Speakers 2025
More information coming soon.
Frederik ERDMANN
Moderator and contributing correspondent Shippax
Frederik Erdmann is a Shippax correspondent since 1996 and professionally involved with shipping since 1999 when he joined the German port agency network, Sartori & Berger, on a vocational training program. After his graduation as Shipbroker & Liner Agent and subsequent studies of Business Administration, Frederik held various positions with Sartori & Berger until 2010. After a period of working for the Flensburg Chamber of Commerce, he belonged to the management team of Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei, a leading German domestic operator, from 2015 to 2021, with responsibilities among others for Safety/Security as well as for Environmental and Quality Management. He then became self-employed under the brand of Frederik Erdmann Maritime Consulting, specialising in Passenger Ship Management, Quality and Environmental Management, Risk & Resilience Management, Emergency Management, related crew education/training as well as all aspects of Dangerous Goods Transportation. Frederik is a permanent visiting lecturer at the Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, teaching in the Maritime Transport, Nautical Sciences & Logistics as well as the Ship Operation Engineering degree programs. He regularly contributes to maritime business publications in the UK, Scandinavia and Greece, and is a member of the Tourism Committee as well as the Transport & Infrastructure Committee of the Flensburg Chamber of Commerce. After a decade of activity in municipal politics, June 2023 saw Frederik being elected Mayor of Rügge, the municipality which he is living in. His professional involvement in the shipping sector is complemented by a genuine passion for maritime history and ferry design, with a particular focus on ships built between the 1950s and the 1980s. His private collection encompasses ferry-related literature, numerous technical documents of ships, as well as a collection of ship models. Other interests of Frederik include motorcycling and, somewhat more exceptional, agricultural aviation.
Alan LAM
Co-moderator and correspondent and analyst Shippax
Based in Hong Kong and Austria, Alan Lam is a freelance journalist and maritime transport business researcher. He has been collaborating with Shippax since 2010, regularly contributing articles to both its monthly and yearly publications. He also writes for other shipping publications worldwide and compile customised market reports for investors, lenders, and suppliers.
Torben CARLSEN
CEO DFDS Group
Torben Carlsen was appointed President & CEO of Danish Ferry & Transport Group DFDS from 1 May 2019. He joined the company in 2009 as CFO and was, among other things, responsible for DFDS’ acquisition of Ferry and Transport Group Norfolkline in 2010 as well as other acquisitions, digitisation of DFDS and major change projects. Torben has a broad and international managerial background, with leading positions in Switzerland and the USA, primarily within the airline industry. In addition to this comes experience from private equity. He holds an MSc in Finance and various board positions in the finance and shipping industries.
Gjermund JOHANNESSEN
Managing Director Norwegian Ship Design
Mr Johannessen has had a career of over 20 years as a ship designer and naval architect. He believes that the best value solution is always the most energy efficient one, a mantra he takes together with an unyielding commitment to a safety first and forward looking approach to vessel design and engineering. The success of this philosophy is borne out by his large book of returning customers.
Håkan JOHANSSON
CEO Gotlandsbolaget
Born: 1972
Position held since: 2012
Education: Studies in business administration at Jönköping School of Economics and English at Stockholm University.
Other assignments: Chairman of the board of Almi Företagpartner Gotland Aktiebolag and Visby Köpmansgille. Board member of Svensk Rederiservice Aktiebolag, Seably AB, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Alandia Försäkring Abp.
Mary Ann PASTRANA
Chairperson Archipelago Philippine Ferries
Mary Ann Ibuna Pastrana is the Chairperson of Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation (APFC), the company that owns and operates the FastCat fleet. Holding a post-graduate diploma in Executive Maritime Management from the World Maritime University and a Master’s Degree in Maritime Education & Training from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy, Mary Ann strongly leads their organization alongside her husband, Christopher S. Pastrana. With her relentless quest for learning, she is currently pursuing a PhD in Maritime Affairs at the World Maritime University.
Moreover, she is passionate about serving in various advocacies, which include serving as a Vice President of Women in Maritime Philippines, a Vice-Chair of the Advisory Group of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, a board member of Worldwide Ferry Safety Association, an active member of Interferry and a previous board member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Philippines. Mary Ann is a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, avid traveler and a lifelong learner.
Bruce PETER
Professor of Design History at the Glasgow School of Art
Bruce Peter is Professor of Design History at the Glasgow School of Art. He has a life-long interest in merchant ship design and passenger shipping operation and has written extensively on these subjects. His latest maritime publications are a history of the Danish liner, ferry and logistics company, DFDS, and a history of Tor Line, which DFDS purchased in 1981. He is also currently working with colleagues in Finland on a history of Finnish shipbuilding, has written for the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) a book about the design of the Kappel propeller and is assisting the Victoria & Albert Museum in London to curate an exhibition about ocean liner travel.
Marcus RISBERG
CEO Destination Gotland
Marcus Risberg (born 1975) joined Swedish domestic ferry operator Destination Gotland as CEO in March 2021. Marcus has extensive experience from passenger ferry industry through a long career in Silja Line and Tallink Grupp. Between 2015 and 2021 he held the position as Managing Director at TallinkSilja AB. Prior to this he worked within the industry in various finance roles such as Chief Controller and Finance Director at Silja Line and later TallinkSilja between 2002 and 2008.
During a period of six years, he left the industry and was engaged in IT and telecom working for Nokia and Microsoft. In 2014 the desire for shipping grew strong again and he decided to rejoin TallinkSilja as Sales Director.
Marcus grew up on Åland where the passenger ferry sector is a natural and integral part of everyday life.
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