President of WISTA International
Operations, Chartering & Business Development Manager, ENEA Management Inc
Second Vice President, Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners Association (HSSA)

Elpi Petraki has been working for ENEA Management Inc. for the last 24 years, a Greek shipping company that manages a fleet of small sized, clean and specialised tankers.  During this time, she has been involved in various parts of the business, with a primary focus on both operations and chartering of its fleet as well as business development.

Elpi is currently the President of WISTA International, the Women in Shipping and Trade Association, where goal is to encourage diversity and inclusiveness in the maritime sector, as well as to support women in furthering their careers, and ensure equal opportunities for all.

Prior to her appointment, Elpi was the President of WISTA Hellas, a position she held for two and a half years where she was instrumental in the National WISTA Association’s growth, and a number of initiatives designed to support women working in maritime and encourage the next generation to consider a career in the industry.

Serving as the 2nd Vice President of the Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners Association (HSSA), Elpi is involved in the promotion and the overall development of short sea shipping within National and European borders. Additionally, Elpi is a member of the board of directors for the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping and is an active member of Intertanko. Most recently, Elpi was invited to be an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, the highest honour to be bestowed by the institute in recognition of an individual's contribution to commercial shipping.

Elpi is also a member of the board of the Hellenic Maritime Museum, assisting in the preservation of maritime history and the development of a culture whereby younger generations are exposed to and come to appreciate maritime and naval traditions.

She is a well-known personality in shipping, both in Greece and internationally, and an active member of the shipping community. Elpi regularly speaks at industry conferences and events on a wide range of topics, from diversity in maritime and attracting the next generation of talent, to decarbonisation, new technologies and how to address the challenges facing the industry.

Alessandra Bugge, President of WISTA Uruguay

Vice President of Uruguay

Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Born in Masan, Mr Lim graduated from the Korea Maritime and Ocean University (KMOU), Busan, and worked on ships before joining the Korea Maritime and Port Administration in 1985. From 1986, Mr. Lim participated in the Republic of Korea delegation to IMO meetings. In 2006, he was appointed as Maritime Attaché, minister-counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in London and served as Alternate Permanent Representative to IMO until August 2009.

Mr Lim was then appointed Director General for Maritime Safety Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM).  In 2011, Mr. Lim was appointed Commissioner of the Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST).  In 2012, he became President of Busan Port Authority, until January 2016 when he took up his appointment as Secretary-General of IMO.

Mr Lim holds master’s degrees from Yonsei University, and the World Maritime University (WMU).

Director, Marine Environment Division, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Mr Domínguez currently serves as Director, Marine Environment Division of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), having served previously as Director, Administrative Division and Chief of Staff. Before joining IMO in July 2017, Mr Domínguez worked for the Panama Maritime Authority starting in 1998 as Head of the Regional Technical and Documentation Office for Europe and North Africa, and as Alternate Representative and Technical Adviser of Panama to IMO from 2004 to 2014.  In July 2014 he was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Panama to IMO.

From 1998 to 2017, Mr Domínguez represented Panama at IMO, as well as at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) and the International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO). He also represented Panama at several shipping conferences, forums, exhibitions, seminars and workshops.

Having chaired a number of meetings at international organisations, Mr. Domínguez was elected Chair of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) from 2014 to 2017, having previously served as Vice-chair from 2012 to 2013.  He was also elected Chair of the Technical Committee at the 29th IMO Assembly in 2015, Chair of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) Working Group on Maritime Security and Piracy from 2010 to 2014, and Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee of Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC) from 2009 to 2011.

Mr Domínguez holds a Naval Architect degree from Veracruzana University, Mexico; an MBA in Management from the University of Hull, and a Certificate of Higher Education in International Law and European Politics from Birkbeck University, both in London, England.

On 18 July 2023, Mr Domínguez was elected as the 10th Secretary-General of the IMO at the 129th session of the Council of the Organization, with effect from 1 January 2024, subject to the Assembly’s approval, for an initial period of four years from 2024 to 2027.

Chief, Uruguayan Coast Guard

Managing Partner, IT&L Legal Consultants

María Belén Espiñeira has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer in the maritime sector.

She graduated from the Universidad Católica Argentina, and obtained a master’s degree in International Maritime Law with distinction from the University of Wales, United Kingdom and a Postgraduate degree from the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

In 2011, she founded the law firm called IT&L Legal Consultants where she represents and advices domestic and foreign companies related to the various sectors of maritime transport, shipping and the maritime insurance industries.

Her areas of practice are: charterparties disputes, cargo claims, major maritime incidents, regulatory issues related to the protection of the aquatic environment, customs issues, insurance-related matters and international trade operations, among others.

She is the author of articles in books and publications and speaker in International and National events.  

In 2012 she was founding president of WISTA ARGENTINA. She was WISTA Argentina´s President form 2012-2018 and its Vice-president from 2018-2022.

In 2014, she was recognized by the International Bar Association as that year's Outstanding Young Lawyer in Tokyo, Japan

Sub Secretary, ALADI (Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración)

COO Port Division, Navios South American Logistics

Ruben Martinez Baeza has been Chief Operating Officer - Port Division and a member of the Board of Directors since January 2008.

He has been the general manager of Corporacion Navios S.A. since 2005. He has been working with Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. since 1989 and Navios South American Logistics Inc. (“Navios Logistics”) since inception, after graduating as mechanical industrial engineer from the University of the Republic at Montevideo, Uruguay.

Trader, Viterra Argentina (Argentinean Chamber of Grain Exporters)

President, Chamber of Private Ports of Argentina

Trabaja desde hace más de 40 años en empresas dedicadas a la exportación e industrialización de granos y oleaginosas.

Desde hace más de 25 años se desempeña en la empresa Louis Dreyfus Comercial actualmente como director regional de relaciones institucionales. Anteriormente fue Gerente de originación y responsable de la logística fluvial en la región.

Además, es

• Presidente de CARBIO (Camara Argentina de Biodiesel)
• Ex presidente de la Comision permanente de transporte de la Cuenca del Plata (CPTCP)
• Presidente de la Cámara de Puertos Privados Comerciales
• Ex presidente de ACSOJA – Asociación de la cadena de Soja Argentina y actual tesorero
• Miembro del consejo de la Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario y de la Bolsa de Cereales de Buenos Aires.
  

Head, Caribbean Research Institute, JAMAICA and
Co-director, Kuhne Professional Chair in Logistics, Universidad de los Andes, COLOMBIA

Ricardo is an economist, PhD in Economics, and an internationally recognised expert in shipping and port economics, as well as in transport and infrastructure, with special focus on the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. He has worked either professionally or academically in 30 out of the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean along 30 years, as well as in Europe and Asia.

Currently he is Head of the Caribbean Research Institute and co-chair to the Kühne Professorial Chair in Logistics at the School of Management, Universidad de los Andes at Bogotá, Colombia.

For more than 20 years, he was a Senior Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (UN-ECLAC), Division of Trade, Integration and Infrastructure. Main duties: to lead a high-level professional team to conduct research and to provide technical assistance and training to governments and public and private organisations, on the matters of infrastructure, maritime, ports and logistics affairs.

His main research interests are shipping and port economics, including industrial organization applied to shipping markets, port devolution and the maritime cycle. He holds more than 215 publications among books, chapters in books, peer reviewed articles, working papers, etc., in Spanish, English and Portuguese.

Ricardo is member of the following academic and professional associations: the International Association of Maritime Economics (IAME), the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) WG201, the Port Performance Research Network (PPRN), and associated member of PORTECONOMICS.EU.

Has also served as The World Bank consultant for the waterborne transport strategy, Latinports, the Mexican Association of Port Terminals, for the Latin American Integration Association, and collaborator of the ITF/OECD, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean and the OAS Inter-American Committee on Ports.

CARPAC HUB Planning Manager & AMR Business Compliance Ambassador, Maersk and President, WISTA Panama

Guadalupe Concepcion better known as Lupe is the HUB Planning Manager – Latin America in Maersk. She has been in the company for more than 2 decades holding different roles in Operations and General Management in Maersk (in Panama and UK). About her professional career she made a bit of everything from Documentation to very interesting challenging roles as Equipment and Repairs of Containers supervisor and took the decision to embark to the old continent as stowage coordinator for the big vessels crossing from Far East to US/EUR.

She came back to Panama and found later that what drives her is supporting our customer and developing people. And she is enjoying doing so from her current role connecting and improving life for all by integrating the world.  

Lupe’s aspirations are to continue growing in the company and seeing her legacy of developing talent also growing.

UN Women Regional office, Americas and the Caribbean

Teresa Pérez del Castillo has worked for more than 20 years in corporate communications (internal and external), corporate social responsibility and sustainability, with broad experience in national and global companies. She has led multifunctional and multinational teams in Uruguay, Peru and Argentina, working in companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Corporación América (Airports).

In 2018 she joined UN Women team in Uruguay to manage the "WIN-WIN: gender equality means good business" programme, an initiative created in partnership between UN WOMEN, the European Union and ILO to promote gender equality and women empowerment in the private sector.

In September 2020, Teresa took over the regional technical coordination of the programme for the 6 countries where it was implemented: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Uruguay. Since the programme ended in September 2021, Teresa is a consultant for the UN Women's Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, in strategies related to entrepreneuship and private sector.

Teresa has a degree in Social Communications (Universidad Católica del Uruguay), holds an MBA with an emphasis in Marketing (Universidad de Belgrano, Argentina) and studied the “3.0 Management Programme” at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (Argentina)

IMO’s Principal Programme Assistant, Women in Maritime (WIM) Programme

Mariana Noceti has almost ten years of experience in the International Maritime Organization, having worked in the Goal Based-Standards programme of the Maritime Safety Division and in the Office of the Legal Affairs and External Relations Division Director, before moving to the Technical Cooperation Division, where she coordinates the Organization’s gender and capacity-building programme, Women in Maritime.

Director, International Chamber of Shipping

Helio Vicente is the Director of Employment Affairs at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the global trade association for shipowners and operators, representing over 80% of the world merchant fleet.

He serves as Secretary of the ICS Labour Affairs Committee, responsible for global shipping employment policy and other related matters; as well as the ICS Diversity and Women’s panels.

Helio previously served as Secretary of the ICS Shipping Policy Committee (SPC) and the ICS Shipping Canals Sub-Committee. Before ICS, Helio worked at the Diplomatic Mission of Angola to the IMO, at the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa, and at the IMO Sub-Division for Maritime Security and Facilitation.

Mexico Country Manager & Central America Market Development Manager, Lloyd´s

Originally from Venezuela, Yelhis has more than 25 years of experience, 15 of which are in the insurance and reinsurance industry in Latin America and the United Kingdom, playing roles in areas such as risk management, strategy, commercial and mergers and acquisitions, for Zurich in Argentina and Venezuela; and for Willis Tower Watson in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the UK.

Since September 2019, Yelhis has become Country Manager for Lloyd's, and previously worked as a Business Development Executive for Latin America based in Mexico City. Before joining Lloyd's, she was Director of Operations for WTW in Mexico. In April 2022 Yelhis is appointed Market Development Manager for Central America in addition to her role as General Director in Mexico.

Yelhis is currently also working as country lead for Dive In in Mexico since 2020, and has been part of the Mentoring and Early Careers program at Lloyd's since 2022. In April 2023, Yelhis joined MUISA –(women for unity in the insurance industry) with the aim to promote women within the insurance industry in Mexico.

She has a degree in Public Accounting, a master’s degree in finance from IESA in Venezuela, an International Diploma in Reinsurance from the Chilean Insurance School and a Diploma in Leadership from the University of Henley in the United Kingdom. Yelhis was recently admitted to the Lloyd's Advance Female Development Programme. The program aims to promote the future of female talent within the corporation and the reinsurance market.

Yelhis is trilingual, fluent in Spanish and English and has an intermediate level of Portuguese.

Nautica del Sur SA y Universidad de los Andes Colombia

Alejandra Gómez Paz, PhD in Transportation, Master in Port Engineering, Civil Engineer. In 20 years of experience, She has cooperated with organizations, governments, and industries in America, Europe, and Asia.

She is a researcher at the Kühne Professorial Chair in Logistics in UniAndes, the Caribbean Research Institute, and Nautica del Sur in projects with a sustainable focus. She is a professor at the University of Buenos Aires in port engineering postgrade. Her current lines of research focus on the dynamism of connectivity between regions and the factors that condition this - trade, freight, infrastructure, dimensions and new technologies of ships, the configuration of liner service and commercial practices- and on traffic and infrastructure studies in the Parana-Paraguay waterway.

VP Project Development, Safety & Quality Ports, Navios South American Logistics

Professional with more than ten years of experience in port developments and quality systems ,overseeing and ensuring the efficient and effective operation of a port while maintaining high-quality standards, balancing the goals of port development and quality systems, ensuring the port operates, safely, and with a strong commitment to environmental responsibility, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction.

Some key responsibilities :

• Strategic Planning
• Infrastructure Investment
• Regulatory Compliance
• Environmental Sustainability
• Quality Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Team Leadership
• Technology Integration
• Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility

Head of Legal and Compliance, Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP)

Lawyer, Master’s in International law and Port Activities at UNIVALI, PhD Candidate at the University of Hamburg, Germany.

Former intern (2009) and ITLOS - Nippon Fellow (education and training - 2013/2014) at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea - ITLOS, in Hamburg, Germany.

Lecturer of the Law Course at Centro Universitário Dom Bosco. Founding Partner of IBDMar/BILOS and Wista Brazil.

Regulatory Advisor (2015-2019), Environment Manager (2016-2019) and Legal Manager at EMAP/Port of Itaqui (2019-2023). Current Legal and Compliance Manager at BTP - Brasil Terminal Portuário.

Customer Service Manager, Maersk Líne Peru

International Business Administrator with 25 years of experience working in Maersk the last 21 years in areas as sales and customer experience.

Co-CEO, Tototheo Maritime, Immediate Past President, WISTA International

Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou is joint Chief Executive Officer of TOTOTHEO MARITIME, a leading global supplier of equipment and services for satellite communications as well as bridge navigation systems, automated applications and operational efficiency solutions.

As from August 2021 she is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus.

Despina is President of WISTA International and board member of various organizations like the Cyprus Shipping Chamber the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation etc.

Leading international shipping publication Lloyd’s List selected Despina as one of the Top 100 Most Influential people in shipping for 5 consecutive years since 2017. In 2019 she named the “International Personality of the Year” at the Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards.

In June 2022, she was appointed as an Ambassador of the Global Maritime Club representing Cyprus.

She holds degrees from the National and Capodistrian University of Athens, the Copenhagen Business School and the University of Oxford Said Business School.

Country Manager – Uruguay, Ocean Network Express

Working in the Shipping Industry since 1994 with experience in Liner, Break Bulk or Logistics sectors.

Pablo started in the shipping agency Schandy working for shipowner the Brazilian Companhia de Navegacao Alianca. 

Then Multimar Group worked at a regional management level between Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay for the Japanese NYK Line among other shipowners.

In 2018, Pablo started working at ONE (Ocean Network Express), since and 2021 he has served as Uruguay Country Head.

Commercial Vice Manager, The National Ports Administration (ANP)

CEO of American P&I Club

Dorothea Ioannou is the Chief Executive Officer of the Managers of the American P&I Club, the only marine liability not-for-profit mutual domiciled in the United States. The Club being one of only 12 of its kind in the world making up the International Group of P&I Clubs, she is the first female CEO to lead an International Group club in the Group industry’s 168-year history.

Holding a J.D. from St. John's University School of Law and a B.A. from CUNY, her career spans over 30 years, almost all of it in Marine Insurance.

After joining the American Club in 2005 as a Claims Executive she swiftly rose to Claims Manager, Regional Business Development Director, Global Business Development Director, Chief Commercial Officer, then Deputy Chief Operating Officer in 2020 when she was also appointed Secretary of the Club’s Board of Directors.

Winner of the 2017 Lloyd’s List Global Next Generation Shipping Award, the 2022 Seatrade Maritime Diversity & Inclusion Award, and International Personality of the Year at the 2022 Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards, Dorothea is active in the maritime industry and has held positions such as VP of WISTA Hellas, Chair of WISTA International Nominations Committee, served on the Piraeus Marine Club Board and the Board of Governors of the International Propeller Club of the United States – Port of Piraeus and a member of the Propeller Club Port of NY/NJ.

Environmental Manager, Buquebus

Carmen is the first woman in Uruguay to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Management, a new degree in the country, she is the second graduate of the first generation of Environmental Managers.

As a result, I earned a Master's degree in Environmental Pollution and Toxicology at the University of the Basque Country.

The topics I worked on included the use of bioindicators to evaluate the quality of continental waters in Uruguay, and the evaluation of risks in European soils in collaboration with the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). While there, I published two scientific articles.

As a sustainability specialist at BUQUEBUS, I am currently responsible for the close monitoring of small environmental projects financed by ECCOSUR.

Ministry of Industry, Uruguay Green Hydrogen Project

María José González leads the Green Hydrogen Program for Uruguay's Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining. Prior to this role, she led an inter-ministerial project, Biovalor, working at the junction of waste, energy, and climate change sectors.

Later, she was the director of an NGO involved in a recycling initiative with top international companies as partners. María José works as an independent consultant, teacher, and member of the technical evaluation committee for several research and innovation organizations.

She attended college at the University of the Republic, earning her undergraduate degree in Civil Hydraulic Engineering and her Master's in Environmental Engineering. She is part of the first cohort of the Emerging Climate Leader Fellowship at Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs at Yale University.

Chair, Fast Lines Belgium

Catrien Scheers is Chairman of Fast Group and has 30 years’ experience in the shortsea break bulk sector, built from in-house expertise as a shipowner, forwarder, terminal operator, ship agent and ship manager.

She holds a master’s degree in Communication from KU Leuven.

Catrien’s motto is “Assets are important, but people make the difference!”

Senior Director, Innovation, Finance and Fiscal Affairs, European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA)

Stress Management Therapist

Nadia starts her journey at 14 at CS Nedelchev – Marine Technical Services. Her father , Capt. Nedelchev, was a Master Mariner (FG), and Nadia´s first mentor. She worked for 20 years, serving the maritime industry around the globe. She learned at a very young age both technical and commercial skills related to the safe navigation of the ships, that help her, grow as an executive and expand beyond her own thoughts.

In this path, she started to observe patterns, and stressful situations, that, along with personal interests, made her start a new journey on the investigation and studies of different therapeutic methods with focus on stress management, mental and emotional health.

At the age of 34 she decided to end her position at her family company, and since then she works helping individuals and groups manage stress to have a healthy life.