SPEAKER PROFILES

Chief Business Officer – Bulk, Port of Roenne

Maja Felicia Bendtsen is a senior business development manager with experience from many years of business and product development in different industries. She has for many years been working on transformation of the energy sector from fossil energy to renewable energy, amongst others being project manager on EcoGrid EU, which was the largest Smart Grid project in EU with participation of every 10th household on the island of Bornholm. Latest she is the creator and leader of Bornholm Bunker Hub, a project where the partners Orsted, Haldor Topsoe, Ramboll, Bunker One, Bureau Veritas, Molslinjen, Wärtsilä and Port of Roenne are working on creating Port of Roenne and Bornholm as the green gas station for the +60.000 vessels, that every year pass close by Bornholm.

Global Account Manager, VT Group (Verenigde Tankrederij BV)

Claudia is a chemical engineer by education, but moved into the maritime world by coincidence appr 13 years ago whilst working at Emerson in the Analytical Department.
From that first moment, her love for the maritime industry has only grown, with a particular interest in bunkering and alternative fuels.
She started at Emerson with the business development of mass flow meters for bunkering and fuel consumption, where VT was one of her first customers.
After some years at Ampelmann and Wärtsilä, Claudia is back to where it all started and she is now working for the VT Group as Global Account Manager, looking after existing and new customers worldwide.
Her chemical engineering background and her experience in alternative fuels have given Claudia the perfect background to also drive the developments for bunkering of future fuels within VT. Since April 2023, she has also been elected as a IBIA Board member and participating in a number of workgroups.

Commercial Account Manager, Marine Masters

Wouter Breel is an expert on chemical tanker shipping, with over 35 years of experience across multiple aspects of the international chemical trades.

As Commercial Account Manager at Marine Masters, Wouter applies his expertise in market analysis, contract management, and project and general management to his role marketing Marine Masters across Europe, supporting project teams on the job, and obtaining competitively priced equipment to meet project requirements.

Prior to joining Marine Masters in 2021, Wouter earned operational, managerial and brokerage experience at some of the biggest names in chemical tanker shipping, most recently as Chartering and Operations Manager at North Sea Tankers.

Chief Mechanical Engineer, BMT

Chief Mechanical Engineer at BMT. A Fellow of the IMechE, he has over 39 years’ experience in marine engineering systems design.  He has designed and analysed hybrid power and propulsion systems for naval and commercial vessels and is currently involved with the modelling and analysis of marine energy saving technologies, and how they can improved energy efficiency indices.  He has been the technical lead for a wide range of technology studies and concept development work, specifically on studies relating to energy saving technologies and heat management systems.  He is currently looking at how absorption chiller plant can benefit the efficiency of ship’s air conditioning systems.

Environmental Director, Europe, World Shipping Council

James J. Corbett joined the World Shipping Council in 2021 and brings 25 years of university expertise in technology-policy decision support to his WSC role as Environmental Director, Europe. Before joining the World Shipping Council, Dr. Corbett was a lead author of three IMO studies of Greenhouse Gases from ships (2000, 2009, 2014), served on IMO expert steering committees, and supported development of effective national environmental policy for shipping. Working with the liner sector, containerships and vehicle carriers, the World Shipping Council supports the transition to a low carbon, resource efficient and inclusive economy by shaping the future growth of a sustainable, safe, and secure shipping industry.

Global Business Development Manager, Marine Four-Stroke, MAN Energy Solutions

With a university degree in Economics, Alexander has a background of 15 years in the energy and maritime industry. He did set up the Shell Marine LNG business in the D-A-CH countries and was chairing the German Maritime LNG advocacy platform.
Since 2019 he is the Global Business Development Manager at MAN Energy Solutions for the Four-Stroke Marine business unit. There he manages all external business development activities in the area of alternative marine fuels/propulsion. He is Chairman of the Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels Industrial Alliance, initiated by the EU Commission, and also represents MAN in Getting to Zero Coalition and Waterborne.

Business Partner Sustainability & Decarbonization, Stolt Tankers

Giorgio Guadagna is Business Partner in the Sustainability and Decarbonization team at Stolt Tankers in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Since joining the company in 2016, Giorgio has been involved in fleet retrofit projects, such as the installation of Ballast Water Management Systems and Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems, in various shipyards around the world.

In his current role of Business Partner, Giorgio focuses on the feasibility assessment of new technologies and alternative fuels onboard ships, with particular attention to their sustainability profile. Giorgio has represented Stolt Tankers at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping in Copenhagen, since early 2022.

Prior to Stolt Tankers, Giorgio worked for a few years in the Naval and Marine department of Bluewater Energy Services, in the Netherlands, an FPSO owner and operator.

Giorgio graduated in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in Genoa, Italy in 2011 and in International Finance in Amsterdam in 2022.

Global Market Leader of Gas Carriers and Tankers, Bureau Veritas

Since 2012, Carlos Guerrero has been Global Market Leader of Gas Carriers and Tankers for Bureau Veritas, based in the head office in Paris. Within his main roles at BV, he closely follows innovations in all types of gas carriers.

Before joining BV, Carlos was largely involved in shipbuilding activities in several Spanish shipyards, working in the production department, technical office, and, ultimately, in the commercial department.

Carlos holds an M.Sc. in Naval Architecture and Oceanic Engineering from the Technical University of Madrid, finalising his thesis in March 1998. He is a member of the Spanish College of Naval Architects.

Business Strategy Manager, Hydrogenious Maritime

Thorsten Halbreder has been working for more 20 years for a large Japanese Trading Company in several functions. Being a  founding member of an Environmental Business Unit he had represented his previous company in a number of Associations and Working Groups, increasingly focussing towards Hydrogen and PtX . In 2023 he changed to Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime as a Business Strategy Manager. Having a strong interest in decarbonisation topics, today his main area of activity is to plan and develop a hydrogen supply infrastructure using LOHC (Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier) for the Maritime Industry.

Marine LNG Business Development Manager, Shell

Christian Jones joined Shell’s Marine LNG Business Development team in 2021 with a focus on serving customers in the PCTC/Cruise segment globally.

Prior to this role Christian worked within various Operational leadership roles within Shell (2006-2021). Roles included Middle Distillate blender, Freight Ops lead and more recently was tasked with setting up the global Operations Marine LNG team.

Prior to Shell, Christian worked for Chevron Products Trading and Corus Steel.

VP – Commercial, Amogy

Mr Mazzilli has a degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris and more than 15 years of international leadership and commercial experience in the oil and gas industry. His background includes offshore & onshore drilling, product development, technical sales & business development, technical training, and management. Mr Mazzilli joined Amogy Norway in February 2023 as Vice President of Commercial leading the commercialization of Amogy’s technology in Norway and the rest of the EMEA region.

Decarbonisation Analyst, Lloyd’s Register’s Maritime Decarbonisation Hub

Charlie is researcher in the field of maritime decarbonisation, currently working in Lloyd Register’s Maritime Decarbonisation Hub. His research has mainly focused on enabling the transition to alternative shipping fuels, both in terms of the energy technology required to deploy them onboard ships and on first mover initiatives, such as the Silk Alliance green corridor. He has authored several publications on the topic including a report titled “Future of Maritime Fuels” in September 2023.

Head of Innovation and Partnerships, International Chamber of Shipping

He leads the innovation and partnership for decarbonisation work for the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). He developed and leads the Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEM-Hubs) initiative, a joint initiative between the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), ICS, and five governments under the Clean Energy Ministerial. The CEM-Hubs is a global public-private initiative to facilitate the production of low-carbon fuels at scale for shipping to transport and use.

Mr Mojarro is a former Advisory Board member of the initiative Partnering to Accelerate Sustainable Energy Innovation of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
He is a former Vice-Chair of the Committee for Energy Research and Technology (CERT) of the International Energy Agency.
He did his doctorate studies in SPRU and holds a MA in Industry and Innovation Analysis from this institution. His research interests are related to technological change/innovation and energy transitions, particularly on the relationship between 'infrastructure change' and new 'green fuels'. He has published in academic journals about the use of biofuels in oil firms, such as BP, Shell, Petrobras and Pemex.

Senior Investment Consultant, Royal HaskoningDHV 

Mr. Nijboer is a seasoned economist in the energy and maritime industry. Prior to joining Royal HaskoningDHV, he worked for 10 years in natural gas transmission and trading. At Royal HaskoningDHV he supports public and private clients in their investment decisions and policy development. As part of the Maritime Economics team, he focuses specifically on the intersection of maritime infrastructure and energy transition. He has been involved in numerous investment projects across the globe, including many renewable energy projects and port development. Mr. Nijboer coordinated the 2022 study for the European Sea Ports Organisation and European Federation of Inland Ports on the impact of energy transition on ports, which has been widely recognised as a valuable overview of current developments and the crucial role of ports in the changing energy landscape.

Chief EU Representative, Methanol Institute 

Matthías Ólafsson is has over 8 years of experience in business development and government affairs. He assumed his current role as Chief EU Representative of the global trade association of the methanol industry in July 2022, after having served as Manager of Government Affairs in Europe since December 2020. Prior to joining the Methanol Institute, Matthías held a commercial role at pioneering eMethanol producer Carbon Recycling International (CRI) where he led efforts aimed at expanding sales and marketing capabilities and developed markets and applications for renewable methanol. Matthías holds a degree from the Political Science Department of the University of Iceland.

CEO - Opportunity Green/Director – The SASHA Coalition

Senior Analyst – Global Shipping, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)

Dana Rodriguez is a Senior Analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund, working with the Global Shipping Team on the decarbonization of international shipping by engaging with innovation and policies to accelerate the transition of the shipping sector and deployment of zero-emission technologies.

Dana’s two areas of work encompass port and route-base solutions as well as shipping finance. She supports the climate and health team in expanding EDF’s port decarbonization work and works closely with the +Business team to merge EDF’s shipping and finance work. She is actively working on internal and external stakeholder engagement to expand EDF’s work, as well as leading a study on a multi-criteria analysis for the development of high impact first mover initiatives.

She holds an MA in Politics and Public Administration from The University of Konstanz in Germany and received her bachelor’s in International Relations from The University of Texas at Austin.

Director of Maritime, Ricardo

Tim Scarbrough is Director of Maritime at Ricardo. He has directed many high-profile techno-economic and policy studies for policymakers, such as the European Commission and the International Maritime Organization. He’s also worked with individual ports and shipping industry organisations on their journeys to reduce their environmental impacts. His clients value that his expertise comes from policy insights, strategy delivery, and implementation projects, drawing on cross-sectoral insights and an evidence-driven approach. He has expertise in low/zero carbon fuels, their production pathways, energy efficiency / emission abatement techniques, emission inventorying, life cycle assessment and the policies regulating the maritime sector. Above all, he’s passionate about decarbonising the maritime sector.

Commercial Director Marine, Titan

Michael Schaap is the Commercial Director Marine at Titan LNG B.V. and in that capacity responsible for the development of the marine and bunkering proposition for Titan LNG. 

In the past Michael has had various roles in the bunker industry, mainly involved on the commercial & trading activities for physical suppliers such as Shell Marine Products and Argos bunkering.

Actual bunkering experience has proven to be helpful to translate the needs of vessel owners and operators to a LNG bunkering supply proposition, resulting in several milestone projects and deliveries of LNG as a marine fuel. 

Michael has a degree from Nyenrode Business University.

Business Development Director – Marine, OCI Global

Barend van Schalkwyk is a business development director of marine at OCI HyFuels, based in Amsterdam. Barend joined OCI in 2021 and has been involved in various group infrastructure projects as well as being responsible for driving the development of green methanol as a marine fuel at OCI HyFuels. He has a background in infrastructure development and marine fuels trading. Barend holds a B.Com in Business Science from Stellenbosch University, South-Africa, 2008

Chief Executive Officer, Azane Fuel Solutions

Director of Environmental Regulatory and Public Affairs Group Commercial, Bunker Holding

Maria Skipper Schwenn recently joined Bunker Holding as Director of Environmental Regulatory and Public Affairs. Her primary tasks include securing Bunker Holding staying ahead of the curve in the transition to a low-carbon maritime industry. Before joining Bunker Holding Maria worked as Executive Director, Climate, Environment and Security at Danish Shipping for 13 years. She has been deeply involved in shaping the EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime regulations, served as advisor to the Danish IMO delegation and was a member of ICS Marine Committee and ECSA Safety and Environment Committee. In her current position, Maria has joined the Future Fuels Working Group of IBIA.

Maria holds a master’s degree in Political Science from University of Southern Denmark as well as a master’s degree in European Politics and Administration from the College of Europe, Belgium.

Co-Founder, Marine Masters

Captain Henk Smith is the Co-Founder of Marine Masters, an independent company providing expert services for the salvage, maritime and offshore energy sectors headquartered in The Netherlands. With over 25 years of experience in sea transportation (chemicals), salvage and offshore experience in a wide range of projects involving all aspects of salvage and offshore construction.

As a salvage expert himself, Henk manages and is actively involved in day-to-day operations at Marine Masters.

Henk is an experienced marine consultant for offshore heavy lifts, towage and transportations, with specific vessel experience with anchor handling, ocean going (salvage) tugs and supply vessels.

Prior to establishing Marine Masters, Henk gathered hands-on industry experience as a salvage master, project manager, operations manager and regional managing director at Smit Lamnalco alongside consultancy roles in the salvage and oil and gas sectors.

General Manager, Project Sales & Development, Wärtsilä

Toni Stojcevski is a professional within the area of marine engineering and business development. He has been working in various positions in Wärtsilä for 22 years and gained a broad experience in the marine industry, especially within the field of medium speed combustion engines and alternative fuels. In 2013 Toni graduated from the Executive MBA on the University of Gothenburg. After, in 2014-2016 Toni was responsible for the “Methanol development project” comprising of new product development, application and its market strategy, and the delivery and conversion of the four main engines onboard Stena Germanica which was the first ship in the world operating on methanol as a fuel and a starting point for the change in the marine industry while still leaving a trace of sustainability to the society in whole.

Currently Toni is working as General Manager Large Projects and is accountable for business development with focus on large projects in the marine industry in North Europe.