SPEAKER PROFILES

Alternative Marine Fuels Reporter, Argus Media

Hussein is a Marine Fuels Reporter at Argus Media covering conventional and alternative bunker fuel markets across Europe and Africa. He is responsible for the launch of recent marine biodiesel spot price assessments and contributes to price assessments, news and analysis for Europe and Africa

Director, Drones Maritime 

Iván is a professional with extensive experience in technology and programming, ranging from management software to video games.

He has 8 years experience in the industrial drones sector. Since September 2022, he has been the General Director of Drones Maritime.

Professional Experience

• General Manager, Drones Maritime (Sep 2022 - Present)
• Northern Zone Director, Aeromedia (Feb 2021 - Sep 2022)
• CTO, Roxu Drone Division (Mar 2020 - Feb 2021)
• CEO, Red Farm Games S.L. (Roxu Drone Division) (Jan 2016 - Mar 2020)
• CEO, Zinco S.L. Image Consulting (May 2003 - Dec 2018)
• Northwest Zone Manager, Vía Postal S.A. (Jan 2003 - May 2003)
• Northwest Zone Manager, Agencia L. (Jun 1998 - Jan 2003)
• CEO, Servicios Postales del Cantábrico S.L. (Jun 1998 - Jan 2004)
• Office Machines Division Head, Igrafo (Jun 1996 - Jun 1998)
• Freelance Programmer (Jan 1990 - Jun 1996)
  
  

Secretary General, International Windship Association (IWSA)

Gavin Allwright is the Secretary General of the International Windship Association (IWSA). Established in 2014, this not-for-profit has grown to 130+ members from across the shipping industry and 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 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

CEO & Founder, Petrospot Ltd 

Llewellyn has worked in bunkering, oil and shipping since 1980, as journalist and broker, in London and New York, working for Argus, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, Eperon Petroleum, Albion Oil and Energy Information. He joined MRC in Oxford to launch BunkerNews, before establishing Petrospot in 2003 to publish Bunkerspot magazine, news and pricing services, and highly-respected bunker and shipping books.

He has created and run globally-recognised events in 25 countries around the world, including Maritime Week Americas, ARACON, London International Shipping Week and European Shipping Week, and runs internationally-renowned training programmes, including the Oxford Bunker Course and BunkerExperience.

Director, C4Fuel

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.

President of CMC and President of ASTICAN

Business & Management Degree ( ICADE ) , European Business and Consulting Postgraduate Degree ( ESCP-EAP ), Spanish Port Law Specialisation Course ( IE ), Data Technology Specialisation Course ( IE ), Senior Management Programme Course ( Fundación Bravo Murillo ).

Partner and Managing Director in an International Shipping Group ( Greek & Spanish shareholding ) named ALIMIA. Chairman in Astilleros Canarios ( ASTICAN ), Astilleros de Santander ( ASTANDER ), Astilleros de Balboa ( ASTIBAL) and Delta Star Inversiones – Parent Spanish Company in Christophersen Group.

ASTICAN, ASTANDER and Delta Star Inversiones are the three Spanish Companies in Alimia Group focused on Maritime Industry and Port Operations with investments in Spain and Latin America.  Alimia Group has its headquarters in Chipre.

Nowadays, our Group has become the biggest private company of shipyards in Spain, exclusively focused on shiprepairs and conversión in the Canary Islands, Cantabria and the Panama Canal.

Likewise, Delta Star Inversiones holds the majority of the main Port Operator in Uruguay – Christophersen Group.

Outside Spain, Alimia Group has its commercial management and technical control based in Greece for the whole shipping activity.

Germán C. Suárez , among other responsabilities within and outside the maritime sector, is Partner and CEO of the family office “ Germán Suárez Investments”, co-Chair in the stevedoring company “ Boluda&Suárez General Cargo”, CEO in several data companies “INERZA”, “CONTACTEL” and “INETEL TECHNOLOGIES”, Member of Executive Board and Managing Board in the Confederación Canaria de Empresarios, Member in the Circulo de Empresarios de Gran Canaria, Member in the  Asociación Española de Directivos in the Canary Islands and Member in the European Shipyard Business Asociation & Maritime Technology “ Sea Europe”.

https://www.clustermc.es/

President of the Port Authority of Las Palmas 

Beatriz Calzada (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1972) holds a degree in Law from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

In 1999, she was elected as a councilor for the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, where she managed the Youth area.

In 2015, she was appointed CEO of the public company Gesplan S.A. (Management and Planning of Territorial and Environmental Affairs) by the Government of the Canary Islands.

Later, in 2019, she was elected as a deputy in the Parliament of the Canary Islands for the regional constituency, where she also served as the spokesperson for the Nationalist Group in Education and Territorial Planning.

In her professional career as a lawyer, she has carried out legal assistance work in municipal, insular, and regional urban planning initiatives, planning and land management, as well as drafting reports for the Cotmac (Commission for Territorial and Environmental Planning of the Canary Islands), and has written municipal, insular, and territorial plans.

She is currently the President of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, a position she has held since June 2023.

Project Manager – EMEA Region, RINA Marine Consulting

Naval Architect and Marine Engineer by education, she graduated in 2020 at the Universita’ degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II” with a Master Thesis focusing on methanol and hybrid propulsion systems. She joins RINA Rotterdam in 2021 as plan approval engineer and from late 2021 covering the position of Project Engineer in RINA Consulting, where she gains expertise of risk assessment with battery systems and alternative fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. In 2022 she is Project Manager for the same company, coordinating several type of projects and client relationship responsible, she joins the IACS Safety and Decarbonization Panel as Secretary for the activities coordination.From 2024 she is currently Program Manager for Ship's Retrofits in RINA Consulting.

Marine Fuel Solutions, CEPSA

Paco was born in Tenerife, Spain, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business with a double major in Management and Marketing from Western Illinois University, as well as a Program for Management Development from IESE Business School. He has dedicated 28 years to Cepsa, with roles in both the Chemical business and Marine Fuel Solutions. In the Chemical division, Paco focused on Commercial, Strategy, and Development, and later led the Commercial department in Marine Fuel Solutions. He currently works and resides in Madrid.

Technical Consultant, Lecturer and Author

Nigel Draffin has been involved in shipping for over 50 years and in bunkering for over 25 years. He joined Shell Tankers in 1966, serving on all classes of vessel, including VLCCs and LNG tankers. In 1979, he joined the newbuilding department of Shell International Marine and later transferred to Shell’s R&D unit, specialising in control systems, fuel combustion and safety systems.

In 1986, Nigel moved to the commercial department as a bunker buyer and economics analyst, two years later becoming Head of Operational Economics, responsible for all of the fuel purchased for the Shell fleet. In 1996, he joined E. A. Gibson Shipbrokers which, in 2006, merged with US-based broking house LQM Petroleum Services, where he was Senior Broker and Technical Manager. He retired from LQM in July 2015.

Nigel is a founder member of IBIA, serving several times on its council of management, the board and as its Chairman.  Nigel has written 10 books on bunkering, shipping and marine lubes published by Petrospot, and is Director of the Petrospot Academy. Nigel is a member of IMarEST and Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Fuellers.

Managing Director, Dynamic Fuels

VERONICA DUCOURÉ has 7-year maritime experience as tanker and bunker operator in Las Palmas port. Nowadays, Managing Director for Dynamic Fuel, back to back bunker trading company based in Las Palmas belonging to Transcoma Group, specialised in offsore market, rigs, supply vessels, and drillships.

Partner, Furstenberg Maritime Advisory

Sofia founded FMA in 2017, which today is a specialised consultancy focused towards holistic sustainability strategies for progressive maritime stakeholders, as well as a leading analyst house related to the maritime energy transition. Located in Sweden, FMA is a supporting member of the Nordic Roadmap; a Nordic Council green corridor project, as well as of the Getting To Zero Coalition, and FMA collaborates in various focus groups at the International Bunker Industry Assocation (IBIA) as well as with the Ammonia Energy Association (AEA). Sofia has previously lead innovation programmes at Maersk, developed pioneering exhibitions and conferences for Nor-Shipping, and advised shipowners on greener solutions, with DNV. She has close to 20 years experience in the shipping industry, having worked and lived in Oslo, Singapore and Copenhagen. She is immediate past Board Member of WISTA International. She has a background as Chemical Engineer from Lund Institute of Technology, Executive Diploma from Haas Business School, Berkeley, California, and an Executive MBA in Shipping & Logistics from Copenhagen Business School.

Head of Sales (EMEA), Minerva Bunkering

Vice-Minister of Economy and Internationalisation, Government of the Canary Islands

Mr. Gustavo González de Vega is currently Vice Minister of Economy and Internationalization. Ministry of Economy, Industry, Commerce and Self-Employed of the Government of the Canary Islands. In addition, he holds positions such as President of SODECAN (Society for Economic Development of the Canary Islands), Vice President of PROEXCA (Society for Foreign Promotion of the Canary Islands), and member of the Board of Directors of the ZEC (Canary Islands Special Zone).

As academic merits, he stands out that he has a Law Degree from the University of La Laguna, holds an International Master's Degree in Maritime Port Administration from the Menéndez Pelayo University and is a career civil servant, General Administration Technician A1. Legal Branch. He assumed his current responsibility after a brilliant professional career as Coordinator of the Tenerife Innovation Master Plan at the Tenerife Island Council. Before joining the Vice-Ministry, he was a Foreign Action Technician, Delegate of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administrations and President of the Executive Committee, in the Tenerife Free Trade Zone, General Director of tax, budgetary, heritage and contracting management, in the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, General Coordinator of Central Services and General Director of the Treasury. In 2005 he was Technical Coordinator of European Affairs.

Previously, as international positions, he was President of the Association of Free Trade Zones of the Americas, as well as a founding member of the Global Alliance of Special Economic Zones sponsored by UNCTAD – United Nations Organization (UN).

Trader, Addax Energy

CEO, PLOCAN

José Joaquín Hernández-Brito, nacido en 1961 en la isla de La Palma, es Doctor en Ciencias Químicas (1986) por la Universidad de La Laguna. Ha sido profesor de la Facultad de Ciencias del Mar de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, desde el año 1983.

Ha desempeñados diversas responsabilidades de gestión de la I+D+I, en la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, tales como Decano de la Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Director de la Oficina de Transferencia de Resultados de Investigación (OTRI), Director del Parque Científico Tecnológico y Vicerrector de Investigación. Asimismo, ha sido Director del Instituto Canario de Ciencias Marinas, Gerente de la Fundación Canaria de Investigación y Salud y Director de Innovación del Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias.

Del 2009 al 2019, en la ICTS PLOCAN (Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias), ocupó en primer lugar el puesto de Gerente y posteriormente, el de Responsable del desarrollo de las infraestructuras, servicios y proyectos. En 2019, fue nombrado Director de AIR CENTRE, puesto que ocupó hasta su nombramiento como Director de PLOCAN (enero 2020).

José Joaquín Hernández-Brito, born in 1961 on the island of La Palma, holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences (1986) from the University of La Laguna. He has been a professor at the Faculty of Marine Sciences at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria since 1983.

He has held various management positions in R&D&I at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, including Dean of the Faculty of Marine Sciences, Director of the Office of Transfer of Research Results (OTRI), Director of the Science and Technology Park, and Vice-Rector for Research. Additionally, he has served as Director of the Canary Islands Institute of Marine Sciences, Manager of the Canary Islands Foundation for Research and Health, and Director of Innovation at the Canary Islands Technological Institute.

From 2009 to 2019, at ICTS PLOCAN (Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands), he first held the position of Manager and later was responsible for the development of infrastructures, services, and projects. In 2019, he was appointed Director of the AIR CENTRE, a position he held until his appointment as Director of PLOCAN in January 2020.

Sales & Marketing Manager/Commercial, Autoridad Portuaria de S.C. de Tenerife

As a Commercial and Business Developer at the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Miguel Ángel strategize and execute commercial and marketing activities aligned with the organization's mission and vision. He oversees marketing and communication efforts for key business areas, such as bunkering, ship repair, and cargo traffic, utilizing his expertise in Communications, B2C and Digital Marketing to drive growth and development for the Tenerife economy.

Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and having lived in different countries, Miguel Ángel brings a diverse cultural and distinctive perspective to the maritime industry, enriched by unique insights.

Recently graduating from The Oxford Bunkering Course by Petrospot, he is equipped with the latest knowledge and insights in bunkering practices, empowering him to innovate and drive progress within the field. With over a decade of experience in marketing and sales across various sectors including advertising, automotive, and cybersecurity, Miguel Ángel's passion lies in showcasing the value and potential of Ports of Tenerife.

Executive Office of the President, Kenya

Mrs. Karigithu is Kenya’s Special Envoy and Advisor for Maritime and Blue Economy, Office of the President under the Oceans & Blue Economy Office. She has a working experience of 39 years, 35 of which have been in the maritime industry. She set up Kenya’s State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs, becoming its first Principal Secretary.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Nairobi and a master’s degree in international maritime law from the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMO-IMLI), Malta. Her work experience includes a nine-year stint as the first Director General (DG) of Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA). She served as Chair of the IMO Technical Cooperation Committee for three (3) terms and currently sits on the Board of Governors for the IMO-IMLI. She has until recently, served on the Board of Governors for the World Maritime University (WMU).

Between 2004 and 2005, she served as the Maritime Transport Expert for the African Union, engaged in and advising governments in Africa on setting up and strengthening independent maritime administrations.

A staunch supporter of gender diversity in the maritime industry, she played a key role in the setting up and launch of the Association of Women in the Maritime Sector in Eastern & Southern Africa (WOMESA) bringing together 24 countries in the region.

In 2018 she was recognized as a Lifetime Achiever by the Global CEO, African Chapter and as the African Union Woman of the Year (for her contribution to the development of Africa’s Blue Economy). She is also a recipient of an Honorary Fellowship from the World Maritime University in 2019.

In recognition of her role of advocating for seafarers’ rights and welfare, she was appointed the International Seafarers Welfare Assistance Network (ISWAN) Sea Ambassador - Kenya, in February 2024.

President, Atlantic Maritime Emergency Association

Counsel, Watson Farley & Williams LLP

Valentina is Counsel at Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), based at the firm’s London office.

Valentina’s practice focusses on a broad range of environment, health and safety and decarbonisation advice (including on impact of maritime decarbonisation laws such as CII, EEXI, MARPOL, EU ETS, and FEMREG), defending against environmental prosecutions and health and safety actions, carbon trading contracts, nature-based solutions projects and non-financial reporting. 

She also specialises in providing stand-alone regulatory advice to companies on management and apportionment of environmental risk in cross-border corporate and financing transactions.

Commercial Manager, Alfaship Group

Iryna Krasnikova has started in the international commerce 16 years ago, working for various Spanish companies, mostly as the export manager. Having obtained the Master's degree in the International Business and Foreign Trade, Iryna got interested in the maritime industry and after a period of training in Spanish Maritime Institute started working for the Alfaship Shipping Agency in 2012, first in Barcelona and later she was transferred to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. She is strongly focused on the bunkering business and innovation in port services.

She holds following academic degrees:

Executive Executive MBA by EAE Business School, Barcelona
Master in Shipping and Logistics Business Administration by Bureau Veritas Business School & Spanish Maritime Institute
Bulk Chartering course by Spanish Maritime Institute
Master's degree in International Business and Foreign Trade by the University of Barcelona
Management and Administration in Publishing enterprises by State Technological University of Belarus

President of Cabildo de Gran Canaria

Antonio Morales Méndez was born in Agüimes in 1956. He holds a degree in Geography and History from the University of La Laguna and is an Honorary Economist of the College of Economists of Las Palmas.

Currently, he is the President of the Cabildo in Gran Canaria. From 1987 to 2015, he served as the mayor of the municipality of Agüimes in Gran Canaria.

Throughout his political and institutional representation career, his work and that of his team have been recognized with various awards and distinctions from national and international bodies (FEMP, UN, Canary Islands Government, etc.).

In recent years, he has been particularly noted for his advocacy for the implementation of renewable energy in the Canary Islands and is a member of the Platform for a New Energy Model in Gran Canaria.

He has published four books: "Shared Reflections," "We Lack Lights. Reflections on a new energy model," "Difficult Times. Notes for Rethinking Democracy," and "Energy, Power, and Climate," in addition to numerous articles in various media outlets and specialized magazines.

Head of Alternative Fuels & Sustainability, Peninsula

Nacho de Miguel has more than 25 years of experience in the energy business. He started in the industry as Bunker Trader at the Spanish oil company CEPSA, moving then to the role of Fuels Manager for Power Generation at Naturgy.

In 2004, he joined Union Fenosa Gas where he held successive senior management positions at its global LNG business.

In 2020, he moved to Peninsula to be responsible for leading the Company’s Sustainability strategy and its transition to cleaner fuels.

Julie Louise Nielsen, Global Head of Bunker Sales, StormGeo

I have 17+ years of experience from the shipping industry split between tanker operations and bunker purchasing and 1,5 years as an oil trader at an oil refinery in Denmark.

Back in 2020 I established a new bunker purchasing desk inside one of the world’s biggest shipping companies, where I realized the need for a system to play the team right, and not staying in our old conservative mindset. I therefore decided to implement a planning and purchasing tool which could assist the team to succeed and the company to optimize the fuel costs.

I joined StormGeo due to their great reputation and because they have been making a difference to the maritime industry for 25+ years and have a great bunker tool, where we always have focus on functionality and sustainability.
I bring my wealth of industry experience into StormGeo, where I will have a clear focus on making the shipping industry greener and more transparent via digital solutions.

Project Development Coordinator, IAT Marino-Maritima

Guillermo is an economist with an academic background in Transport & Trade. He is experienced in various O&G and Logistics posts within the Port of Las Palmas ecosystem.

He joined the island's economic promotion agency 3 years ago, where he contributes to the development of maritime & digital projects.

President, Ship Repair Association

Luisa Ramos was born in Las Palmas and studied Naval Technical Engineering at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC). Since 1987, she has been working at Astican, where she began her career as a Ship Manager and currently serves as the Head of Sales.

Luisa represents the sector as the President of the Association of Naval Repairers (ARN).

Finance Manager, Oryx Iberia S.A.U.