“I haven’t seen anyone in my entire life so passionate about letters of credit!

After several training  sessions on letters of credit with Mark I still find so many useful information for my work! It was really helpful to get details about how to process Standby LC and what international standards might be useful.” (Senior Specialist Documentary Credit Expert)

(Zimmer Biomet, March 2024)

“It is with great pleasure that I recommend Mark Hayward’s Letter of Credit Course.

I had the opportunity to attend one of his training session and I can personally vouch that he knows this topic very well as well as he fully understands the duties of each: customer, bank and seller / exporter.” (Customer Service Supervisor)

“The training was great! It was useful, not long, explained in a very accessible manner. Even for me as a total beginner in LC it was understandable.” (Customer Service Representative)

“The training has been conducted in a very interesting way, clear in content, supported by good examples. The presenter has experience and knowledge which he passed in a professional and comprehensible way.” (Customer Service Representative)

“I think Mark is perfect for this training because he has a big knowledge and, most important, he was able to pass and share it with us, using simple but efficient words and examples. Always ready to reply to any questions, also during the training and not only at the end, as usual. I definitely recommend it.” (Senior Collection Specialist)

(Ashland Ingredients Poland, October 2023)

“The training clarified for me a lot of subjects where I didn’t know how to answer to the customers about their letter of credit orders or to my colleagues when they were asking about discrepancies mentioned by our bank.

Also I was really happy to get new material about letter of credits, not only from the training sessions, but also from a Practical Guide which every participant had received. It is like a separate textbook with loads of additional useful information.

I’d like to check with you if you think it would be possible for you to arrange the same training for our Team in the US.”

(Ashland Industries Europe GmbH, March 2023)

“I have to say, I have worked in purchasing for nearly 20 years and never had training that understandable or thorough for Incoterms ever! It was great training – very helpful with what each Incoterm means and when to use them.” (Senior buyer, USA)

“It was a great informative session and the scenarios were the most helpful!” (Legal Counsel, Asia )

“I thought the training was just great and kudos to Mark. It was informative, it was structured, it was also funny and the real life examples were just great. Best training I had this year!” (Customer Services and Logistics, Germany)

“I’ve been thru a few during the years, and I must say this was probably the best one. The speaker, content AND the slides!” (Head of Procurement, Americas)

“Thought it was a really good session and gave me a good insight and clarity to each of the Incoterms. Very engaging and interesting.” (Sales Manager, UK)

(Synthomer plc, May 2022)

“Mark created a bespoke training seminar focusing on L/Cs and Incoterms which fell in line with our growing export business. The course was well prepared, professional and easy to understand. He was able to provide absolute clarity over topics that have always daunted the team.

The course content was meticulously prepared to meet the specific needs of our business. The relaxed style supported by group activities allowed us to openly share experiences and put the theory into practice.

We finished the course with an advanced understanding, but importantly, we have been able to make significant changes to our processes as a result.

We have participated in ‘export training’ in the past, but Mark’s knowledge and experience in the field far exceeds any other!!”

(Hill & Smith Ltd, September 2020)

“Reliable have instructed MJ Hayward Associates Ltd on two separate occasions, once in 2015 for a training course in person and a second time in 2020 to provide a virtual classroom for members of our teams in the UK, Germany and the UAE.

The courses were extremely well prepared and presented on both occasions. Mr Hayward provided his wealth of experience and knowledge along with examples to discuss as a group to ensure we understood the concepts conveyed. The pace of the training was ideal to allow both inexperienced and experienced individuals to remain engaged with questions being allowed at any point to ensure everyone understood the complex points being examined.

Regarding the virtual classroom between our three sites, I was particularly delighted with the outcome. This approach allowed all the individuals to experience the training in the same fashion. This enabled everyone to interact freely and openly, especially when discussing the examples, which may not have been so forthcoming with a mix of live and video link presenting.

I have no doubts that the training provided will benefit our company greatly in the future and we would certainly look to MJ Hayward Associates Ltd in the future when training is required.”

(Reliable Fire Sprinkler (UK) Ltd, April 2020)

“Mark is an excellent presenter / teacher. I don’t believe I have ever observed such a strong energy and genuine passion in a training session and the entire team who attended Mark’s Letter of Credit training class felt the same.

Great insights within the course and a genuine pleasure to attend and learn. I would happily recommend Mark”

(Green Sheep Group, September 2019)

“Mark has recently delivered 2 excellent days of training to various teams within our business. There were team members who had varying degrees of knowledge in the group and Mark tailored it perfectly to individual needs.

His presentation style was excellent, providing a mix of theory, practical and personal experience that really brought the training to life. Mark clearly is someone who knows his subject matter due to his years of experience. The Letters of Credit and Incoterms training was clear and concise and we all came away from the training course feeling extremely confident in how to manage our processes moving forward.

I would recommend Mark’s service to any organisation looking for similar training and hope that one day, we can welcome him back to provide additional training if required.”

(Vyaire Medical Products Ltd, May 2019)

“Mark delivered a very well tailored training session on a practical guide to letters of credit. The subject matter was spot on for our requirement and was delivered in an engaging style that was appreciated by all the participants.

It is clear Mark has widespread practical knowledge and experience on this subject and we will certainly be tapping into this resource in the future. It is fair to say we would be happy to recommend this organisation to anyone looking for training / guidelines on L/Cs, Incoterms and practical experience of trade finance.”

(UM Trading Ltd, May 2019)

“Many thanks for delivering such an informative training session. We are all aware that these types of training sessions can be tedious and boring ……. but not with you!

The team were thoroughly engaged all day, and the interaction and group discussions proved extremely helpful and informative. I can honestly say that the team really enjoyed the day and have all come away with a clearer knowledge and understanding of L/Cs”

(Longulf Trading (UK) Ltd, May 2019)

“Mark delivered an exceptional course on letters of credit for us, tailoring the content to our business and giving us some excellent feedback on real scenarios we were facing.

He has a great wealth of knowledge which is apparent in the quality of his work. I would highly recommend his services.”

(FMB Oxford, July 2018)

“We had 10 delegates attend Mark’s training on Incoterms 2010.

We all started with varying but minimal amounts of knowledge and left with much more confidence to negotiate Incoterms in our contracts. The team enjoyed the visual aids and exercises which really helped us to understand the subtle differences between each of the terms. Mark kept everyone engaged and kept at a pace which suited our learning.”

(Leidos Supply Ltd, May 2018)

“Training well done by Mark who is clear in explaining topics that are not easy, even more useful his help in tricky/difficult cases we face in AbbVie with L/Cs.

Good to have tips on how to improve our processes and approaches with banks. Great training advisable for other companies too, I will definitely recommend him.”

(AbbVie Logistics, May 2018)

“We have worked with Mark since 2015. His training provides a good grounding for beginners and a strong challenge to those more experienced.

As a trainer I understand how important it is for the trainer to adapt to the needs of those being trained. By doing this Mark maximises the influence the training has on their operational performance when they return to work. For Metro Shipping it is important that we are able to either support our customers when they need it or fulfil the task for them if that is their preference. Mark’s training makes sure that our staff are flexible in our service delivery and that’s why I choose to work with him.”

(Metro Shipping, April 2018)

“Since our Letter of Credit training back in June with Mark, we now produce all export documents in-house for our letter of credit orders, where we were originally using the local Chamber of Commerce.

This has not only improved our turn around on completing orders more efficiently, it has also had a massive cost saving for the business. We feel we would not have had the confidence to make this transition if it were not for Mark’s excellent training. Mark has a very relaxed approach to training, yet covers all aspects in full and keeps it very interactive. We have since had Incoterms and Documentary Collections training, which again were very informative.

The team are very grateful for the training and it has helped them to feel more confident in their day-to-day dealings with L/Cs and general export enquiries. Thank you Mark!”

(DS Smith Recycling, September 2017)

“After previously shying away from letters of credit and paying a third party to act on our behalf, we contacted Mark to help upskill key members of our business.

Mark delivered training to members of our Customer Support, Logistics and Finance Team over 2 days which combined theory as well as practical ‘real life’ examples. We learned the best practice required when working with letters of credit, we covered Incoterms, UCP 600 and ISBP and even got to take on the role of document checker. The course exceeded our expectation and thanks to Mark we now have the knowledge and confidence to keep future letters of credit in-house.”

(Gurit UK, March 2017)

“Haltermann Carless asked Mark to provide letter of credit training to both those new to LCs and some who have been working with them for some time.

He tailored the day’s training with our own examples of documentation. Everyone in attendance had a very positive experience and even those with LC experience learned a great deal. New information  we put into place immediately with the result of saved time and money.

Thanks for the help Mark. We would certainly recommend you to anyone ”

(Haltermann Carless UK Ltd, February 2017)

“As a total newcomer to letters of credit, the prospect of having to process them for my company was a little daunting.

The training given by MJ Hayward broke it down into simple and concise steps which have seen zero discrepancies since and on a subject that can be extremely complex at times.”

(De Soutter Medical Ltd, September 2016)

“Excellent service provided by Mark.

A great (Incoterms) course for all levels of understanding. Really interactive and a good refresher”

(GKN Freight Services, July 2016)

“Another excellent session on Incoterms.

Mark has really helped us to clarify which Incoterms rules are appropriate for our business. His training method is engaging and his flexible approach means the sessions can be adapted to the current needs of our company. We’d highly recommend his training sessions.”

(Gurit UK, June 2016)

“Thank you for a very interesting and informative day.

I learnt things even though I’ve been dealing with letters of credit for some years now.”

(Johnson Matthey Plc, March 2015)

“Over the last few years, Mark has done several courses for us on International Trade, including Letters of Credit and Incoterms.

Each time, the feedback has been excellent. Mark is engaging and technically proficient. Moreover, he allows the participants to work through the commercial options and has pointed us in the right direction on many occasions. Highly recommended.”

(Ishida Europe, November 2014)

“We asked MJ Hayward to train our team in respect of Letters of Credit.  We were thrilled when we found out that Mark not only tailored the course to fit the information we required but he was also willing to use examples of our own documentation. 

To ensure understanding he even talked the team through the completion of an actual LC.

What we appreciated most about working with MJ Hayward was not just their knowledge but also their ability to ensure total understanding and interest from those on the course.”

(SPP Pumps Ltd, October 2014)

“I would like to thank Mark for the tremendous training he provided when I assumed responsibility for Emerging Markets within Molnlycke Healthcare. Mark’s rich and broad experience in dealing with international trading is clear to see and his attention to detail was superb….

He is an engaging, professional and very practical trainer who understood our needs, and our mixed abilities, very well and delivered a package that was excellent and met our needs perfectly. I was so pleased with the support that Mark provided I requested him to deliver a second round of training for some new members of the team and have recommended him to other colleagues within Molnlycke Healthcare.

Mark’s knowledge of Letters of Credit, Bank Guarantee’s and Inco Terms was invaluable and it certainly prepared the team for the task of geographic expansion.”

(Molnlycke Healthcare, December 2013)

“Our company does a great deal of international business, and we determined that the Letter of Credit training course would be ideal for our global colleagues…

Mark held two sessions for us — one in the UK and one in our France office, and we were very pleased with the outcome.  He was engaging, informative and tailored the course to our needs and staff – who were from a broad mix of departments including finance, customer service, sales and service.  The courses outlined a great deal of extremely useful information, including real world examples and scenarios specific to Datacard Group.  We highly recommend Mark to others.”

(Datacard Group, November 2013)

“Following on from the course we have been able to identify and renegotiate certain elements of the LC’s issued on a particular large contract……

Also as we are currently quoting a number of other overseas contracts, and feel better equipped having sufficient basic knowledge since attending the LC course to be able to obtain more favourable trading terms associated with future LC’s.

Overall  this was one of the more beneficial courses I have attended,  as it has provided an immediate impact within the LVE business unit with regard to risk management of LC contracts with the knowledge  being utilised immediately.”

(Schneider Electric, January 2012)

“A difficult subject was presented in an easy to understand, entertaining and engaging manner which encouraged participation from the course members……

The course was tailored to our business which in turn made it relevant to our requirements. I would definitely recommend Mark as a provider.”

(Sports Direct Group, September 2011)

“We found the whole session today to be informative and has taken away some of the myths and mystery surrounding letters of credit……

The delivery was well paced and you were very engaging, keeping us all focused. We liked the way you wove actual samples into the training and used your own experiences. We would have no problems in recommending you for other companies.”

(Pacific Direct, April 2011)

“Mark provided us with some Letters of Credit training recently which was excellent…..

He tailored the course to our team’s needs and provided excellent back up support. I would definitely recommend him as a provider.”

(Oxford Instruments, September 2010)