A master mariner and a committed proponent of the maritime users’ perspective, Rear Admiral Nick Lambert concluded a long naval operational career as the UK National Hydrographer in December 2012. He advises on a wide range of maritime issues including the importance of spatial data infrastructures and hydrography for maritime economies, the evolution of eNavigation and GNSS vulnerability, near or real time situational awareness (especially that derived from space based assets and applications), human factors, and training and education in the maritime sector.

Tom Erling Hansen has double engineering degrees in Telecom and IT from the Royal Norwegian Air force complemented with a Master’s degree in Business administration and Management from the Norwegian Business School. Mr Hansen has worked with Maritime applications and communication for almost two decades and has extensive international experience from working and living in several maritime hubs including Dubai, Oslo, London, Brussels, Singapore and Houston. He is currently head of Sales North Europe for Maritime in Marlink.

Lars works as a Director and SME within Data & Analytics in PwC Consulting. He has vast experience related to how Data & Analytics can improve business processes and business performance. He has helped several organizations to implement Big Data & Analytics-, Business Intelligence- and Data Warehouse-projects. He will share from his experience on how analytics and a structured approach to organizing Data & Analytics-initiatives can help organizations gain competitive advantage, and some of the key aspects needed to ensure that you succeed with analytics.

Inge Andrè Sandvik has been working in global tech, internet and consultancy companies for the last 20 years, and co-founded 3 VC backed companies. His focus has been mobile first and building software platforms. He co-founded Soundrop in 2011 with three other co-founders and led the process of teaming up with Spotify. He later co-founded Filmgrail which has become a new and popular platform for cinemas, cable companies and telcos.

Prior to Soundrop, Inge was with the internet browser company Opera Software as Head of Opera Mobile Store. He co-founded and was CEO in Numo, a company that built a global platform that meshed together national phone directories into one universal search experience.

Inge started his entrepreneurial path in 2004 as Co-founder and CEO in Mobile CTI which launched the first automatic lookup on unknown incoming callers and won several international awards for their innovative apps. The company was acquired by Opplysningen 1881, a Telenor company.

Inge has spent more than 10 years in global tech and software companies such as Telenor, Oracle, Compaq/HP, PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He is an advisor to entrepreneurs and startups in Norway and is co-founder and organizer for Product Tank Oslo.

Wouter Deknopper is Vice President & General Manager Maritime Line of Business at Iridium Communications Inc., the only satellite communications company that offers truly global voice and data coverage. He is responsible for bringing new services and products to the maritime market in alignment with Iridium's initiatives while attuned to the needs of the end-users in these industries.

Wouter Deknopper brings 20 years of experience in the Satellite Industry to his position as Iridium's Vice-President and General Manager Maritime Business. He is responsible for bringing new services and products to the maritime market in alignment with Iridium's initiatives while attuned to the needs of the end-users in these industries.

Wouter began his career in the satellite market with SAIT Communications and then joined Marlink, previously part of Telenor, before coming to Iridium in 2005 as Director EMEA & Russia. Wouter has extensive knowledge and experience in business development, consulting, project and partner management in IoT applications, land-mobile, aviation and maritime.

Rob O'Dwyer, Editor of Digital Ship, has been a maritime IT journalist since 2005. He has a Master's degree in business and law from University College Dublin and was previously a commercial writing consultant in Seoul, South Korea. 

Rob was also previously Editor of Port Finance International.

Tore Morten Olsen has over 20 years of experience in the satellite communications sector working for Telenor, Vizada, Airbus Defence and Space and Marlink. He started in 1994 as a Technical Product Manager and moved into the commercial field responsible for the governmental market sector in 1997.

In 1999, Tore Morten moved to Slovakia to lead the international satellite communications activities of Telenor and he returned to Norway to take responsibility of Telenor Satellite Networks AS in 2004. Since 1999, Tore Morten has held several senior positions within the company to include CEO Telenor Slovakia spol.s.r.o, Chairman of the Board of Directors in several Telenor Satellite Networks companies, Country Manager for Telenor in Slovakia and CEO of Telenor Satellite Networks. 

Tore Morten holds an M.Sc in Telecommunications from the Norwegian Technical University, and has participated in Executive MBA programs both at Wharton Business School in the US, Insead in France and the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden.

Mr Ronald H. W. Spithout currently serves as President, Inmarsat Maritime. Spithout was appointed in October 2014 to oversee global maritime activities for Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Prior to joining the maritime business unit, he served as President, Inmarsat Enterprise. In this role, held since 2012, Spithout had global responsibility for sales, including accountability for P&L, strategic direction and partnerships for enterprise markets, including Energy, Media and Commercial. Spithout came to Inmarsat from Stratos Global, which had been acquired by Inmarsat in April 2009 and then restructured under the Inmarsat brand in January 2012.

From July 2006 through December 2011, Spithout was Senior Vice President, MSS Marketing and Sales, Worldwide, for Stratos Global. Prior to that, he handled Stratos MSS Sales for all countries except North America. He came to Stratos from Xantic B.V., a satellite communications company headquartered in The Netherlands, which was acquired by Stratos in early 2006. At Xantic, Spithout served as Executive Vice President Marketing and Sales and was previously responsible for Xantic's Network and Service Operations, including the Land Earth Stations and its customer service activities.

Spithout, who began his career in the telecommunications business in the late 80s, held various sales positions for KPN (the Royal Dutch Telecom Operator) in the Netherlands and has held numerous positions with several of KPN's JV companies including business accountabilities for KPN's Asia market out of Singapore, operations for PanTel in Hungary, and marketing and sales for Ratelindo in Indonesia.

Spithout holds a degree in electrical engineering from HTS-Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Institute for Technology. He also served in the Dutch military as a reserve Lieutenant in the Dutch Cavalry.

Frank Coles qualified as a Master Mariner, Class One after 12 years at sea. After leaving the sea, Frank gained an LLM in Legal Aspects of Maritime Affairs.

In 1995, Frank joined Pacific Basin Bulk Shipping as Operations Director. After that he became the CEO of Rydex, a company specializing in maritime communications. After that, Frank joined Sperry Marine as a Vice President. In September 1999 Frank became COO of Globe Wireless LLC. In 2003 Frank was appointed CEO, President and a member of the Board.

In 2011 Frank joined Inmarsat as the Director GX Maritime, and in December 2011 he was appointed the President of the Maritime business unit.

In September 2015, Frank Coles joined Transas as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors.

Skryseth has worked for Kongsberg since August 2013, holding various management positions within the Group’s corporate team. She has been the President of Kongsberg Digital, and Chief Digital Officer of Kongsberg since March 2016. Skryseth also holds broad experience from several leading international technology companies and is a board member for various organizations, including her most current participation with eSmart Systems AS.

Albrecht Grell is responsible for the digital transformation of DNV GL’s Maritime Business, including innovation management as well as DNV GL’s Digital Products Business. Previously, he held responsibility for DNV GL’s Maritime Advisory Division, supporting shipping customers around the world with a focus on questions of operational performance and advanced technological challenges. Earlier roles include corporate development with responsibility for strategy development, M&A and post merger integration.

Albrecht Grell brings with him over 20 years of experience in different industries and management functions, including strategy consulting at McKinsey&Company, business unit leadership at Tchibo and building his own business. Mr. Grell has worked and lived in the US, Asia and Europe.

Mr. Grell holds a Masters degree from Kellogg Graduate School of Management (USA).

Adrian served in the Royal Navy as a Communications, Warfare and Intelligence officer for 24 years responsible for the provision and security of a range of services worldwide, including the management of specialist teams deployed to operational theatres. Since leaving the Service, he has extensively studied the cyber threat landscape and how the Internet is used by malevolent parties and for the projection of power and influence by state and non-state actors.

A Certified Information Systems Security Professional, he has worked for both government and industry clients advising on computer security with a particular interest in education and training as a method of countering the cyber threat. He is a frequent visiting speaker on both military and university courses in which he aims to raise awareness of the techniques used by cyber criminals and of the need to improve personal security online. 

In addition to his current academic research programme he holds two Bachelor of Science degrees with Honours in Computing and Information Technology and Intelligence and Security and four Masters Degrees in the Design of Information Systems, Business and Computer Studies, Technology (Maritime Operations) and Cyber Security. Adrian is currently studying for a PhD at Lancaster University in the UK where he is researching the nature and projection of maritime cyberpower.

Alexander is a highly reputed lawyer within the IT, digital transformation and privacy sphere, with a clear international vision to develop his clients' businesses.

Alexander Duisberg is a partner of Bird & Bird in Munich, handling commercial, digital transformation and data protection issues. He is a member of our International Tech & Comms Sector Steering Group and leads our Software & Services industry initiative.

Alexander is considered a leading expert in matters of digital transformation, data protection and data security.

Alexander is an appointed and practicing panellist to the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre and is a member of the Federal Government’s legal work groups in the think-tanks projects "Trusted Cloud", "Smart Data" and "Platform Industry 4.0", and a legal advisor to the "Industrial Data Space". He is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and contributes regularly to publications on technology-related topics. Alexander speaks German, English, Italian, Spanish and French.

Jordan Wylie is an experienced maritime security and risk management professional whose career started with 10 years’ service in the British Military as an intelligence and reconnaissance specialist, before entering the private maritime security sector in 2008.

Jordan has provided maritime security and safety consultancy services to many of the world’s largest ship owners and is a retained consultant by several flag states, providing guidance on piracy, maritime terrorism, organised crime at sea and the maritime cyber security approach. Jordan has trained over 10,000 seafarers globally and also completed over 100 missions on board as a security team leader during the height of Somali based piracy, he is a UK MCA and Department for Transport approved ISPS and ISM training instructor.

Jordan holds a BA (Hons) in Marine Risk Management and an MA in Maritime Security Operations, where his much talked about thesis subject was; ‘Cyber Security; The Unknown Threat At Sea’, the catalyst for the free to join global maritime and offshore cyber awareness campaign, that he and his team are driving throughout the shipping industry – BE CYBER AWARE AT SEA .

Peter Broadhurst is Senior Vice President of Safety and Security at Inmarsat Maritime, responsible for the development of the company’s safety and security services. Peter will define the strategy, development and evolution of Inmarsat’s satellite communication services for maritime safety, navigation, safety of life at sea and data security.

Peter started his career at Inmarsat in 2014 as Vice President of Service Delivery for the Maritime business unit, where he was responsible for leading the development of products and services from conception and implementation, through to launch and life cycle management. Peter was instrumental in the launch of Inmarsat’s high-speed broadband service Fleet Xpress launched in March 2016.

With over 25 years’ experience in the maritime industry, Peter began his career at sea as a Radio Officer, before running his own business and working for a maritime distributor. Peter then spent 15 years with Sea Tel Inc., / Cobham SATCOM as Vice President of Sales and Marketing where he was responsible for overseeing and managing global sales, support, marketing, training and product management.

Peter has a HND Electronics, Marine Radio General Certificate, Radar and Marine Navigation Aids accreditation from Wray Castle Merchant Navy School, and holds an Open University, BSc (Hons) First Class degree on Radio Frequency Systems.

Prior to pursuing a career in maritime security, Phil was an officer in the Royal Marine Commandos, attaining the rank of Major after 31 years military service. His military career included littoral operations on a global scale, warfighting and specialization in cold weather warfare. Since leaving in 2010, Phil has managed offshore security in the Indian Ocean High Risk Area in support of seismic operations, which included 2 Somali pirate attacks at sea. He went on to establish and coordinate anti-piracy transit operations for a respected PMSC based in Dubai. Phil has a thorough understanding of port operations, personnel training requirements, compliance and management systems.

Phil joined BIMCO in 2015 and his primary role is to assist members with all aspects of maritime security; including piracy, drug smuggling, stowaways, mixed mass migration and cyber security.

Currently based in Denmark near BIMCO House, Phil maintains his hobby as a cyclist and is always happy to take any queries members may have on any relevant maritime issue.

Mr. Bobys draws on 24 years of experience with technology startups, enterprise risk management, and new product development, spanning such disciplines as cybersecurity and integrated physical/electronic security systems in the maritime security space.

As Vice President of Global Strategies for HudsonAnalytix, Inc., a global maritime risk management firm, he is responsible for identifying new and emerging capabilities to bring to the global maritime industry. In this role he currently leads the company’s cyber risk management practice: HudsonAnalytix Cyber (“HA-Cyber”), which specializes in bringing to market best-in-class cyber risk management, assessment and threat information sharing solutions tailored specifically to the global maritime industry.

Mr. Bobys previously served in a variety of executive positions at such companies as Civitas Strategy Group, providing specialized advisory support to companies in the Homeland Security, Defense and Intelligence markets; as well as BAE Systems, Stanley, and CIBER, among others. He has also successfully co-founded several companies offering innovative, first-to-market capabilities in the cybersecurity, intelligence, and compliance management spaces. In these roles, he has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. He currently advises the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Committee on Ports on matters of maritime cyber risk management and serves on the Delaware Bay Area Maritime Security Committee’s Sub-Committee on Cybersecurity.

Julian Crudge joined Telenor Satellite in 1998 and is currently the Director of our Datacomms Division, responsible for VSAT services to land and maritime based customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa on C, Ku and Ka band. In particular, he is commercially responsible for Telenor’s Ka band HTS satellite, THOR 7. Prior to this, Julian held a number of finance roles within Telenor Satellite, and worked in the leasing industry for 9 years.

Julian has a BA Econs (Hons) degree and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) in 1989.

Raimo Warkki was born in Göteborg. With a technical background, he has been working within Stena for more than 30 years. He has worked with ship communications since late 1990, and was involved when Stena Line installed the fleet with satellite communication at the beginning of 2000.

Raimo has been responsible for satellite communication since 2005 and worked as IT demand manager for ship management regarding ships specific systems.

A Cyber Security Professional with 20+ years’ experience in Enterprise Security & Infrastructure, Joseph is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). An active member of the Cyber Security community and a frequent speaker at Cyber Security events globally. Joseph is an adviser to several governments, critical infrastructure, startups and cyber security conferences.

Mark Sutcliffe spent 6 years in the British Army serving with the The Royal Hussars (PWO). Two years working on the docks of Hartlepool and Bristol led to a passion for shipping and a career of 25 years with KGJS Gearbulk pool, GAC and Wilh. Wilhelmsen in both ship owning, operating and port agency disciplines.

Armed with energy and an ability to deliver, Mark wanted to back his instincts and a seven year evolution of carefully listening to the needs of CSOs and meeting incredibly supportive people has led to CSO Alliance.

OEM Solutions Mary Etienne Business Development Director, Maritime, Shipping and Offshore A business leader with over 25-years industry experience in Fortune 500 companies, Mary Etienne joined Dell in 2011 as Business Development Director of Dell OEM Solutions, where she is responsible for creating business value for customers in the maritime, shipping, and offshore markets. A specialist, global division, Dell OEM Solutions builds industry-grade and long lifecycle products and provides customized logistics and services for customers to sell into the marketplace as part of their own branded products.

A master mariner and a committed proponent of the maritime users’ perspective, Rear Admiral Nick Lambert concluded a long naval operational career as the UK National Hydrographer in December 2012. He advises on a wide range of maritime issues including the importance of spatial data infrastructures and hydrography for maritime economies, the evolution of eNavigation and GNSS vulnerability, near or real time situational awareness (especially that derived from space based assets and applications), human factors, and training and education in the maritime sector.

Tommy Olofsen is a senior leader in the Maritime Industry. Having worked the past 27 years in Shipping, he has experienced the industry from both offshore as well as onshore. He has worked in Maersk, Teekay, TORM and now OSM Maritime Group. His roles have included Senior officers positions on board Container Vessels, Commercial Operations, Crew Management, HR Management and Executive roles in all areas of this exciting industry. Major achievements have been the build-up of APM Terminals, the Maersk Oil Qatar FDP2005 project, Implementation of SCOPE in Teekay and Turnaround of TORM. Today, Tommy is the Managing Director of OSM Crew Management, a leader in Offshore Crew Management with an aim of providing quality manning solutions to the industry.

Mr. Ørnulf Jan Rødseth was born 1958 in Norway. He got his master's degree in electronic engineering in 1983 and has worked for Norwegian research institutes for most of the time, but with a four-year period in the maritime electronic equipment industry. His main interests are integrated ship control, digital information and communication technology and unmanned ship technology. He is working as a senior scientist in SINTEF Ocean (formerly MARINTEK) in Trondheim, Norway. He is active in international maritime standardisation through ISO and IEC and also participates in IMO work. He is also the manager of the Norwegian Forum for Autonomous Ship.

Denise Baum joined KfW IPEX-Bank's Maritime Industries department in 2012. The department runs a portfolio of USD 19 bn and provides financings for all maritime sectors, including ferry, cruise, shipping and offshore. Denise focuses on origination and structuring of financings for customers in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Baltics. Her previous work experience includes 5 years in export and project finance at Helaba and several years in administrative positions in the automobile industry. Denise has worked and lived in Brazil and Mexico and is based in Frankfurt. She holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg.

Nick Burrett has worked in the satellite industry since 2001. His roles have included time spent in both video and data sales. At GlobeCast, Nick worked in London and then Paris, in permanent video; and later Occasional Use broadcast sales. He subsequently spent a few years in London working for TeliaSonera International Carrier, helping develop and sell their media and CDN products.

He started at SES in 2012 and the Netherlands in 2013 and is responsible for data sales in the UK and Nordics.

Robert is the Director of Marketing & Maritime for Thales’ Iridium Certus business. Thales has recently entered into the commercial maritime communications market with our product VesseLINK^TM on Iridium. This will be the first of the Thales marine satcom terminal product line operating on Iridium Certus^SM broadband services. Prior to this role, Robert was Director of Strategy & M&A for Thales USA Inc. and in this capacity was active in growing the US portfolio, notably enhancing the inflight entertainment business with aviation connectivity through the acquisition of Live TV; the largest Thales Group had made for a number of years.

Before joining Thales USA inc, Robert was head of strategic planning and M&A for the Thales Air Operations division, based in France.

Robert’s career in Thales began in 2000 when he joined Racal Telecom, just prior to its acquisition by Thomson CSF. He has occupied a number of roles, notably as London Underground (LUL) account director for the £1bn Connect PFI.

STM Validation is an EU-project more than 50 partners in 13 countries and budget of 43M euro. Mr. Ulf Siwe M.Sc. is the Communications Officer of the project. The project is validating the Sea Traffic Management concept on 300 ships and in 13 ports, testing real-time information sharing to authorized relevant parties in the maritime transport chain. Ulf is the author of scientific papers in the field and an appreciated presenter at conferences.