SPEAKERS AND MODERATORS

This information is current as of Aug 12, 2011. Please continue to check back as this page will be updated frequently.

Carlos Alvarez-Cascos – Acciona Trasmediterannea, SPAIN Carlos Alvarez-Cascos obtained a Masters degree in physics from University Complutense of Madrid in 1985.  He went on to develop his career in the private sector in the areas of consulting and project management in the development of new technologies and innovation for multinational companies. He joined Acciona in 2000 to become involved in the development of the new division Acciona Logistica. In 2004 he joined the shipping company Acciona Trasmediterránea after its privatisation by the Spanish government. Carlos has since held responsibility in the areas planning and IT and currently is in charge of Business Development and coordination of the Research and Innovation program looking into what markets, services and technologies that Acciona Trasmediterránea should evolve into for the future. Carlos is married and the father of three children.

Dr. Khalid Al Zahed – RTA, Dubai, UAE Dr. Khalid Al Zahed is the Director of Marine Transport Dept. of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai. Prior to that, he was head of the Coastal Management Section in Dubai Municipality. Khalid has published many scientific papers on coastal engineering and environmental issues in peer reviewed journals. He obtained his PhD in Coastal Zone Management covering Environmental Issues in Dubai Creek from St. Andrews University, United Kingdom. His Master degree in Coastal Engineering was from University of New South Wales in Australia.

Günther Becker – FRS, GERMANY Günther Becker is a partner in FRS, member of the Board and former CEO of FRS for 35 years. FRS operates a wide range of shipping activities in Germany, Denmark, Spain and Morocco. In the Sultanate of Oman FRS is a service provider managing the National Ferries Company, Muscat, with activities throughout that country. Günther has served as Chairman of the National Ferry Committee in Germany, is a member of the Interferry Board of Directors since 2004 and Interferry Chairman since 2008. FRS's Spanish daughter company, FRS Iberia, is hosting the Interferry Conference 2011 in Barcelona.

ROY BESWICK – COMARIT, MOROCCO Roy Beswick was at sea from 1965–1980 serving on various ship types from Cadet to finally Master on container and ro-ro ships. For the next twenty years he worked at the Oslo headquarters of Fred Olsen as Superintendant, Safety Manager and finally Technical Manager. From 2000-2002 Roy was the company's representative in Nigeria for offshore activities. In 2003 he moved to Morocco as Fred Olsen's representative in a joint venture with Comarit. Since 2008 he has been the Fleet Director in Morocco for Comarit and Comanav-ferry. Roy has served on several regulatory committees at IMO, the International Chamber of Shipping and the Norwegian Ship Owners Association.

Darrell Bryan – Clipper Navigation, USA Darrell Bryan is President & CEO of Clipper Navigation, Inc., a high-speed, passenger-only ferry service operating in the Puget Sound area of Washington state and linking Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia. He has a B.A. from Washington State University, an M.B.A., St. Mary's College, and attended the Executive Development Program at the University of Virginia. Prior to his 25 years with Clipper, Darrell spent 14 years with US passenger rail operator, Amtrak. He is a past president of the US Passenger Vessel Association. He has served on the Interferry Board of Directors since 2001 when he was President and hosted the Interferry Conference in Seattle. He has served on a number of local, national and international committees and associations in the travel and tourism fields.

Robert Clifford – INCAT, AUSTRALIA Robert Clifford is Chairman of Incat Tasmania. He built his first boat as a teenager and mastered the art of sailing yachts at an early age. As a young man Robert took up fishing before developing a river cruise business which suddenly became Hobart's commuter service carrying millions of passengers following the Tasman bridge collapse.  Five decades later the Incat Tasmania shipbuilding facilities cater for larger and faster vessels.  Early production was a range of small passenger craft, later vehicle carrying wave piercing catamarans, and now Incat vessels operate around the world in commercial and military service.  For greater economy today Incat puts the low displacement of light weight ships to good use by installing less power while still achieving high speeds. The Incat yard is currently building 85, 99 and 112 metre vessels. The 99 metre dual fuel ship will be the world's first high speed Ro-Ro powered by LNG.  Often dubbed the pioneer of the high speed industry, Robert Clifford holds an honorary doctorate in Engineering.

David Dearsley – VIDEOTEL INTERNATIONAL, UK David Dearsley started his career at sea as a deck officer but soon found his niche ashore in personnel matters. After a period with the General Council of British Shipping, in 1984 he became the Secretary of the International Shipping Federation and at the same time was appointed Secretary General of the International Maritime Employers' Committee. During this time he was appointed by IMO as one of the (then) six consultants tasked with producing the revised text for the IMO STCW Convention, adopted in 1995. In 2000 he was appointed Secretary of the ILO Employers Group charged with co-ordinating the ship-owner views on the ILO Maritime Labour Convention. He was also responsible for producing the BIMCO/ISF Worldwide Manpower Supply and Demand for Seafarers Reports between 1990 and 2000. Last year David was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Maritime Studies by Southampton Solent University for services to international shipping. He was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by LSM in Manila in October 2009.

Helen Deeble – P&O Ferries, UK Helen Deeble is CEO of P&O Ferries, having been appointed in 2006. Prior to this appointment she was Chief Operating Officer, leading the business through a period of major organisational and operational change. Her previous roles were as Finance Director at both P&O and Stena Line UK, and finance roles for a high street retailing group. In April 2011 she was appointed Vice-President of UK Chamber of Shipping. Helen is married to Lloyd, has two children and lives near Canterbury, UK. P&O Ferries encompasses English Channel, Irish Sea and North Sea ferry services plus Ferrymasters, an international logistics company. The Division has an annual turnover of approximately £1 billion and employs about 4,500 staff. In 2011 P&O Ferries has taken delivery of the first of two of the largest ferries ever to sail on the Dover-Calais route. They are 213 metres long and 49,000 tonnes each with a carrying capacity of 180 articulated lorries plus a further 200 cars and 1,750 passengers.

PIM DE LANGE – Stena Line bv, Netherlands Pim de Lange is Area Director North Sea of Stena Line with over 40 years experience in the shipping industry. Since 1989 he has held a number of senior management positions at Stena Line and was appointed Managing Director of Stena Line Holland in 1996 and Area Director North Sea in 2000.  In 1997 he introduced the revolutionary HSS Stena Discovery on the route Hoek van Holland – Harwich and then withdrew it from service in 2007. In recent years he has expanded the Stena Line activities on the North Sea in an extremely competitive market. He is currently awaiting delivery of two new Ro-Pax vessels which will be the largest in the world. Pim is a member of the Interferry Board of Directors and in 2003 he served as President of Interferry and hosted the annual conference in Rotterdam.

James Douglas – Exis Technologies, UK James Douglas has been in the transport and logistics industry for over 25 years at a number of IT and consultancy companies. He has worked in business development for Exis Technologies since 2009, dealing with safety and productivity in dangerous goods logistics. His main role is to increase awareness of the IMDG Code, Hazcheck Systems and IMDG Code e-learning, especially amongst sea and shore side operations. To date, Hazcheck systems are used by 16 of the top 20 container lines on a global basis and by the many of the ferry/RORO operators in the UK such as P&O, Stena Line and Brittany Ferries among others. IMDG Code e-learning is used by 8 of the top 20 container lines and thousands of staff worldwide have been trained to date.

Isabel DurÁntez – Director General of Merchant Navy, Spain In 2009 the Spanish Council of Ministers appointed Maria Isabel Durántez Gil Director of the Merchant Navy General Direction and consequently, C.E.O. of the Maritime Safety and Security Society. She has a Bachelor of Law from the University of Valladolid and began her legal career in 1988 having finished number three in her class. She has practiced criminal law in Benavente, Bilbao, Pontevedra, Vigo and Madrid and has extensive experience related to equality and gender violence. She also teaches on legal matters. From 2005 to 2009 she served as Director of the Home Office of the "Xunta de Galicia", where her responsibilities included security, the modernization of the local police of Galicia and the management of the local branch of the National Police Force.

Hussein Gamiel ElHarmiel – Alkahera Co. For Ferries and Maritime Transport, Egypt Rear Admiral Hussein Gamiel Elharmiel has been Chairman & CEO of Alkahera Co. For Ferries and Maritime Transport since it was established in January 2009. He graduated from the Egyptian Naval Academy in 1970. In 1999 he achieved the rank of Rear Admiral and served as Head of the Administration and Organization Department of the Egyptian Navy. In 2005 After his retirement from the Navy Rear Admiral Elharmiel was appointed Chairman of the Egyptian Authority for Maritime Safety. From 2006 to 2007 he worked as Minister of Transport Consultant and Supervisor of the Ministerial Committee for the inspection of passenger ships operating in the Red Sea. In 2008 he was appointed Chairman of Damietta Port Authority.

Ingvald Fardal – Fjord Line, NORWAY Ingvald Fardal has been President and CEO of Fjord Line since 2007. He has 30 years experience primarily within the ferry and hotel industry. After graduating with an MBA from University of Oregon in the USA , he worked as sales and marketing manager in the hotel and restaurant  industry in Norway. Ingvald started his career in the ferry business as Director Sales and Marketing with Jahre Line.  He became Vice President of Sales of Marketing when Jahre Line, Norway Line and Fred Olsen Line merged to form Color Line in 1990. From 1992 until 2000 he worked as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Radisson SAS Hotels worldwide based in Brussels. During the five years prior to joining Fjord Line Ingvald was President & CEO of Finny Sirevaag AS in Norway.

Michael GraINGER – Liferaft Systems Australia, Australia Mike Grainger is Managing Director of Liferaft Systems Australia (LSA), a Tasmanian based manufacturer of Marine Evacuation Systems (MES) and large capacity liferafts for the international passenger ferry, mega yacht and defence market. Global exports make up for 95% of turnover. LSA was established in 1993 as a privately owned company. Mike was born and educated in Tasmania. He has more than 30 years' experience in the manufacturing industry and has worked as a professional yachtsman, rigger and sail maker. Mike is a member of the DNV Ferry Committee; the Tasmania Development Board; the Interferry Board of Directors; the Australian Institute of Company Directors; and the Australian Institute of Management. He is Chairman of the Brand Tasmania Council and Deputy Chairman of TT-Line, the Tasmanian Government owned operator of the ferry service between Tasmania and mainland Australia.

Michael GrEy – Lloyd's List, UK Michael Grey is a columnist and correspondent and has been associated with the maritime industry for the whole of his working life, joining his first ship in 1956. At sea for twelve years with the Port Line and the holder of a British Foreign Going Master's certificate, he came ashore to work with the UK Chamber of Shipping, before moving into maritime journalism. Michael has been Technical Editor of Shipbuilding and Shipping Record, Editor of both Fairplay International Shipping Weekly and Lloyd's List, where he continues to write a twice-weekly column. He is a Fellow of the Nautical Institute, an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology and a Companion of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects . He lectures at the World Maritime University and the Greenwich Maritime Institute. He was made MBE in the Millennium Honours for services to maritime safety and was awarded the Merchant Navy Medal in 2008.

Alfons Guinier – ECSA (European Community Shipowners Associations) Since 1992 Alfons Guinier has been Secretary General of the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA). He has also been Co-ordinator of Transport/Shipping/Services of the Maritime Industries Forum and Member of the Joint Committee for Maritime Transport. Prior to 1992 Alfons held different administrative and commercial positions within the Belgian Shipping Group C.M.B. During this period he was also: Belgian representative in different European and international shipping organisations; Spokesman for the Belgian Shipowners Association in the Belgian Industrial Board (Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique); Appointed conciliator for Belgium for the U.N. Code of Conduct for Liner Conferences.

Anders ØrgÅrd Hansen - OSK-ShipTech A/S, Denmark Anders Ørgård Hansen is the Managing Director and owner of OSK-ShipTech A/S, Consulting Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, which is today one of the leading marine consultancy companies in Denmark. He is also Managing Director of a newly-started sister company, OSK-Offshore A/S, which provides consultancy services in connection with offshore wind projects, providing solutions for transport and installation of wind turbines and foundation components at sea. In 2010, he was elected Secretary General of the Danish Skibsteknisk Selskab, (Danish Society for Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering). He was recently recommended as fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects in London. Anders holds a master's degree in Naval Architecture and Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark. He has been involved in a wide range of ferry designs worldwide ranging from Moby Line's newbuildings in Korea and Fincantieri to Arctic passenger vessels and smaller Ro-Ro ferry designs for developing countries.

JosÉ Luis Hormaechea - Port Authority of Algeciras Bay, Spain José Luis Hormaechea is the Managing Director of the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay and member of its Board of Directors since 2004. He is also member of the Board of Directors of Andalusian Logistics Network (Red Logística de Andalucía) and Madrid Dry Port (Puerto Seco de Madrid-Coslada). He is a civil engineer and his extensive experience is linked to transport, especially in the port sector. He has worked in both the public and private sectors and has developed his career in the national and international fields by developing projects in Asia and Africa.

Esa Jokioinen – Deltamarin, FINLAND Esa Jokioinen holds a M.Sc. in mechanical engineering. He started his career in maritime industry working for the Finnish shipyards and joined Deltamarin in 2003 where he has worked in a number of positions including project engineer, project manager, and development manager. In the spring of 2011 Esa was appointed Manager of Concept Design and Development. In this position he is responsible for the company's conceptual design departments in Helsinki and Raisio.

Yiota Krassakopoulou – Attica Group, Greece Yiota Krassakopoulou is Legal Advisor for Attica Group, parent company of Superfast Ferries and Blue Star Ferries. Since 2002 she has advised the Group on EU affairs, competition law, corporate and regulatory issue management, government relations and strategic policy planning. Yiota has also been advising the Greek Associations of Passenger Shipping on legislative and regulatory matters. She has assisted the industry to re-define its political and legislative position both with European Union institutions and Greek Authorities and she led the legal and political process leading to the liberalisation of the Greek cabotage market. Member of the Athens Bar, Yiota has practiced Law in Brussels and Athens since 1999, representing corporate, institutional and trade association clients in the fields of competition, international trade, maritime, corporate and intellectual property law.

Oskar Levander – WÄrtsilÄ, FINLAND Oskar Levander graduated with honours from Helsinki University of Technology in 2000, with a Master of Science in Naval Architecture. He has since been working with Wärtsilä and is currently Director, Concept Design in the Marine Lifecycle Solutions team. Prior to this Oskar has held positions as Director R&D, in charge of the Operational Performance program in the Ship Power R&D department, general manager of Conceptual Design, project manager and technical sales support engineer. He has been working mostly with the development of new ship designs and propulsion solutions for various ship types. Oskar has been heavily involved in the development of more energy efficient ships and concepts for new fuel types.

Kristian Caroe Lind – OSK ShipTech, DENMARK Kristian Carøe Lind is the manager of OSK-ShipTech A/S Aarhus office. Throughout his career Kristian has been profoundly engaged in RoRo and RoPax projects including conversions and new buildings for high end-users and third world developing countries. He has worked for owners like Rederiaktiebolaget Gotland, Moby Lines, DFDS and the governments of Mozambique, Uganda and Gambia. Kristian was expatriated by Knud E. Hansen A/S for the position of "Ropax Roject Corrodinater" from 2000-2004 during the design and construction of MS Visby & MS Gotland at Guangzhou Shipyard in China. Kristian also serves on the board of the Danish Cruise & Ferry Group under the Danish Export Association.

Marcel Lodder – MAN Diesel & Turbo SE, Germany Marcel Lodder obtained his bachelor degree of science in automotive engineering from the University of Applied Science of Arnhem in 1997. After his graduation he joined MAN Diesel & Turbo SE in the PrimeServ department. Here he handled all after sales tasks such has maintenance, expertise, repairs, training and upgrades. Marcel was also involved in environmental issues during that period. From 2009 he joined the newly founded Upgrade Department and now is involved with promoting, planning and developing of upgrade projects for MAN medium speed four stroke Diesel engines which is mainly concerning emission projects.

Mark MacDonald – Bay Ferries, CANADA Mark is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the group of companies comprising Northumberland Ferries Limited, Bay Ferries Limited and Bay Ferries Management Limited which operate conventional and high speed ferry services in Eastern Canada and the Southern Caribbean. He is also the Chairman of the Halifax Port Authority. Until 2002 he was a partner in a leading Eastern Canadian law firm where his practice involved shipping, energy and regulatory matters and advice to a number of leading entrepreneurial companies of the region. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1999.

Christophe Mathieu – Brittany Ferries, FRANCE Christophe Mathieu is Group Commercial and Strategy Director at Brittany Ferries. As a member of the Executive Board his responsibilities include the representation of the company in international professional organisations such as ECSA, Interferry and the Passenger Shipping Association. Christophe graduated from the University of Paris in Tourism Business Management. He joined Brittany Ferries in Plymouth in 1991 and spent over eight years in the UK holding various positions in finance, operations and marketing. In 2000, Christophe took up the newly created position of Corporate Controller at the Roscoff headquarters and in 2006 his role was widened to encompass strategic studies and development.

Charles McGill – Austal, Australia Charles McGill is General Manager – Systems and Service for Austal, a world leader in the design, construction and support of commercial and defence vessels.  Charles oversees Austal's global service businesses which support high speed ferries and conventional vessels.  Prior to joining Austal, Charles was located in Hong Kong as Head of Research, Australia for SC Lowy, a specialized investment bank focused on distressed and illiquid investments, and earlier as Head of Leveraged and Acquisition Finance Australia for Morgan Stanley.  Previously, Charles served in the US Navy as the Chief Administrative Officer to the Secretary of the Navy in the Pentagon.  His sea-going assignments included Executive Officer of the Special Warfare Patrol Craft USS Monsoon and Gunnery Officer of the aegis guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh.  Charles is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the Harvard Business School.

Santiago Garcia MilÁ – Barcelona Port Authority, Spain Santiago Milà has a Masters degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Barcelona and two postgraduate studies: Marketing Strategy (ESADE) and Innovative General Management (IESE). Prior to his appointment with the Port of Barcelona, he spent twenty years with different private companies in the area of international marketing. At present he is Deputy Managing Director of the Port of Barcelona; Chairman of the Intermodal and Logistics Committee at the European Sea Ports Organisation -ESPO-; Vice- Chairman of the International Association of Ports and Harbours -IAPH-; Chief Executive Officer of PortIC, the electronic commerce platform of the Port of Barcelona; Chief Executive Officer of tmZ, Zaragoza Maritime Terminal; Secretary of Intermed (North-West Mediterranean Ports Association), and International Marketing associated teacher at the University of Barcelona.

LUIS MORA – FRS IBERIA, SPAIN Luis Mora Diaz has a Master's degree Industrial Technology. He began his professional career in 1972 with the travel division of American Express. In 1975 he joined Iberia Airlines in sales and reservation systems. In 1979 he entered the shipping business as development manager for the establishment of a new hydrofoil route Tarifa, Spain to Tangier, Morocco. In 1980 he became Managing Director of Transtour, a hydrofoils shipping company linking Tarifa-Tangier and Tangier-Gibraltar. At the same time, he was Managing Director of Touráfrica, a tour operator and travel agency located in Tarifa and promoting travel to Morocco. In 1998 he became Managing Director of Noráfrica & Fantasy World, a tour operator. Since 2000 he has been the Managing Director of FRS Iberia and Ferrys Rápidos Del Sur, the former being one of the leading shipping companies operating in Gibraltar Strait and the latter a wholesale travel agency.

Olumuyiwa Omololu – EKO Water Bus, USA Olumuyiwa Omololu is a Nigerian–born American entrepreneur with a heart for the development of his native country, Nigeria. With a background in Accounting and Management, Muyiwa emigrated to the United States in November 1997, and worked as a financial consultant with American Express in Los Angeles, Merrill Lynch and ING in Hartford, Connecticut till 2004. In a private capacity from 2006 till 2009, Muyiwa hosted numerous high-level policy makers from Nigeria in the United States on different issues relating to infrastructure development in Nigeria, in close cooperation with the California State government. With that exposure and with the massive deficit in the transportation sector of Lagos, the vision to create a world-class ferry transportation enterprise was born. The proposed ferry operator, Eko Water Buses Limited is a subsidiary of Atlantic Diversified Ventures, LLC, and a Delaware Corporation.

Torill Grimstad Osberg – DNV, NORWAY Torill Grimstad Osberg graduated with a masters degree in 1996 from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department for Marine Technology and Marine Propulsion. Since then Torill has worked for DNV where she is a principal approval engineer. Her main responsibilities have been class approval of machinery systems and ship piping systems for all ship types including passenger vessels and HSLC, and cargo systems for offshore supply vessels, gas, chemical and oil carriers. She has also developed rules for winterization of ships, fuel cell installations in ships and gas fuelled ships. Torill was project approval coordinator in DNV for the first LNG fuelled gas ferry in the world, Glutra, delivered in 2000. She has approved a number of gas fuelled ships, and also been involved in the type approval of gas fuelled engines. In autumn 2010 she was project manager for the DNV innovation project, Triality, where an LNG fuelled VLCC concept ship was developed. Torill is also very much involved in the development of international regulations for gas fuelled ships at IMO.

Johan Roos – Interferry, Belgium Johan Roos is the newly appointed Executive Director of EU and IMO Affairs for Interferry based in Brussels. Previously he was Director of Sustainability with Stena Rederi AB. He holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. In the year 2000, Johan left DNV to join Stena Line, the ferry operator, to develop environmental management systems internally. From 2006-2011 he was in charge of sustainability issues for all of Stena's shipping activities. Johan is an active member within The Swedish Shipowners Association, The UK Chamber of Shipping, The European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA), Intertanko and the World Economic Forum.

LEN ROUECHE – INTERFERRY, canada Len Roueche is the Chief Executive Officer of Interferry, a shipping association representing the world-wide ferry industry. Interferry has over 200 member companies representing almost 500 individuals from 33 countries. Since Len became CEO of Interferry in 2002 the association has grown by over 125%. Prior to joining Interferry, Len was with BC Ferries for 25 years where he was responsible for strategic planning. He has a B.A. from the University of Victoria and an M.A. from the University of British Columbia, both in economics.

Leonardo Sonzio – WÄrtsilÄ, Finland Leonardo Sonzio was born in Trieste, Italy. He is a naval architect (MSc.) graduated from Trieste University. Leonardo has been with Wärtsilä since 2007 where he has been dealing with environmental related issues. As a Project Manager in Wärtsilä Ship Power Technology, he worked on the development of solutions to reduce air emissions from ships; he has concentrated mostly on LNG propulsion and abatement technologies. During 2010, Leonardo moved to the Services Division to take care of environmental issues for the existing fleet. He is now heading the Environmental Services team which is responsible for solution development and application engineering.

Per Stefenson – Stena Rederi, Sweden Per Stefenson graduated at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden as Naval Architect, M.Sc, in 1981. He has worked as Marine Standards Advisor at Stena Rederi AB since 2009 with the task to follow standards and regulations development within international organizations such as IMO and EU as well as coordinating and managing the company´s R&D projects. Per has previous experience as project manager from SSPA (maritime consultants) and the Swedish Maritime Administration where he was Head of Research and Technical Development. Per has also served as Marine Engineer in the Royal Swedish Navy, specializing in naval craft light weight design.

Raimon Strunck – Flensburger, GERMANY Raimon Strunck joined Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft in 1999. Under his project management Flensburger delivered in total 26 RoRo and RoPax vessels. At the beginning of 2011 he became Vice President Sales. Raimon holds a mechanical engineering degree from the Technical University of Hanover. He studied in Germany and the United States and performed practical work in Germany and Brazil before graduating in 1993. His career started as a project related engineer with Preussag group (now TUI), and he worked in several daughter companies, including work on drilling rigs and in the submarine division. In 1997 Raimon he moved to Portugal as head of planning department at Lisnave Repair-Shipyard, Lisbon. His main focus was on reorganisation of the planning department and the relocation of the repair facilities from Lisbon to Setubal site.

Simon Swallow – Shipowners P&I Club, UK Simon Swallow joined the Shipowners' Club in 1991 assuming the role of senior underwriter.  Today Simon, as Commercial Director, is responsible for all underwriting matters, which also extends to looking after the needs of the Club's Members and the many brokers with whom the Clubs works with.  In addition to overseeing customer relationships, Simon leads the company's marketing and business planning effort and is responsible for the Club's reinsurances. Simon has always worked in marine related industries having started his career as a ship broker and then worked in Hong Kong for a well known towage company. He then moved back to London and worked for seven years with a Lloyd's insurance broker.

Isaias TÁboas – Secretary of Transport, Spain Following studies in history, public administration and marketing, the professional career of Isaias Táboas has been strongly linked to public administration and the transport sector. He has held various managerial posts in rail sector at RENFE and has also served as CEO at Iberrail and Comfersa. Between 2006 and 2010 he was General Secretary of the Presidency of "Generalitat de Catalunya". Previously, between 2004 and 2006, he served as Director of the Cabinet of the Industry, Tourism and Commerce Ministry. In his current role as Secretary of State for Transport, Mr. Táboas has focused on the promotion of efficient and sustainable transport, from both the economic and environmental point of view. He has been involved in high speed rail, freight transport strategies, liberalization of rail services and implementation of the single European skies policy.

John WagGoner – HMS Global Maritime, USA John Waggoner is the founder, President and CEO of HMS Global Maritime. He has been actively involved in the passenger vessel industry for over 30 years. He began his career in the sport fishing industry, and has since been involved in many and varied segments of the industry including commercial fishing, offshore oil support vessels, dinner cruise and excursion vessels, casino boats, and car and passenger ferry operations. John's continuing dedication to safety and furthering the development of marine transportation has placed him at the forefront of the industry. He was awarded a Commendation from the Commandment of the US Coast Guard for his substantial and lasting contribution to promoting passenger vessel safety. He holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. John still lives his childhood dream of "playing with boats the rest of his life, so he would never have to grow up and get a real job."

Roberta Weisbrod – Sustainable Ports, USA Roberta Weisbrod, Ph.D. is a consultant working on the planning and implementation of waterborne transport of people and freight and related waterfront development. She is the founder and principal of the New York City-based company, Sustainable Ports. She also chairs the U.S. Transportation Research Board's Ferry Transport Committee and its Marine Highway Subcommittee. Roberta serves as pro bono coordinator for Interferry's Ferry Safety project in cooperation with the IMO.