This is what Elevate Export Finance does. Successfully. For more than a decade.
We understand that exporters invest significant time and resources pursuing international opportunities, only to see transactions delayed or lost because buyers cannot access competitive financing. Rather than leaving exporters to navigate banks, government agencies and complex international funding structures alone, we work as a strategic partner throughout the whole sales process.
By combining commercial insight with deep expertise in export credit financing, Elevate Export Finance helps reduce complexity for both exporters and overseas buyers.
Whether supporting transactions between $1 million and $10 million or significantly larger strategic financings, we bring global experience to:
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identify risks early
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solve complex cross-border challenges
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simplify execution from initial discussions through closing
And, our approach extends well beyond arranging finance. As an exporter, we work with you to strengthen your sales proposition and help you compete internationally with confidence while protecting you through non-recourse financing structures that eliminate you from any credit exposure.
Simply put, Elevate Export Finance helps transform your financing from an administrative requirement into a competitive advantage, enabling you to win more business, enter new markets and grow internationally with confidence.
Diana Funez, Senior Associate, Client Experience & Operations
International transactions involve far more than financing. They require coordination, communication and confidence at every stage. That is where Diana delivers exceptional value.
From your first introduction to Elevate’s Business Development team, whether you’re a buyer, exporter, broker or financial partner, Diana is your trusted point of contact. With more than a decade of experience in international business and client relationship management, she guides clients from onboarding and documentation through funding, loan servicing and asset management.
Fluent in English, French and Spanish, Diana works with clients across North America, Latin America and Europe, ensuring language is never a barrier to completing a successful transaction.
For buyers, she provides hands-on support with Export Credit Agency documentation, explains Elevate’s client portal and responds quickly to questions by phone, email or WhatsApp. Her proactive communication and practical guidance give clients confidence and keep transactions moving efficiently. For exporters, Diana works with sales teams and brokers to simplify documentation, anticipate issues and ensure everyone understands what is required to move the transaction forward.
Her support continues after funding. By maintaining strong relationships with buyers and helping them stay on track with repayment obligations, Diana provides confidence to borrowers and Elevate’s banking and funding partners. Her attention to detail and commitment to service help protect portfolio quality while creating an experience clients value long after closing.
For clients, Diana is more than a coordinator—she is a trusted guide who brings clarity, responsiveness and a genuine white-glove experience to every international transaction.
Yann Martin, Senior Manager Business Development
Yann brings a highly collaborative approach to international business development, working closely with exporters, overseas buyers and Elevate’s financing specialists to help turn international opportunities into successful transactions. He understands that export finance works best when the commercial and financing conversations come together early, and focuses on ensuring that all parties are aligned around a practical path to getting the deal done.
For exporters, Yann helps identify where financing can strengthen a sales proposition, open new markets and make it easier for an overseas customer to buy. For buyers, he works to understand their requirements and connect them with financing structures that can make important capital investments more achievable. Throughout the process, Yann acts as a bridge between the exporter, buyer and Elevate team—helping maintain momentum, coordinate the right expertise and keep everyone focused on a successful commercial outcome.
Yann’s background spans strategic partnerships, business development and project coordination, with a career built around developing trusted, long-term relationships. Before joining Elevate, he spent six years leading membership and business development initiatives at the C.D. Howe Institute in Toronto.Fluent in English, French and Spanish, and with extensive international experience, Yann brings a strong cross-cultural perspective to his work. Combined with his practical and adaptable approach, this allows him to build relationships across markets and work effectively with exporters and buyers as they pursue new opportunities around the world.
Kevin Fairs, Chief Operating Officer
Kevin Fairs, Chief Operating OfficerKevin Fairs is Chief Operating Officer of Elevate Export Finance, where he focuses on scaling Elevate’s international financing platform, expanding its reach with exporters and strategic partners, and building the capabilities required to support continued growth across global markets.
Working across financing programs supported by Export Development Canada (EDC), UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), Kevin connects exporters, government and industry partners, financial institutions and Elevate’s financing expertise to help companies pursue and win international business.
A central part of Kevin’s role is making Elevate easier to engage and more effective at turning export opportunities into executable financing solutions. His responsibilities span market development, strategic partnerships, sales effectiveness, operations, governance and technology - helping Elevate support more exporters, transactions and international markets.
Kevin brings more than 25 years of international financial services leadership across banking, lending, credit, asset management, insurance, risk, operations and technology. He has held senior roles with RBC, BMO and Sun Life across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia, with extensive experience growing businesses, building institutional partnerships and leading organizations through growth and transformation.
Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Kevin brings a global perspective and a practical understanding of the financial, operational and regulatory challenges companies face when expanding internationally. At Elevate, his focus is on building the partnerships, capabilities and platform that help exporters reach more buyers, enter new markets and grow internationally.
Francisco Garcia, SVP & Chief Business Development Officer
Francisco has spent more than two decades at the intersection of international sales, buyer financing and risk. Because of this, he has a keen understanding of what exporters need to close a deal, what overseas buyers need to move forward, and where transactions most commonly fail.
As a client, this experience and expertise will allow you to structure stronger offers, identify hidden risks before they become problems, and navigate complex international financing with confidence. Rather than simply arranging funding, Francisco becomes an extension of your commercial team, helping you win more business while protecting both the sale and you.
With more than 20 years of international trade finance experience, Francisco has helped Canadian exporters secure more than $1 billion in export sales, structuring transactions across Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa and other emerging markets.
He has extensive experience supporting manufacturers in plastics, packaging, agriculture, agri-food, food processing, forestry, mining, and transportation and industrial equipment.
Jame Reble, Managing Director Business Development
James specializes in supporting exporters in the cleantech, advanced manufacturing, mining and agricultural sectors. He brings extensive experience structuring transactions across Africa and Latin America, particularly Chile and Peru.
By combining commercial insight with practical export finance expertise, James helps you expand into complex international markets. He works alongside you from the earliest stages of an opportunity, helping shape financing strategies that strengthen your sales proposition,giving you a competitive advantage against international suppliers. By becoming involved early, he helps create opportunities—not just finance them.
With experience that spans both the exporter and buyer sides of every transaction, James brings a complete view of the commercial, financial and cross-border considerations required to successfully close complex international deals. As an export, you benefit from his knowledge of export credit agency programs and emerging markets, allowing you to pursue business in countries where traditional lenders often have limited appetite or expertise.
Scott Rambeau, Chief Financial Officer
Scott Rambeau is Chief Financial Officer of Elevate Export Finance, where he leads the financial strategy and capital architecture that enables Elevate to provide reliable, competitive financing to exporters and their international customers.
Working across Elevate's financing programs supported by Export Development Canada (EDC), UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), Scott focuses on ensuring Elevate has the capital, banking relationships and financial infrastructure required to turn approved export opportunities into funded transactions.
Scott works closely with Elevate's banking and institutional partners to develop funding structures that support the company's growing international portfolio. His responsibilities span capital strategy, liquidity and treasury management, financial structuring, governance and risk oversight — helping ensure that Elevate can provide exporters with the certainty of execution required when competing for international business.
A key part of Scott's role is connecting the requirements of exporters, Elevate's lending platform, its banking partners and the relevant export credit agency. This financial architecture allows Elevate to support transactions in markets where traditional commercial financing may be difficult to obtain, while maintaining the financial discipline and institutional standards required to grow the platform responsibly.
Scott brings more than a decade of experience spanning corporate finance, investment, financial strategy and governance. Prior to joining Elevate in 2017, he worked with PwC Canada and has subsequently held executive and board positions across financial services and investment businesses.
At Elevate, Scott's focus is ultimately about funding capacity and certainty of execution, ensuring that when an exporter has an international opportunity and Elevate has identified a viable financing solution, the financial infrastructure and capital are there to deliver it.Scott also serves on the Board of Elevate Global Insurance Brokers.
Ed Walsh, President
Ed Walsh is President of Elevate Export Finance, where he helps exporters turn international sales opportunities into financeable transactions and expand into markets where competitive buyer financing can make the difference in winning business.Working across financing programs supported by Export Development Canada (EDC), UK
Export Finance (UKEF) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), Ed works directly with exporters and international buyers to understand the commercial opportunity, assess the underlying credit and structure transactions that meet both the buyer’s financing needs and ECA requirements.
His role extends well beyond traditional underwriting. Ed works alongside exporters from the early stages of an opportunity through structuring, credit assessment, ECA engagement and funding. This practical, solutions-oriented approach helps exporters offer competitive longer-term financing, strengthen their sales proposition and pursue opportunities in markets where conventional financing may be limited.
Ed brings nearly three decades of commercial credit and risk experience. Before joining Elevate in 2017, he held senior credit leadership positions across the industrial and distribution sectors, including more than 15 years with Samuel, Son & Co. This experience gives him a deep understanding of how businesses operate, how credit decisions are made and how transactions can be structured to manage risk while supporting growth.
At Elevate, Ed combines that credit discipline with extensive international trade finance experience. His focus is clear: help exporters win more business, help international buyers access the financing they need, and use ECA-supported financing to open new markets and support sustainable export growth.
Ed also serves as a Director of Elevate Global Insurance.