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Business Solutions Central

Susanne Keough International Business

International Business and Global Trade expert, Susanne Keough manages SunTrust Bank's trade finance and trade banking business as the head of the Global Trade Solutions Department.

Best Practices Tips

These are interesting times. Business owners that participate in the global marketplace face a dynamic environment filled with long-term potential but fraught with short-term uncertainty and challenges.

Strategically, the global marketplace remains a solid profit growth opportunity for small and mid-sized businesses. If your business has competitive offerings, or serves a clear market niche, you have a better chance of growing profits by looking internationally than a competitor that does not. Global trade has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise challenging economic picture. This trend towards accelerated globalization started well before the export friendly currency cycle of the last several years. And will outlast the recession and credit crisis we are currently experiencing.

If you seek profits in international markets, you can educate yourself about global growth opportunities by:

Attending a seminar: SunTrust sponsors seminars with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the District Export Council. Learn more >
Researching trade opportunities: There are several quality resources to help you put together a plan to go global. For example, the U.S. Department of commerce web site www.trade.gov is a comprehensive resource to help you define and develop export opportunities.
Talking to a SunTrust trade specialist: Our trade specialists have years of experience and can connect you with the right people to help you get started. Or have them help you answer the five questions every business needs to answer to get started in global markets as quickly as possible — which are outlined in our recent report entitled Discovering a World of New Business. To reach a specialist call us at 877.777.8142, Option 4.

If you are already doing business globally, you need to navigate a range of short-term challenges, uncertainty and volatility. The global recession means trade will contract in many sectors. And the policy response from nations around the globe is creating uncertain outcomes for traders. Business owners doing business overseas can keep informed about these changes so they can manage their risks and exploit opportunities should they arise.

Staying on top of volatile exchange rates: Talk to a SunTrust Currency Risk Management specialist: 800.494.9782. How will a stronger or weaker U.S. dollar impact your strategic business plans? How will currency exchange rates affect your company's ability to compete? SunTrust offers a broad array of FX products and services that can be customized to meet your specific needs. To learn more, visit https://www.suntrustrh.com/r.ashx?pid=56 or download this complete overview of our currency risk management solutions.
Monitoring policy changes in the international markets you deal with. A great resource to stay on top of monetary, economic stimulus and trade policy actions in the countries you do business in is the World Bank web site named Crisis Talk. Access the site
Anticipating strategic risks and opportunities created by an increasingly interconnected resource and energy strapped world. In his books “The World is Flat” and “Hot, Flat and Crowded” (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2009), author Thomas L. Friedman frames the strategic opportunities in energy technology, resources, services, and outsourcing that will lead to global growth for innovative companies that are prepared to exploit them. These books can provide a good frame of reference to help you separate strategic issues from the news of the moment as you frame your global strategy.

Bio

Susanne Keough manages SunTrust Bank's trade finance and trade banking business as the head of the Global Trade Solutions Department. In this capacity she is responsible for overseeing the bank's trade sales efforts, the trade finance lending programs as well as trade compliance. Ms. Keough joined SunTrust Bank in 2002 as Vice President with trade finance and trade banking business development responsibility. Prior to joining SunTrust, Ms. Keough was employed by AmTrade International Bank of Georgia in Atlanta and was the senior lender in the bank's trade finance group, which specialized in Ex-Im Bank-supported medium-term buyer finance.

From 1994 to 1998 Ms. Keough was the Export Finance Manager for the State of Georgia (Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism). In this capacity she was responsible for the development and implementation of Georgia's export finance programs designed to assist the business and banking communities in increasing exports from the state. Ms. Keough worked closely with Ex-Im Bank and SBA staff in marketing export assistance programs to Georgia exporters.

Ms. Keough's international banking career also includes employment with Citibank and in the international division of C&S Bank, a predecessor to Bank of America.

Ms. Keough is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a BA in International Studies and a Minor in European History, and an MBA from Georgia State University with a concentration in Finance.