Speakers 2016
Jonny ALEXANDERSSON
Born in Sweden 1969, Jonny Alexandersson holds a Master of Science degree (Diploma) in applied physics from the University of Linköping. Additionally, Mr. Alexandersson have been involved in PMI as a certified Project manager since 2009.
Since the beginning of 2000, Mr. Alexandersson has been engaged in several large cruise ships automation projects in the new build and retrofit segment. His experience includes, but not limited to, construction of QM2, several Aida vessels, Stena worlds largest Ropax, and upgrades of the CCL fantasy class ships.
Before becoming sales responsible for the Callenberg Energy management Technology (EMT) world-wide he also gained experience as responsible for operations as Director of Technical operations from 2010 to 2013 in Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions.
Callenberg has supplied electrical and automation systems for newbuilds and retrofits for many decades. We design, produce, install, commission and service our solutions worldwide. We supply the best available technologies for onboard electrical energy optimization, so you can operate economically and reliably.
The combination of energy savings with short pay back and the positive impact on the environment makes the EMT business a true win win story.
Jonny, is living together with his twin sons and girlfriend in Gothenburg Sweden.
Callenberg Technology Group is wholly owned by Wilhelmsen Maritime Services, a Wilh. Wilhelmsen Group company.
Peter ARVIDSSON
COO Stena Line Group
Peter Arvidsson has been a member of Stena Line Group Management since 2008 and is the company’s Chief Operating Officer with responsibility of Shipmanagement, Ports & Terminals, Retail & Food Services, Group Procurement and Sustainability. Stena Line is one of the world’s biggest ferry companies with a route network of 21 European routes, deploying 38 ro-pax and ro-ro vessels delivering over 28,000 annual sailings.
Peter has played a vital part in expanding and developing the company in recent years, with acquisitions in the Irish Sea as well as in the Baltic Sea. Prior to joining Stena Line, Peter worked in the airline sector for more than ten years in various commercial and operational management roles. Peter holds a MSc degree in Engineering from Lund University and an Executive MBA in Strategic Management from Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen.
Denise BAUM
Denise Baum, Assistant Vice President, KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH
Denise Baum joined KfW IPEX-Bank's Maritime Industries department in 2012. The department runs a portfolio of USD 19 bn and provides financings for all maritime sectors, including ferry, cruise, shipping and offshore. Denise focuses on origination and structuring of financings for customers in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Baltics. Her previous work experience includes 5 years in export and project finance at Helaba and several years in administrative positions in the automobile industry. Denise has worked and lived in Brazil and Mexico and is based in Frankfurt. She holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg.
Janette BELL
Janette Bell – Commercial Director of P&O Ferries
Janette leads our marketing, sales, supply chain and new business development functions and was appointed in April 2012.
Janette is an extremely experienced board director having had broad exposure to a range of industries and high profile brands.
She was previously Sales and Marketing Director for Hammerson plc, the British property development and investment company and also worked in senior strategy and marketing positions at Centrica, where she became Director of Sales and Growth for British Gas Retail. She was Principal Associate in the marketing and customer management practice of Pricewaterhouse Coopers and began her career as a graduate trainee at Tesco, rising to become a Senior Buying Controller in their grocery division.
Janette has a degree in Biochemistry and an MBA.
Luke BERRY
Luke Berry, is HydrOcean’s commercial manager. HydrOcean, now part of the Bureau Veritas Group, is a company specialised in Marine CFD. Luke joined the company in 2010 after completing his Masters in Naval Architecture in Southampton University.
He is also an experienced offshore sailor and just finished 2nd in the solo transatlantic race, the Mini Transat, on a 6.5 m boat, without communication or assistance.
Kristina (Kicki) BJURSTRÖM
Hogia Terminal Systems
Following more than a decade in Project Management, Kicki joined Hogia and has now gained 8 years of experience working with IT systems within the Hogia Group. She has had roles in business control, project management and product management.
Kicki project managed the implementation of Hogia’s Terminal Operating System for the Canadian ferry operator Marine Atlantic Inc. across their 3 ports. She also acts as the Key Account Manager for Hogia’s customer Port of Trelleborg, the largest Ro-Ro port in the Nordic countries.
In 2015, Kicki was made Managing Director of Hogia Terminal Systems AB and is now leading their expansion on the international market, with the main focus being the Nordic countries and the UK.
John CRUMMIE
John has a passionate interest in leadership and organisational development plus dynamic and innovative marketing to support companies in developing profitable and sustainable solutions to their challenges and opportunities.
Over 30 years of senior executive experience and knowledge has been gained working with major brands like DFDS Seaways, Rank Group, Butlins, WHSmith plus SMEs ranging from 2 to 100+ employees. He has undertaken a range of executive and non-executive director roles across private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
John’s career has spanned Transportation, Travel & Tourism, Retail and Business Support. After leaving his role as North Sea Passenger Director for DFDS Seaways in 2013, he set up Plain Blue Sailing Ltd which focuses on delivering tailor-made Business Consulting & Coaching solutions. His mission is “to inspire leaders to unlock the ‘hidden’ potential that grows organisational success”. For more info click www.johncrummieconsulting.co.uk
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Fellow of the Institute of Travel & Tourism, Member of the Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing and a past Chairman of the Passenger Shipping association. Working from Hastings on England’s sunny south coast, beside pursuing his business activities, time is taken to enjoy golf, cycling and walking interests.
Martin DORCHESTER
Martin Dorchester is the CEO of the David MacBrayne Group and operates as Managing Director of both Argyll Ferries and Caledonian MacBrayne. In a career spanning 30 years Martin has operated nationally and internationally with organisations covering logistics, technology and finance. As CEO of Dixon's B2B operation Martin built up the largest Apple reseller business in the UK as well as developing a £100m public sector business. Martin was part of the team that brought the 5 radio authorities together to create Ofcom and worked with the London Borough of Hackney on developing its infrastructure for the 2012 Olympics. Martin is also a keen lecturer and academic and has written a number of papers covering areas as diverse as CSR and Emotional Intelligence in Management Development.
Martin is a non-executive director with Traveline UK and the Sailors' Orphan Society of Scotland. He is a supporter of Social and Community Business and chairs Firstport Ltd, a start-up funding organisation for social enterprises.
Magnus EHRENBERG
Magnus started his carrier as press secretary to the Mayor of Malmö. He then went on to work as a campaign leader for CDU in Hamburg and led both an EU election and state election. After some time in politics he went on to become site manager for the ferry company EUROWAY. He was then responsible for the continent, with focus on the German market.
In 1993 he founded EHRENBERG Kommunikation, a communications agency focused on helping clients in the tourism and maritime industry gaining visibility in media and among politicians. For more than 20 years he has worked as a advisor to clients in the industry, helping them raise awareness among politicians on a local, regional and national level all over Europe. With a background within both politics and the maritime industry, Magnus has a wide network among decision makers in Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the EU. Today he works as a strategic advisor to some of the biggest harbours and ferry operators in Europe.
Kevin GEORGE
Chairman Red Funnel
Kevin George joined Red Funnel on 2nd January, 2014.
Kevin has over 30 years experience in the transport sector having held senior management positions in a number of companies including British Airways and Monarch Airlines.
An engineer by training, Kevin has worked extensively in business development, customer services and operations as well as leading a number of significant business transformations.
Kevin is a keen sailor and lives on the Isle of Wight.
Koert GREVER
Director Netherlands and Nordic countries IESE Business School
Executive Education | International Open Programs
IESE Business School | Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, New York, Sao Paulo
Koert Grever joined IESE Business School to foster the strong relations with the business community in the Netherlands and Nordic countries. IESE Business school strives to develop people to become better leaders with a positive impact on their teams, organizations and society. He is a graduate from the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands and has been working many years for Oracle implementing Enterprise Software and heading the development of cloud computing solutions across EMEA since 1999. In 2010 he graduated from the IESE Global Exec MBA program engaging with more strategic and M&A type of consulting. Now working for IESE he happily combines the privilege to live in Barcelona and to help shape the future of Executive Education.
Guido GRIMALDI
Guido Grimaldi was born in London on the 26th of August 1983.
He is Corporate Short Sea Shipping Commercial Director of his family company, Grimaldi Group, managing Mediterranean, Baltic and Adriatic sea connections. Guido joined his family company in 2005 following his graduation in Economics.
This year, since the constitution of Grimaldi Sardinia, Guido has been nominated President of the Board of Director.
Guido is member of the Commission for Short Sea Line of Confitarma.
Furthermore he joined the Aspen Junior Fellow in July 2013.
In 2012, since the constitution of Grimaldi Tunis, Guido has been nominated member of the Board of Directors; previously in 2011 he was appointed member of Board of Directors of Grimaldi Maroc, Grimaldi Logistica Genova and, since September, he was part of the Executive Council of the “Libyan – Italian Friendship and Cooperation”.
From 2008 to 2012, Guido was Commercial Manager of Grimaldi Short Sea lines and, under his supervision, Grimaldi Short Sea network has been expanding thanks to the launch of new lines in Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea.
Meanwhile he could enlarge his professional background in transport and logistics field by attending the MBA Master “Automotive Logistics” of ECG Academy (European Vehicle Logistics Association).
When he was 22, Guido got Degree in Economics “ cum Laude” at the University Federico II.
During his studies he has cultivated his passion for horses becoming in 2001 Italian Champion of Show Jumping.
In 2016, since the constitution of Grimaldi Sardinia, Guido has been nominated President of the Board of director.
Ingemar GUSTAVSSON
Born in a shipyard on the Swedish island Orust, Ingemar Gustavsson is brought up within spitting distance of the sea. Therefore it is not surprising that he is interested in the shipyard and shipping industry.
Ingemar Gustavsson has been the CEO of Processkontroll Elektriska since it was founded in 2001. In 2012 it was acquired by the VINCI group, the biggest construction company in the world, and the company is today often seen under the VINCI brand name Actemium, well-known all over Europe.
In his speech Ingemar Gustavsson will tell the story of how the company became the leader in Europe when it comes to shore connections. He will specifically focus on the latest invention - a all-in-one solution where a HVSC or LVSC plant is put in a movable container that can be used in any port. The advantages are obvious: less noise, less pollution and - not the least - less costs.
Jan HANSES
CEO Viking Line
President and CEO of Viking Line since 2014 and joined the Company in 1988.
Born in 1961
Executive Vice President, Viking Line Abp 2005–2014
Deputy CEO, Viking Line Abp 2008–2014
General Counsel and Head of Human Resources, Viking Line Abp 2005–2014
Director, Legal Matters, Viking Line Abp 1990–2005
Lawyer, SF Line Ab 1988–1990
Circuit Court Clerk, judicial circuit of Mustasaari (Korsholm) 1987–1988
Chairman of the Board, Viking Rederi AB
Chairman of the Board, Viking Line Skandinavien AB
Chairman of the Board, Finlandshamnen Stuveri AB
Member of the Board, Försäkringsaktiebolaget Alandia
Member of the Board, Försäkringsaktiebolaget Liv-Alandia
Member of the Board, Finnish Shipowners’ Association
Member of the Board, Sjöfartens Arbetsgivareförbund
Member of the Board, Ålands Tidnings-Tryckeri Ab
Member, Bimco Documentary Committee
Member, Law Committee, Swedish Shipowners' Association
John HEMGÅRD
John Hemgård is Director of the Marine business division at Marioff Corporation Oy. John studied naval architecture and marine engineering at the Swedish technical college in Helsinki and was graduated in 1982. John started his professional career at Wärtsilä Helsinki shipyard as project engineer and later as project manager with special focus on passenger ships. Since early 90’s John has worked with various ship outfitting and equipment suppliers with emphasis on accomplishment of large projects on passenger ships on various shipyards and for ship- owners globally. Between 2005-2013 John was Marine business director at KONE Elevators. The interest in passenger safety brought John to Marioff Corporation who appointed John as director for the Marine business division, which today represents more than half of the company’s turnover. Simultaneously John is a trusted member in maritime industry associations. He is appointed to coordinate all Maritime related business of UTC (United Technologies Corporation) companies, he is a active member of the Finnish Maritime Industries association with focus om international business and maritime safety.
Staffan HERLIN
Staffan Herlin has a long experience in shipping business. Since his Master’s (Econ) degree in 1983 he has been faithful to the leading Finnish shipping company, Finnlines Plc and has held several positions within customer service, operations, profit units, sales and marketing, since 1995 on management level. In the late eighties, he represented the company in one of it’s agencies in Lübeck for almost four years.
On top of his daily duties within Finnlines, Staffan Herlin also holds different positions in several commercial and institutional boards and committees.
Håkan JÖNSSON
Sales Manager, TTS Marine AB, for the port related products and solutions of tailor made Linkspans, Passenger Gangways and Automatic Mooring Systems for RoRo-, ferry- and cruise ports. He has been working in TTS since 2005.
Håkan Jönsson has been working in the industry related to RoRo equipment since 1993 with different work tasks within project development, design, contract management and sales. He started at Norent AB, a former supplier of shore based equipment for the RoRo industry with automatic mooring system as one of the pioneer specialties.
Before entering the RoRo business he has been working in Japan for the Swedish organization Sveriges Tekniska Attachéer informing of technological developments and started his carrier as consultant in Civil Engineering industry with worldwide assignment.
He holds an MSc in Civil Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden and an additional course on the Master’s level in Project Management.
Sami KANERVA
Program Manager in Technology and Concept Development
As a program manager in ABB´s business unit Marine and Ports, Sami Kanerva develops new concepts and solutions for ABB`s growing product range on electrical systems. He is in charge of R&D projects focusing on new technologies and energy efficiency. Kanerva specializes in electric machines, drives and power distribution and holds a Sc.D. in Technology from Helsinki University of Technology.
Tage KLOCKARS
General Manager Marine Service Agreements at Wärtsilä
Tage is, in his role in developing marine agreements, focusing on finding the right solutions for the customers to enable their installations to operate at optimal efficiency throughout their lifecycle and meet the safety and legal requirements. During over his 30 years at Wärtsilä he has held various positions ranging from sales to management, many of them in South America.
He has wide experience in improving shipping efficiency and optimising ship’s operations, auxiliary system’s operation and influence as well as maintenance management with condition monitoring systems and dynamic maintenance scheduling.
Mika KOLI
Mika Koli, Business Development Manager at The Switch, is responsible for developing the marine business and applying the company’s permanent magnet drive train technology to advanced marine solutions. Before joining The Switch, Mika worked at various companies in the marine industry, including winch manufacturers and system integrators in Finland, Germany and Japan. Mika graduated with a BSc in machine automation and industrial economics from Turku, Finland, and completed his MBA at Swansea in the UK.
Fredrik LINDH
Born in 1975 and lives in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Been working as a financial advisor in Swedish banks and insurance companies for nearly 15 years. Today he is the owner and CEO of a financial consultancy company and Generation Research.
Generation Research have been tracking and measuring sales in the duty free and travel retail industry for more than 35 years. With retail sales from Airports, Airlines, Ferries, Border shops etc, the duty free and travel retail industry is today worth close to USD 63 Billion according to Generation.
The company will during 2016 merge with the Swiss based company called m1nd-set. A consumer behavioral research company with a unique consumer segmentation specialized for the travel retail industry. The two companies will combine insights from traffic data, consumer behavior data, sales data and macro economic data to create comprehensive and actionable reports and analyses.
Christophe MATHIEU
Christophe Mathieu BRITTANY FERRIES
• Born in 1968 in France. Married 2 children
• Master degree in Business Administration at University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
International Executive Program INSEAD Fontainebleau 2005
• Joined Brittany Ferries in 1992 in Plymouth (UK). Various roles in UK including accounting, operations and marketing.
• In 1997, responsible of setting up the Revenue Management department.
• In 1999, transfer to BF headquarters in Roscoff (France) as Group Business Controller.
• In 2006, promoted to Strategic Planning Director.
• In 2009, promoted to the Executive Board, as Deputy Managing Director, in charge of Strategic and Commercial Affairs.
Responsible for Group Revenue (Pax, freight, onboard sales), fleet strategy and port negociations.
• April 2016 : Chief Executive Officer
• Member of the Interferry Inc. Board and Chairman of Interferry Operators Policy Committee.
Axel MEYNKÖHN
CEO Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei Föhr-Amrum GmbH
Born in 1958 at Kiel, married, 2 children. After being graduated 1983 as ”Schiffahrtskaufmann” with DAL-Deutsche Afrika-Linien at the Chamber of Commerce of Hamburg, he worked as Owner’s Representative for DAL/Woermann-Linie for 6 years in West and Central Africa (based at Abidjan and Douala). In 1990 he became Line Manager of a RTW-Conbulk Linerservice of DAL. In 1992 he joined Poseidon Schiffahrt at Lübeck, being in charge of Pool Controlling for the Finncarriers-Poseidon Baltic and North Sea Pool. From 1995 – 1998 he worked as General Manager for Unimar (Kühne&Nagel Group) at Hamburg. In 1998 Axel was appointed as CEO of WDR - Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei Föhr-Amrum GmbH, Wyk auf Föhr. The WDR, a 125 year old private shipping and transport company, is one of the biggest domestic ferry operators at the european northsea coast (annual avg. carryings 1,8 Mio Pax – 300.000 RoRo units).
Narve MJØS
Narve Mjøs, Director Battery Services & Projects, Maritime Advisory, DNV GL
Narve is responsible for DNV GL's battery-related services and projects. He has more than 30 years of experience in research, software quality, technical analysis and various operational disciplines. He focuses on developing services to meet future needs while maintaining risk-related aspects of new solutions. Narve is project manager for Battery Ready Services, The Green Coastal Shipping Program, for the project "Qualification of large battery systems for maritime applications" producing a DNV GL Guideline for Maritime Battery Systems, and he is central to the development of DNV's battery service life model and DNV's risk model for battery-based systems.
Apostolos MOLINDRIS
Apostolos Molindris graduated in 1985 with Honors from the Polytechnic School of Architecture, University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He has been a Registered Architect since 1986, with work experience in a variety of projects, dating well before his graduation.
He worked as Internship Architect for the firm of TZONOS, HOIPPEL & HOIPPEL Architects, Thessaloniki, Greece, from 1982 to 1986, participating in the design of hotels, hospitals, office buildings and housing projects.
From 1983 to 1986, he also took part in several National Architecture Competitions.
In 1986, he began practicing Architecture individually, gradually building up a client base through the successful execution of numerous small and medium-sized projects.
In tandem with his individual practice, Apostolos Molindris also collaborated with other Architecture / Design firms in Athens. They included:
1986 – 1988: MATINOPOULOS Architects, Athens, Greece – Architect / Project Supervisor for Office, Retail / Shopping, Foreign Embassies and Residential building projects.
1988 – 1997: AMK Architects & Designers, Athens, Greece – Architect / Project Manager.
In May of 1995, Apostolos Molindris expanded his individual practice to include his first associates and started operating as Molindris & Associates, Architects & Designers (AM&A).
The Team provides consulting services, design, specifications and construction supervision in the following areas:
1. Cruise Ships, Ferry Boats, Mega Yachts, Private yachts, Cargo ships and their accommodation areas.
2. Hotel design and interiors.
3. Office building design and interiors, shopping spaces, medical offices, etc.
4. Private homes, luxury villas, apartment buildings.
The team has received multiple awards among which are the award for the best refit worldwide for the renovation of the legendary yacht Christina Onassis and the award for the best interior design in Ferry Boat, in 2012 for Blue Star Patmos of BLUE STAR FERRIES.
The Team has a long list of well-known clients with most important their collaboration with ATTICA GROUP, a collaboration of 18 years which resulted in the design and supervision of 24 vessels.
Among their clients are Supefast Ferries S.A and Blue Star Ferries (Attica Group), ANEK Lines, Agoudimos Lines, Easy Cruise Lines, Christina Yachting, Majestic International Cruise, Mano Cruises, Levante Ferries.
Niclas MÅRTENSSON
CEO Stena Line
Niclas Mårtensson is holding the position as CEO of the Stena Line group since 2016. Mr. Mårtensson has over 10 years’ experience of working in different senior positions within Stena Line, including responsible for commercial and operational activities in both Germany, Poland and Sweden. 2013 he became the Chief Operation Officer and later heading the position as Deputy CEO.
He has worked in different industries and companies within hospitality, transportation and manufacturing, both in Europe and Asia.
Niclas Mårtensson is in the boards of a number of Stena companies and also in the German-Swedish chamber of commerce, The West Sweden Chamber of Commerce and has been the consul of the republic of Poland in south Sweden. Since 2020 he is a member in the Swedish Government Electromobility Commission with the aim to increase the electrification of transport.
Jon Roger NESJE
John Roger Nesje has a wide experience in senior management and marine industry, with electric power systems as a speciality.
His early experience was in the Vik-Sandvik Group (Ship Design) working with power system design and project management. He subsequently joined the company Scandinavian Electric Systems, as a co-owner, and was a key in developing diesel-electric propulsion systems and to build up the company, organisation and technology from a handful of people to a significant global player. This company was acquired by Rolls-Royce Marine in 2008. He has been with Rolls-Royce since then. He has held various positions including VP Contract and Projects, VP Engineering and Technology and VP Customer Management within Rolls-Royce Marine Power Electric Systems.
Bruce NIERENBERG
Background and Experience
Bruce Nierenberg started his tourism career in the Airline industry in 1967 and brings over forty years’ experience in the areas of cruise line and ferry company management, hotels and resorts, destination development, passenger shipping product development, and airline service. He has been a senior executive or owner of cruise line and ferry operations since 1974 and has been responsible for some of the most significant new product development in the cruise industry.
He has served as:
President & CEO of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company (DQSC)
President & CEO of Costa Cruise Lines, prior to their sale to Carnival Cruise Lines.
Founder and managing partner of Premier Cruise Lines (“The Big Red Boats”), which began cruising from Port Canaveral, Florida in 1984. It became the most successful cruise line in the North American short cruise market in the 1980’s and the Official Cruise Line of Walt Disney World. Premier Cruises “Big Red Boats” became the most successful tour operator in Florida, the largest seller of Disney admissions outside of Disney themselves, the largest renter of cars in Florida, and the largest contractor of central Florida hotel rooms.
The Premier Cruises product, as the “Official Cruise Line of Walt Disney World” is further credited with bringing American families with children into the cruise market, as Premier Cruise Lines (PCL) introduced the first onboard children’s programming including a full staff and entire decks onboard dedicated to youth activities by specific age groups.
At Premier the first all-out island cruises to the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas were started. This required the complete development of the destination, including channel dredging and building both the port and harbor facilities. In 1991, Mr. Nierenberg sold his interest in Premier to the Dial Corporation.
The North American CEO of Scandinavian World Cruises, where he implemented the first “super ferry” to operate in U.S. waters, the M.S. Scandinavia, owned by DFDS of Copenhagen, which ran from New York to the Bahamas. While not commercially successful the Scandinavia project was a ground breaking program in American tourism, just ahead of its time. Today major companies are preparing to implement similar programs along the East Coast of the US to connect major metro areas with the tourism centers of Florida.
A by-product of the Scandinavia project was the successful “Seascape”, which operated one day cruises to the Bahamas and “nowhere” successfully for the next twenty-five years from several ports in Florida.
As Executive VP. Norwegian Caribbean Cruise lines and Norwegian Cruises, where he began his passenger shipping career in 1973, he was responsible for the acquisition of the S.S. France, which became the S.S. Norway, the largest passenger ship in the word at the time and first “mega” cruise ship to carry over 2,000 passengers. This innovative concept at that time paved the way for the modern cruise industry business model that proved large super cruise ships can be the destination itself.
While at NCL he started the first year round seven day cruises to the Western Caribbean, the number one selling Caribbean cruise for the past 37 years, created the first cruises to the out islands of the Bahamas which caused a rebirth in Bahamas short cruising, and put the first national program of air-sea packages in place that brought packaged cruise and air vacations to all markets for the first time.
Nierenberg started the first cruise operations in the Ports of Canaveral, Florida and Houston, Texas; and developed cruising to the ports of Cozumel, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Roatan Honduras, and the Out Islands of the Bahamas.
Throughout his career, Mr. Nierenberg has served in leadership capacities in a variety of industry and philanthropic organizations. He was part of the group of senior cruise execs who formed the Cruise Line Association (CLIA) and served as Vice Chairman. He also served as Chairman of the Florida Tourism Commission, the Brevard Community College Foundation’s Board of Governors, and the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association Board.
In recent years he has been involved in the development of the first over-night ferry transport from major U.S. gateways to major Caribbean destinations including Cuba, the Bahamas, and Yucatan Mexico.
He received one of the first US Government permits for ferry service to Cuba in May 2015.
Jan Erik NORLI
Jan Erik Norli, B.Sc Mechatronics
CSO Marcom , Telenor Maritime
Mr. Norli’s positions has covered sales and management roles in an international environment throughout his career,
focusing on international sales over the last 20 years, primarily supplying products and services into the shipping industry.
Mr. Norli has been 7 years with Telenor Maritime, and contributed substantially to build Telenor Maritime to become the largest onboard connectivity provider for the Cruise & Ferry industry world wide.
Current position is to oversee and being responsible for all Telenor Maritime’s sales and marketing activities towards the cruise, ferry, offshore & fisheries market worldwide.
Telenor Maritime’s recent innovation, enabling the smart ship, ensures wireless connectivity and cutting edge technological combinations unprecedented to the industry. Providing your passengers, guests and crew with mobile connection, superior wireless services and instant access onboard.
Spiros PASCHALIS
Spiros Paschalis is the CEO and an Executive member of the Board of Directors of Attica Group, a leading maritime group based in Greece that operates 13 vessels in Adriatic Sea and Greek domestic market.
He is also Vice President of the Greek Passenger Shipping Association (SEEN) participating as an elected member of the BoD since 2009. In February 2014, he was elected as a member of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping representing the Passenger Shipping sector.
Entering the passenger shipping industry in 1996, he has a 19 year experience in this sector holding for almost 10 years the position of Authorized Director of Blue Star Ferries and being 6 years the CEO of Superfast Ferries.
He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the American College of Greece and he further extended his financial educational background in London where he graduated from Cass Business School (City University) holding an MBA degree in Finance.
Bruce PETER
Bruce Peter is Reader in 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 publication is a history of the Danish liner, ferry and logistics company, DFDS. He is also currently assisting the Victoria & Albert Museum in London to curate an exhibition about ocean liner travel. This year, his presentation will address the subject of 'Staying Power' - or how some ferry companies have survived for a very long time, DFDS being a prime example.
José RODRIGUEZ
Jose Rodríguez (La Coruña, Spain - 1969)
CEO - The Maritime Consulting Group
Jose Rodríguez has over 25 years experience in the Transportation sector, having held Senior Management positions in transport and shipping corporations in Spain (since 1987) and Latin America (1997-2001). Jose has been a Founder, Managing Director and Board Member of several companies specialising in the transportation of passengers and freight.
His extensive experience has spanned many disciplines including a Shipowner, Ship Agent, Freight Forwarder and a Shipping Broker. Jose has hands-on experience of the supply chain, warehousing and distribution, surface transportation; and of the Tourism sector, he has founded metropolitan lines and touristic shipping lines, and managed the acquisition and merger of travel agencies groups. And currently is also dedicated to the Technology sector providing leading and innovative IT and Business Intelligence solutions to the Passenger Vessel Industry.
Jose also created his own Strategic Consulting Business which specialised in the approach and implementation of Strategic Management Processes (SMP), definition and restructuring of Strategic Business Units (SBU), and is Managing Director, Project Manager, and Chief Global Strategist - CGS for the maritime sector.
Carus Roles:
Carus Spain & Iberia Representative.
Carus Executive Consulting -appointed as Spain, Western Med and Latin America Representative & Senior Consultant for a new service that will deliver c-level consultancy services globally.
Areas of Expertise:
Maritime CEO & Senior Partner, Chairman
Chief Global Strategist - CGS
Chief Strategy Officer - CSO
Transport Advisor & Shipping Consultant
Managing Director
Interim & Project Management
Business Coaching & Mentoring
Anders RUNDBERG
Anders Rundberg is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carus PBS Ab Ltd, one of the leading providers of software and services for booking, check-in, port automation and onboard systems. Before founding Carus Anders worked more than a decade for the major Baltic Cruiseferry operator Viking Line. He has been involved in the ferry industry from early childhood and has hands-on experience from ferry operations as well as the information technology industry.
He is a Master of Business Economics from the Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland.
Ole-Kristian SIVERTSEN
Ole-Kristian Sivertsen represent EMC as Vice President of Strategic Business Development. He has 25 years of experience from the ITC industry, the last 15 years within Sales, Business Development and Senior Executive positions.
Ole served as SVP of Business Development and Sales at MCP (Telenor Group) from 2011 to 2015, whereafter he moved on as Head of Sales for EVRY, a company partly owned by Telenor, and the leading Nordic IT services provider and champion in driving corporate Digital Transformation.
Through his tenure with MCP, Sivertsen gained significant knowledge in areas of onboard revenue generation, onboard experience, mobile technology and business innovation for the Maritime segments. His additional experience from IT companies such as Alcatel, Citrix, EVRY, RES Software, Sun Microsystems and WM-data has provided a solid foundation for understanding the business potential of technologies and innovations such as Cloud Computing, SoLoMo, Big Data, Predictive Analytics, AI, Internet of Things and various "as a service" business models.
Bringing this knowledge to the Cruise and Ferry market in efforts to help customers not only solving the challenges of connectivity and Quality of Experience for Internet Services at sea, but also helping them navigate unchartered waters and unleashing the potential of the 4th Industrial Revolution - "The Internet of Everything" is a great passion for Ole.
As a Corporate Evangelist, Sivertsen also enjoys offering his vision, knowledge and strategies as an accomplished and dynamic speaker at cruise, ferry and maritime events and conferences. In his presentations, Ole shares real-life examples bringing ideas to life, delivering take-aways that immediately translate into action and powerful results.
Massimo SOPRANO
Marine Project Manager – Spirit of Tasmania
Massimo Soprano has extensive maritime industry experience in a range of operational, safety and personnel management roles.
Massimo spent the first 10 years of his career at sea as a ship’s Officer on tanker, dry-cargo and passenger ships. He subsequently moved to shore based management positions with some of the leading cruise lines both in Australia and in the USA. He was responsible for marine operations, safety, environment and security for P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises and Silversea Cruises.
In 2002 he was appointed to the Sydney Ferries Reform Task Force to manage the development and implementation of the safety and quality management system.
Before joining the maritime consultancy firm Thompson Clarke Shipping as a Director in 2006, he was the General Manager of ASP Crew Management Services and Operations Manager of ASP Ship Management. During this time he was also appointed as a Board Member of the Seafarers Retirement Fund (SRF).
In 2008 he joined Nakheel Asset Management in Dubai to oversee the development and implementation of the waterways management system at the coastal development of Palm Jumeirah.
He returned to Australia in 2010 to join TT-Line Company Pty Ltd the operator of Spirit of Tasmania as Marine Project Manager. In his current role Massimo has been responsible for planning and implementation of marine projects including the refurbishment of “Spirit of Tasmania I & II” which was completed in August 2015.
Massimo is a Master Mariner – Foreign Going and a Member of the Nautical Institute.
Janek STALMEISTER
Has studied international trade and economy at International University of Social Sciences in Tallinn. 1994-1997 worked in Ministry of Finance in Estonia, heading the government borrowings and external debt service. 1997-1999 portfolio manager, broker and CEO at an equity brokerage company. Career in passenger ferry company Tallink Grupp started in 1999. Initially in finance department in various positions, then Finance Director. From 2009 Board member, CFO being responsible for travel & duty free operations, Tallink Hotels, IT and finance. From the beginning of 2015 Chairman of the Management Board, CEO of AS Tallink Grupp.
Janek has been involved in many of the developments during his employment in Tallink. Implementation of group wide online reservation system in 2001-2003. Managing the Tallink Grupp international IPO of EUR 165m and the listing process in 2005. Acquisition of Silja Line in 2006. Financing arrangements for all Tallink Grupp investments of nearly EUR 1.5 billion. Renewal of onboard sales strategy and initiation of related developments. Initiating, planning and contracting the new EUR 230 million LNG ferry newbuilding for 2017.
Bo-Lennart THORBJÖRNSSON
After gaining a B. Sc. in Ba and Econ at Lund University , he joined Lion Ferry AB. He was Marketing Manager and International Passenger Manager for Lion Ferry’s five European routes and markets.
In 1981, he moved to DFDS Helsingborg as Line Manager and became after two years Managing Director of DFDS in Hamburg, Germany. Continuing with DFDS, at HQ Copenhagen, in 1984, he became Group Director and head of DFDS Seaways’ six European routes. In the year 2000, he was appointed CEO and Managing Director of DFDS Group Executive Board, again based in Copenhagen. BOLT CONSULTING, was founded in 2002 and fully owned by Bo-Lennart. With his European senior advisory team an important management adviser to the ferry shipping industry. Bo-Lennart has experience as chairman and board member of several European shipping and travel companies. Finally, Bo-Lennart is the co- founder and owner of the annual “Ferry Shipping Conference” onboard.
Henrik TIDBLAD
Started in shipping directly after military service back in 1995 as a water clerk (port agent) at local agency in Helsingborg working with mainly drycargo and coastal tankers. During this period I picked up studies and took a degree I business economy.
Ended up with Stena RoRo where I worked for 5 years with operation, charting and S&P. Was lured up to Norway by Fearnleys and worked as a Shipbroker with roro and car carries for 6 years in Oslo. Commenced in DFDS 1st November 2014 as Commercial Fleet Director, having the commercial responsibility for our vessel pool of abt 50 ships consisting of roro, ropax, day ferries, cruise ferries, container ships and sideport ships.
Victor VELTON
Victor Velton co-founded Versonix with an eye toward providing leading-edge reservation services for the world's largest ferry and cruise lines, resorts and transportation companies. As its system - Seaware - developed, Versonix pioneered the use of real-time Yield & Revenue Management capabilities to boost revenue for its global clients. With this patented technology, Versonix became a recognized leader in the cloud-based reservation system field. To this day, Versonix customers around the world report substantial improvement and operational efficiency following Seaware implementation. Prior to co-founding the company, Victor worked as a Systems Analyst for Salomon Brothers investment bank in New York City, and then as Director of Management Information Systems for Williams-Kuebelbeck & Associates, a financial, real estate, and management consultancy in California. With an initial background in computer science and applied mathematics, Victor went on to obtain an MBA from Santa Clara University in the heart of Silicon Valley.
Henrik WIDERSTÅHL
Henrik Widerståhl, Ports of Stockholm
Henrik Widerståhl is the Deputy Managing Director of Ports of Stockholm since 2006. Henrik graduated from Stockholm School of Economics in 1983 and has since held a number of senior management positions in different companies. Among them 14 years with Scandinavian Airlines, mainly in marketing, sales and product development. During this period he was based in Stockholm, Jeddah and London. After SAS, Henrik joined a management consultancy firm where he was responsible for a business unit, Strategy and Business development. Before joining the port Henrik Widerståhl worked as Vice President for Svenska Spel, a state owned gaming company.
Port business is now undergoing great changes. Growing volumes, bigger ships and sustainability are some of the factors that affect the future. That is why Henrik Widerståhl is highly involved in the port`s large construction projects where Ports of Stockholm invests in total eight hundred millions euros in three of the group´s ports.
Henrik, who lives in Stockholm, is married and has three children.
Anders ØRGÅRD
Chief Commercial Officer OSK-ShipTech
One of the leading marine consultancy companies in Denmark specialising in ferry design and interiors, maritime risk assessment, the Polar Code and green propulsion technologies.
In 2010 elected Secretary General of Danish Society for Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and recently recommended as fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects in London.
He holds a number of positions on international boards and committees, e.g. a member of DNV Ferry Committee and board member of Interferry, where he is active in the World Ferry Safety Committee and represents the organisation at IMO in London.
Anders Ørgård holds a master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.
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