and digital, helping bring CR's work to its global audience.

Brianna Erban
Brianna ErbanEditor in Chief at Central Bank Payments News
Edmonton, Canada
Joined in 2014

Brianna Erban is the Editor-in-Chief of Central Bank Payments News (CBPN). Based in Edmonton, Canada, Brianna has extensive experience in writing business and academic reports, editing, in-depth research and analysis, project planning and management, and communications. For almost a decade and counting, Brianna has focused her research on developments in the fast-moving world of cash and payments. Although primarily focused on news emerging from the digital payments ecosystem, she remains interested in efforts to uphold cash as a consumer choice and democratic right. Brianna studied at Keele University (UK) and the University of Alberta (Canada) and holds a Master of Arts in English Literature degree and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies.

Shaun Ferrari
Shaun FerrariChief Commercial Officer
Washington, U.S.A.
Joined in 2017

Shaun has spent over 25 years in the cash and payments industry. A tenured currency and central banking expert, before joining Currency Research, Shaun spent 16 years at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System where he oversaw all operational and policy aspects of U.S. banknote issuance and processing. Shaun also spent several months with the Digital Dollar Project where he gained extensive knowledge of all things digital assets and digital currencies. He is CR's go-to currency subject matter expert.

Shaun joined CR in 2017 as Managing Director for the Americas region and in 2025 Shaun was appointed Chief Commercial Officer. He develops and implements comprehensive commercial strategies to drive business growth and oversees sales, business development, and sales marketing functions.

Sonia Gagliardi
Sonia GagliardiDigital Marketing Expert
Ancona, Italy
Joined in 2019

Sonia is a seasoned digital marketing professional with over two decades of experience. She has extensive experience with teams spread over multiple countries and time zones and has a proven track record of delivering tangible results.

Within digital marketing, Sonia has worked as a content creator, translator, and social media manager, and has extensive experience in SEO and digital content creation. She has worked as a Social Media Manager and Web Content Manager, where she was responsible for on-site optimization of articles, social media content creation, and technical support of clients' websites. She has created written and visual content for WordPress websites, managed freelance contributors, and created and implemented strategic content calendars for email newsletters.

Sonia is currently the Digital Marketing Expert for Currency Research (CR), where she conceives and oversees all CR’s digital marketing efforts, including web, SEO/SEM, email, social media, and PPC campaigns. Additionally, she manages the company’s events app, creates marketing collateral, and produces and edits video content to drive engagement and boost brand awareness.

Helen Gibson
Helen GibsonHead of Client Relations
Harrogate, United Kingdom
Joined in 2018

Helen is responsible for managing all operational relationships with the sponsors across CR events as Head of Client Relations. She has many years of experience managing conferences and other corporate events within the legal and medical sectors. These events ranged from seminars for up to 350 delegates to glamorous award ceremonies with 900 attendees. Helen particularly enjoys meeting new people and building lasting relationships. She of course also loves to travel.

Hamish Harrison
Hamish HarrisonRelationship Manager - EMEA
Cape Town, South Africa
Joined in 2025

Hamish has joined Currency Research as a Relationship Manager - EMEA. With a degree in economics, he brings a strong analytical mindset to the team, he is focused on building key relationships to support CR’s conferences. Through extensive travel, he has gained practical insight into different payments systems, allowing him to develop an understanding of the challenges and opportunities that face the current global payments landscape.

Kiara Kumar
Kiara KumarRelationship Manager - Asia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Joined in 2026

Kiara is a business development professional with extensive experience supporting B2B tech and SaaS companies across the APAC region in the past 6 years. She specializes in building strong client relationships, identifying growth opportunities, and engaging decision-makers through strategic outreach. With a background in strategic communication, Kiara brings a people-first approach to sales, combining clear communication with a strong understanding of business needs to drive sustainable growth.

Hurin Nawawi
Hurin NawawiOperations & Marketing Coordinator
Selangor, Malaysia
Joined in 2024

Hurin Nawawi has joined Currency Research as Operations & Marketing Coordinator, responsible for supporting and coordinating the operations and marketing activities.
Before joining CR, Hurin brings 6 years of experience in content strategy and marketing coordination. Hurin is adept at maintaining an up-to-date online presence, regularly updating news, resources, and event information across the company's websites and various social media platforms. She also ensured the accuracy and relevance of information by promptly updating any changes on the company's website.
With a collaborative approach, she has worked well with internal and external partners to deliver quality content. Additionally, Hurin has experience in assisting the marketing team by efficiently managing event requests, highlighting her versatility and dedication to the overall success of marketing initiatives.

 Shelley Jackson
Shelley JacksonVice President/Director, Operations & Marketing
Vancouver, Canada
Joined in 2019

Shelley Jackson has joined the CR team in the role of Operations & Marketing Director. Shelley brings extensive knowledge to the team with over 20 years of experience in Marketing, Events, Logistics, and Team Management. Her career has touched on various industries, with the most recent in the Wine Industry, living and working in China for 6 years. Interests are food, wine, travel, biking, hiking, and distance running.

Amalina Md Khair
Amalina Md KhairEvent Manager
Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia
Joined in 2026

Amalina Md Khair is an Event and Project Manager with nearly eight years of experience delivering high-impact in-person and virtual events, leading programmes in the Middle East (UAE & Oman) and Malaysia, and supporting projects across Europe, the UK, the US, and APAC. She was named to the Eventex Powerlist 2025 as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the Events Industry (Top 50 in Asia) and is recognised for her operational excellence, having also been featured on the 10times “Eva Talk” podcast discussing innovative event formats and audience engagement.

Tom Mitchell
Tom MitchellVice President
Saline, United Kingdom
Joined in 2014

Tom Mitchell is a senior leader at Currency Research, where he plays a central role across much of CR’s global conference portfolio — spanning commercial strategy, programme development, and relationship management with the world’s leading financial institutions, central banks, and cash and payments industry stakeholders.

Tom serves as Vice Chair of both the Currency Conference and the Banknote Conference — two of the most prestigious events in the global currency industry — and acts as Event Director for the EMEA Cash Cycle Seminar (ICCOS), the Silk Road Cash & Payments Conference, and the Ghana Cedi Anniversary Conference. Together these events span Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and beyond.

Having joined Currency Research in 2014, Tom has built an extensive global network across central and commercial banks, cash management companies, security printers, and payments organisations. He works across CR’s commercial and programme functions to deliver unparalleled networking, educational, and promotional opportunities for the currency and payments community.

Ana Osorio
Ana OsorioEvent Manager
Mexico City, Mexico
Joined in 2022

Ana Osorio has joined the Currency Research team an Event Manager. She is a passionate event organizer with a bachelor’s degree in hotel management and a speciality degree in Marketing. Since the beginning of her career, 8 years ago, Ana has organized multiple conferences in varying industries bringing with her a wide range of experience

Some of her interests include tennis, biking, and traveling.

Karrtigesu Saravanan
Karrtigesu SaravananAccountant
Penang, Malaysia
Joined in 2025

Karrtigesu Saravanan is an ACCA Affiliate with over five years of experience in bookkeeping and more than three years in accounting and taxation. He has developed a well-rounded financial background through roles in audit firms, a logistics company, and Citigroup. Karrtigesu brings strong expertise in financial reporting, compliance, and tax matters, and is committed to delivering accurate and reliable financial insights that support organizational goals.

Jens Seidl
Jens SeidlChair & CEO
Frankfurt, Germany
Joined in 2018

Jens has been in the industry for nearly 35 years with senior management roles in sales and marketing, operations, customer service, business development, and general management.

He has a background in payments and cash, and led both global business units as well as a number of major change programs on a global scale throughout his career.

Jens joined CR in 2018 as Vice President, Business Development and Consulting. In November 2020, he was appointed as CEO & President and in January 2025 assumed the position of Chair & CEO.

Chee Meng Tan
Chee Meng TanSenior Advisor
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Joined in 2009

Tan Chee Meng worked as an electronic design engineer for five years prior to joining the currency community 29 years ago. His currency experience started at the Central Bank of Malaysia where he gained a thorough understanding of high-speed sorting machines and the currency supply chain. In 1995 he joined Currency Systems International (CSI) to further enhance his knowledge in the field of high-speed currency processing and detection. Additionally, he ran an engineering and parts depot in Malaysia to service all of CSI’s customers in Asia.

When De La Rue acquired CSI in 2001, his knowledge in the industry expanded to include teller assist units, ATMs, substrates, and security features. Tan joined Currency Research in October 2009 as Managing Director of Asia and Middle East. Tan is currently the Secretary of the Asian Cash Management Association (ACMA).

Tan Chee Meng specializes in Cash Management Alternatives and is a regional expert in Asia on all sections of the cash cycle.

Jordan Taylor
Jordan TaylorContent Specialist & Senior Editor
Richmond, U.S.A.
Joined in 2015

Jordan is responsible for payments programming across Currency Research's (CR) entire event portfolio, including the Central Bank Payments Conference and the Island Nations Currency & Payments Summit.

Described as CR's resident “Swiss Army Knife,” Jordan’s reliability and flexibility have allowed him to support a variety of initiatives during his time with CR. In addition to leading the payments programming stream, he also serves as Senior Editor of Central Bank Payments News since 2020, provides content-development assistance to CR’s marketing department, oversees the company’s community and media partnerships, and serves as occasional host on The P.I.T. Exchange podcast.

Jordan earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Virginia Commonwealth University and holds a Master of Management in Library and Information Science from the University of Southern California.

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