Bud Darr

Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group

An experienced global maritime leader in the areas of policy, government, and related law, Bud Darr is Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs of MSC Group which operates in 155 countries.
Having served in the US Navy, Merchant Marine, and Coast Guard, as well as being an accomplished ocean yacht racer, Bud’s longstanding connection with the sea and ships is both personal and professional.
Bud began his education in Submarine Nuclear Engineering and later obtained his formal undergraduate education at the US Merchant Marine Academy, where he was trained as a Deck Officer. During his service with the US Coast Guard, he studied law at the George Washington University Law School. He most recently led the Maritime Policy efforts of the Cruise Lines International Association prior to joining the MSC Group in 2017.
Today, Bud is engaged across MSC’s Cargo and Passenger divisions, developing the company’s central Government Affairs function, based at the Group’s headquarters in Geneva. He is closely involved in MSC’s response to developments in environmental public policy and regulation and other industry-wide issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, maritime security, safety at sea, and international shipping policy. He serves on the Boards for the UK Chamber of Shipping, BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping, Liberian Shipowners’ Council, and Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel.

Dallas D. Smith

Director of LNG & Offshore & General Manager of LISCR Houston, LISCR

Dallas Smith is the Director of LNG and Offshore for the Liberian Registry. He is also the General Manager of the Liberian Registry’s Houston’s office. Dallas leads the service delivery and brand management of the Registry within the LNG sector (to include newbuildings of LNG-as-fuel powered ships and LNG carriers), and Offshore sectors globally. In addition, he manages the Houston office by providing oversight of the Registry’s interface with regulatory, commercial, operational, and compliance of all vessel platforms.
Dallas joined the Liberian Registry after 20 years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. During his final 6 years in the Coast Guard, he ran the Coast Guard’s Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise. Where he was responsible for executing the USCG’s entire liquefied gas safety, security, and environmental compliance mission around the world. He holds an M.B.A. with honors from Liberty University, B.S. degrees with honors in Technology Management and Organizational Leadership from University of Houston, and an A.A.S. in Electronic Engineering from Thomas Edison State College.

Gavin Allwright

Secretary General, International Windship Association (IWSA)

Gavin Allwright is the Secretary General of the International Windship Association (IWSA). Established in 2014, this member driven not-for-profit is working to promote and facilitate the uptake of wind propulsion solutions in commercial shipping. Alongside his work as association secretary, he also leads the policy work stream, requiring regular attendance at IMO, EU and national government level meetings and sits on the stakeholders advisory committee for the MTCC network at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Gavin is also a non-executive board member for the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), a work package leader on the EU Interreg Wind Assist Ship Propulsion (WASP) and advisor on various shipping decarbonisation projects. He is also a regular guest lecturer at the UN World Maritime University (WMU) and holds a Masters degree in Sustainable Development, specialising in small scale sustainable shipping and logistics in developing countries and was an expert reviewer for the IPCC special report on 1.5C climate change.

Jacob Sterling

Head of Technical Innovation, A.P. Moller - Maersk

Jacob Sterling is Head of Technical Innovation in A.P. Moller-Maersk. The innovation is mainly focused on decarbonizing shipping – i.e. to enable that Maersk achieve its ambition of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. He is also serving as staff elected member to the Board of Directors of A.P. Moller-Maersk.
Jacob has worked in Maersk since 2009 and prior to his current role, he has been had leading roles within product management and sustainability. Before joining Maersk, Jacob worked as Conservation Director in WWF World Wide Fund for Nature, and he holds a master’s degree in biology.

Jason Miles

Chief Executive Officer, Quadrise Fuels

Jason spent the first twelve years of his career developing emulsified fuel projects as a Process Engineer for BP, and subsequently for PDVSA as Business Development Manager where he implemented numerous Orimulsion® power projects globally. Jason joined Quadrise in 2006 and now has some 25 years’ technical and commercial experience in the emulsion fuels industry. Jason is a chartered Chemical Engineer, with an honours degree in Chemical Engineering from Loughborough University, and has an Executive MBA from the Cass Business School in London.

Jill Stoneberg

Director - Social Impact & Sustainability, Virgin Voyages

Jill joined Virgin Voyages in 2018. As the Director of Sustainability and Social Impact, Jill is helping create an Epic Sea Change for All by leading the company’s sustainability strategy and programs. Jill holds an MBA in Sustainable Business and she is passionate about leveraging business as a force for good to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change, ocean health and sustainable development.

Lucienne Damm

Senior Environmental Manager, TUI Cruises

Lucienne Damm is a political scientist and working in the sustainable and environmental field for over 13 years. For over 9 years now, she is working as Senior Environmental Manager at TUI Cruises, a German premium cruise line operator. Among others, she is responsible for the company’s environmental strategy & supporting projects, environmental management systems (ISO 140001) and reporting processes. She is involved in TUI Cruises new build projects, always looking for sustainability innovations.
Since 2015, Lucienne is Vice Chairwoman of Futouris e.V. and member of the Sustainability Committee of DRV (German Travel Association).
Her former positions included a Research position at the Research Centre for Environmental Policy in Berlin and a position as Policy Officer for Transport at NABU e.V. in Berlin, one of Germany’s largest nature and biodiversity conservation NGO.

Regina Asariotis

Chief, Policy and Legislation Section TLB, Division on Technology and Logistics, UNCTAD

Regina Asariotis is Chief of the Policy and Legislation Section in the Division on Technology and Logistics of UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, where she is responsible for the Secretariat’s mandated work in the field of transport law and policy, including research and analysis, technical cooperation and intergovernmental policy dialogue and negotiations. Substantive areas of work cover a broad range, including international trade and transport law, maritime security, marine environmental law and policy, as well as the implications of climate change for transportation (see https://unctad.org/ttl/legal and https://unctad.org/topic/transport-and-trade-logistics/climate-change-and-maritime-transport).
Before joining UNCTAD in 2001, Regina Asariotis was a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Southampton, and member of the Governing Board of the University's Institute of Maritime Law (IML), where she taught international maritime and trade law for more than 10 years, including as part of the IML’s programme for practitioners in the field of transport and trade. She holds a law degree from the University of Augsburg, an LL.M from the University of Southampton and a Dr. jur. from the University of Hamburg and is a practising Barrister (England & Wales) and Attorney at Law (Greece), as well as Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).
Regina Asariotis has authored and co-authored numerous publications in the field of international maritime and trade law and was a specialist editor of the Journal of International Maritime Law until 2017. She is a visiting professor at the University of Geneva and the University of the Basque country and continues to be involved in the design and delivery of courses for professionals, including on behalf of the Swiss Trading and Shipping Association.

Roger Strevens

VP, Global Sustainability, Wallenius Wilhelmsen

Environmental industrialist, sustainability native. As VP, Global Sustainability at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Roger engages with its diverse array of external sustainability stakeholders as well as its corporate functions. The over-arching objective is the same for all; to advance the sustainability agenda, while creating mutual value.
His responsibilities range from representing the Group’s interests in maritime environmental policy, to driving sustainability collaborations with industry partners, customers and innovators. He works to build a ‘Lean:Green’ sustainability culture in the Group, and also ensures financial stakeholders’ evolving needs are met, including through the Group’s reporting activities.
Roger is the Chair of the Irish Norwegian Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the Ocean Exchange, a forum for acceleration sustainable innovation, a steering committee member of the Ship Recycling Transparency initiative and a Member of the SASB Standards Advisory Board for marine transportation.
Before starting his current role in 2017, Roger was VP of one the commercial divisions of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, having been VP, Environment for three years before that. He holds a mechanical and manufacturing engineering degree from the University of Dublin, Trinity College.

Captain Wolfram Guntermann

Director Regulatory Affairs, Hapag-Lloyd AG

Captain Wolfram Guntermann graduated with his Masters License at the Marine Polytechnic Elfleth/Germany in combination with a scholarship at the Plymouth Polytechnic of Marine Science. He also received his Engineers License at the Hamburg Polytechnic in order to serve as Ship Operation Officer holding a dual license.
After having set his feet for the first time on deck a vessel in 1979 he went through the ranks receiving his first command as Master in 1996. He also took various assignments ashore as Trio Tonnage Center London and Director Marine Operations in the Hapag-Lloyd America Office in Piscataway/New Jersey for almost nine years. Upon repatriation to the Hamburg based Headquarters he worked as Director Projects ( Passenger Vessel MV Europa 2 ).
With the current function as Director Regulatory Affairs a lot of challenging opportunities are emerging in light of new environmental legislation and initiatives.

Bernard Vanheule

EU Affairs Director, Costa Group

He started his career as trainee in 1995 at the EU Council and at the European Parliament (Grant ”Robert Schuman”) after. He joined later the shipmanagement company Trimar (Luxembourg) as qualified lawyer before joining in 2002 the Cabinet of Belgian Minister for the Environment as marine attaché. In 2004 he was appointed Senior Legal Officer of the Royal Belgian Shipowners’Association.
As from 2019 he joined the European cruise leader Costa Group where he holds the position of EU Affairs Director. As such his main fields of competence are shipping and coastal tourism.
Mr Bernard VANHEULE (1970) graduated in Law at the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium) in 1994 and in Sea-Use Law with “Summa Cum Laude” from the Université de Bretagne Occidentale (France) in 1996. He has been Guest Lecturer at the UN International Maritime Law Institute for numerous years.

Wassim Daoud

Head of sustainability and CSR, PONANT

Dr.Wassim DAOUD is the head of CSR and sustainability at PONANT cruise company. In his role, Wassim leads a global team that oversees the PONANT Sustainable Impact strategy and programs that focus on making a positive, lasting impact on the planet, people, and the communities that company serves. Wassim brings 20 years of experience in a variety of sustainability roles. Under his leadership PONANT has been classified as the most sustainable cruise company by the NGO NABU in 2019.

Linden Coppell

Director of Sustainability, MSC Cruises

As Director of Sustainability, Linden aims to ensure that MSC Cruises grows in a sustainable way. In this role, Linden works in collaboration with numerous internal and external partners. She established the Executive Chairman-led Sustainable Advisory Board, responsible for approving actions to meet the sustainability goals of the business and ensuring sustainability is embedded across the entire organisation.
Linden has a solid background in environmental protection and sustainability, with experience both as a consultant and in the corporate environment. As a consultant this included working on many diverse projects in Hong Kong and the South East Asia region, including the implementation of environmental management systems and developing environmental and sustainability reporting regimes for government and non-government clients.
She joined Cathay Pacific as the Manager Environmental Affairs in 2003 and in 2009 took up a position at Etihad Airways, initially as Head of Environment and then as Head of Sustainability for the Etihad Aviation Group.
Linden led several successful projects including instigating the voluntary carbon offset program ‘Fly Greener’ at Cathay Pacific and leading the drive towards sustainable alternative fuels at Etihad. The latter including facilitating the longest flight using alternative fuels into the Middle East in 2014 and then enabling a flight powered using sustainable biomass grown and refined into jet fuel in the UAE, a first for the region.

Christoph Schlador

Vice President Decarbonisation, Carnival Maritime

Christoph Schladör is the Vice President of the newly founded Decarbonisation Unit of the COSTA Group. In his role, Mr. Schladör is leading the efforts and projects to achieve the climate neutral operation of the Costa Group Fleet, comprised by the two brands: Costa Crociere, based in Genova, Italy, and the German AIDA Cruises, based in Rostock.
Being a Marine Mechanical Engineer by education, Mr. Schladör has a vast experience both in scientific research and field work with scrubber systems at the Hamburg University of Technology as well as extensive knowledge and experience on machinery design at the Flensburger shipyard (FSG).
In 2015 Mr. Schladör joined Carnival Maritime, the marine service unit for the Costa Group, located in Hamburg. With the target of operating a greenhouse gas neutral fleet as soon as technology allows, Carnival Maritime has established a new center of excellence with Mr. Schladör as the lead, with the specific mandate to support the company by defining and executing the decarbonization strategy and its associated multidimensional technological challenges.The dedicated Decarbonisation unit combines R&D work with energy management and data analytics.

Melissa Williams

Vice President, Marine Sectors and Decarbonisation, Shell

Melissa Williams is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana who holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master’s degree in Business Administration. She is married to Terence and they have three children.
Melissa was appointed Vice President Marine Sectors and Decarbonisation in 2021. Previously, she was the Global Sales & Marketing manager for the marine fuel sales and marketing business in Trading. She has played a key role in Shell to prepare for IMO 2020 fuel specification change.
Prior to this role, Melissa was the Enterprise Optimization manager for Motiva (JV between Shell and Saudi Aramco) where she ensured the assets were maximizing margin. She also led the development of Motiva’s trading organization. Melissa has had several Economics and Scheduling roles at Shell Deer Park, Convent refineries as well as the Crude and Feedstock manager for Motiva during the start-up of North America’s largest refinery, Port Arthur. In addition, she was also the rotating equipment engineer at Deer Park refinery supporting Lubricants and Logistics units.
Prior to joining Shell/Motiva, Melissa worked for McNeil Consumer Products Company (manufacturer of Tylenol) and she also supported NASA’s International Space Station (ISS) as a flight controller.
She has over 20 years of professional experience in the pharmaceutical, aeronautical, and oil industries.

Greg Dolan

Chief Executive Officer, Methanol Institute

Greg Dolan has held a variety of senior management positions with the Methanol Institute over the past 26 years, serving as CEO for the past decade. Mr. Dolan manages MI’s offices in Washington, Singapore, Brussels, Beijing, and Delhi, while directing international governmental relations, media relations, public education, and outreach efforts. He has presented papers on methanol-related topics at more than 100 international conferences, authored magazine articles, and written book chapters on the methanol industry. Mr. Dolan came to MI after spending a decade in a variety of public information positions in New York State, with the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Energy Research and Development Authority, and the Department of Transportation. Mr. Dolan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Boston University, and did extensive post graduate work in Political Communication at the State University of New York-Albany.

Iraklis Kyriakou

Chemical/Environmental Officer, Alberta Ship Management

Dr Iraklis Kyriakou is the Chemical / Environmental Officer of Alberta Shipmanagement Ltd.
His academic career initiated with a Bachelor Degree in Chemistry from the University of Patras, which was followed by a Master Degree in "Analytical Chemistry and Nanotechnology" and was crowned by the acquisition of a PhD in modern Analytical Methods. He has published papers in highly reputable scientific journals, participated in many international conferences and authored articles on fuel-related topics.
Being a Chemist by education, enables him to show a scientific approach for overcoming obstacles, while his involvement in Newbuilding Projects supervision at Japanese shipyards, has gained him field work experience and problem-solving attitude. Iraklis’ area of activities covers a wide range of chemical and environmental applications related to the shipping industry, including compliance with European and International regulations, implementation of emission reducing technologies, as well as waste management monitoring. In his role in the Technical Department, he has contributed in preparing the company for the IMO 2020 fuel specification change and also aimed to achieve fleet performance improvements in day-to-day ship operations.
He is an advocate of the necessity for a true shift to a sustainable and carbon-neutral shipping industry, which not only requires innovative technical solutions but also a shift in the mindsets of policy-makers. He is dedicated on making a positive, lasting impact on the planet, the people, and the communities that his actions affect.

Mike Guggenheimer

President & CEO, RSC Bio Solutions

Mike joined the Blumenthal family of businesses in 2008 and currently serves as President and CEO of Blumenthal Holdings. He oversees daily operations of its three portfolio companies; Blumenthal Brands Integrated (BBI), Blumenthal Business Services (BBS), and RSC BIO Solutions. Mike initiated the company’s move into industrial biotechnology with a 2012 investment in Terresolve Technologies, an entrepreneurial green tech company with a record of lubricant accomplishment dating back to the 1980’s. The RSC Bio Solutions platform has developed into a global leader in performance environmental lubricants and cleaners branded as FUTERRA and ENVIROLOGIC with a unique focus on marine applications. BBI is a globally respected specialty chemical products company, best known for the development of innovative products for tradesmen and DIYers under the iconic GUNK and Liquid Wrench brands.
Prior to joining Blumenthal Holdings, Guggenheimer was an operating partner for Blackstreet Capital Management, a private equity group that focused on control buyouts of under- performing corporate orphans. He also held a variety of general management positions for Milliken & Company, from manufacturing management to strategic business development.
Guggenheimer holds a B.A. in psychology from Davidson College and an M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Ralf Diemer

Managing Director, eFuel Alliance

Ralf Diemer is Managing Director of the eFuel Alliance e.V. based in Berlin and Brussels. During his law degree in Tuebingen, he worked in the Baden-Wuerttemberg state parliament and in the European Parliament. He then started his professional career in Berlin as an Office Manager in the German parliament. After moving to the German Association of the Automotive Industry, he headed the Brussels branch there for ten years and then the department for Economic, Trade and Climate Protection Policy in Berlin. He was involved in numerous legislative processes on a national and European level, with a focus on climate, environmental and trade policy. Political interest and involvement in politics have always been of central importance to him. Ralf Diemer is Director at the consulting company von Beust & Coll. Beratungsgesellschaft.

Berit Hinnemann

Head of Decarbonisation Business Development, Maersk

Berit Hinnemann currently works as the Head of Decarbonisation Business Development for Maersk, where she and her team develop the supply of the green fuels for Maersk’s decarbonization plans, especially the supply of green methanol for the announced container vessels going into operation from 2023 onwards.
Berit Hinnemann graduated with an M.Sc. in Physics from the University Duisburg-Essen in 2000 and with a Ph.D. in Physics (catalysis) from the Technical University of Denmark in 2004.
After postdoctoral positions in academic research at the Technical University of Denmark and at Princeton University, she joined Haldor Topsoe in 2006. She worked for Haldor Topsoe from 2006-2020 in roles in research and development, business development, technology scouting and the last 3 years as Head of Global Intelligence in Corporate Strategy.
In April 2020, Berit joined Maersk as Senior Innovation Project Manager within Maersk’s Future Fuels program. When Maersk established a dedicated Decarbonisation team in March 2021, Berit took up her current position as Head of Decarbonisation Business Development, developing green fuel supply and driving engagement with green fuels project developers and suppliers.

Frederic Bouthillier

Head of Sustainable Shipping, Vertis Environmental Finance

Combining more than 25 years of experience in the shipping industry worldwide, Frederic has worked as Chartering/Commercial Manager for important industry players such as Exmar, Bocimar and Wah-Kwong Maritime. Frederic is also a founding member of the Antwerp Chartering Club.
With his hands-on experience within the industry, Frederic is placed in a privileged position to understand the challenges faced by vessel owners and operators when it comes to environmental legislation. As Head of Sustainable Shipping for Vertis, Frederic has helped multiple actors to prepare for environmental compliance under the EU ETS as well as to set up voluntary emission reduction programs to tackle their emissions.

Bernadett Papp

Head of Research & Analysis, Vertis Environmental Finance

Bernatett graduated from the university ELTE in Budapest and did her MBA at the University Jean Moulin 3 Lyon 3. For more than five years she worked for the investment arm of Erste Bank as equity research analyst and covered mainly companies from the energy sector. She later joined Vertis where she has developed her career for 10 years and now holds the Head of Research & Analysis position.
Bernadett is responsible for research and analysis of the carbon and renewable energy markets, developing reports and other research materials to support the market participants in their decision-making process. She also collaborates with several media of the environmental finance scope as an expert on the European Trading System (ETS).

Captain Walter Purio

Captain Walter P. Purio is a Director of the Pilbara Port Authority in Australia and is the Managing Director of P and H Marine Australasia Pty Ltd. and currently assists resource companies, financial institutions, shipping companies and their boards and executive teams to develop maritime strategies to provide LNG and sustainable marine fuel to their regions. He was the inaugural CEO and is a Founder, and Founding Director of the non profit LNG Marine Fuel Institute. In 2021 Captain Purio was elected Chair of the Asia Pacific committee for the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel, a non governmental organisation with consultative status to the UN’s International Maritime Organisation. He serves as the Chair of Governors for the non profit Leeuwin Ocean Adventures Foundation, which provides at sea team building, collaborative learning and personal development onboard the sail training vessel Leeuwin for the youth of Western Australia.
Captain Purio speaks globally and advocates for LNG, renewable and sustainable marine fuels by engaging stakeholders and the broader global community in support of maritime energy awareness and sustainability delivered though the aspirational framework of purpose, a noble cause, to work for something greater than self to increase the carrying capacity of the planet.
Captain Purio is a Co-Founder and was Chairman of QuayChain PTE LTD, a Singapore registered company wholly owned by RISE-x.io, an Australian digital technology innovator providing LNG, renewable and traditional fuel blockchain bunkering solutions to the global marine fuel industry, serves as the Executive Chairman of Rise-x Pty Ltd. and is a non-executive Director of ADP clear PTE LTD in Singapore.
Captain Purio is currently a non executive director of CleanSubSea Ltd, the owner of ENVIROCART, a Western Australia designed, patented and manufactured in-water invasive marine species full clean, filter, capture and containment hull cleaning solution that supports the United Nation’s International Maritime Organisation alongside several UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Captain Purio served on the Board of Directors of OSI Geospatial Pty. Ltd., a publicly listed Canadian company from 1999 until 2011, at which time he assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer in 2011. Traded on the TSX, OSI specialised in the development and implementation of ECDIS (Electronic Chart and Data Information Systems) and Warfare ECDIS on both commercial and military units, including ships and small boats of the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, the US Navy, USCG, Chilean and Brazilian Navies, Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard, Danish Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy and several other NATO fleet naval assets.
Given his background, personal and professional international network and experience, Captain Purio brings his unique managerial skill set, insight and experience to the operational development and team building of small, medium and large privately held and medium to large publicly traded companies in the oil and gas, mining, shipping and marine logistic industry businesses.
Captain Purio is a seasoned marine and maritime industry executive who has worked across several affiliated disciplines including commercial shipping, marine finance, marine compliance, naval operations, offshoring, bunkering, oil and gas and mineral resources industry. He is a Master Mariner Class 1, holds a BSc degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point and MBA’s from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium.
Captain Purio is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a long-standing member of the New York Yacht Club and the Army and Navy Club of Washington D.C. He enjoys writing, historical non fiction, walking and sailing.
Captain Purio is married to Fern Elisabeth Purio (née Bailey), and is blessed with six children and eight grandchildren in Australia and the United States.

Domagoj Baresic

Research Associate, UCL Energy Institute

Dr Domagoj Baresic is a Research Associate at the University College London (UCL) Energy Institute. Domagoj uses mixed research methods to explore the nature of fuel transition pathways necessary to reach a low carbon shipping future. His research interests span policy, political economy, and socio-technical transitions. He has been involved in multiple projects exploring the role of policy and geography in shaping low carbon fuel transition in shipping. He developed the MarSTF conceptual framework with the aim of making sustainability transitions literature more empirically suitable for the study of fuel transitions in shipping. Domagoj holds a PhD in Energy and Transport from UCL. In addition to his PhD, he also holds an MPhil in Environmental Policy and MA(Cantab) in Natural Sciences, both from the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining UCL, Domagoj worked for several years in the private sector as an analyst looking at policy and financial drivers shaping global energy markets and emission trading schemes.