NEFA said Michael J. Stead, director of Capital Markets for Bank of the West, will provide a real-world assessment of the current economic climate at the National Equipment Finance Summit on Friday, March 23, 2012.

Stead manages Bank of the West’s Capital Markets Division and supervises the sales and trading teams that manage Foreign Exchange, Fixed Income and Derivatives for the bank. He has 30 years of corporate finance, capital markets and asset management experience, and has lived and worked in San Francisco, Tokyo, Bangkok, Los Angeles, New York, Quito and Buenos Aires.

Prior to joining Bank of the West, Stead served as the chief investment officer and portfolio manager for the SIFE Trust Fund, an equity mutual fund of $1.4 billion. Stead was born in Yorkshire, England and earned his business administration and economics degrees from the University of Applied Sciences, at Aachen, Germany.

“Mr. Stead, is a funny, upbeat presenter with a fascinating depth of experience as an economist,” said Gerry Egan, executive director, of NEFA. “His presentation will inform, entertain and encourage all our attendees, and we’re thrilled to have him at the Summit.”

The National Equipment Finance Summit, being held March 22-24, 2012, at the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa, offers an extensive selection of industry educational programs to benefit everyone from the most experienced brokers and lessors to brokers just beginning or wanting to begin transitioning into lessors. Along with the educational programs there will be networking time and exhibits showcasing active funding sources and service suppliers.

For more about the National Equipment Finance Summit click here.