Conference Speakers 2020

CFO & Acting CEO

Oman Shipping Company

Michael Jorgensen has been the Acting Chief Executive Officer at Oman Shipping Company since January 2019, and Chief Finance Officer since September 2017. Michael has significant international management experience in the transportation sector, including shipping, logistics and airlines, as well as capital markets. Prior to joining Oman Shipping, Michael served for eight years as Chief Financial Officer of D/S Norden, a Danish shipping company that specialises in dry cargo and product tankers. Before that Michael also held positions within the A. P. Moller – Maersk Group, acting as Chief Financial Officer in Maersk Air, Damco and Maersk Line.

Mayor, Sparta & Former Deputy Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs

Greece

Mr. Petros Doukas has a Ph.D. in Economics from New York University. He studied Economics and International Relations at George Washington University (Bachelor of Arts), Management and Fiscal Relations at Columbia (MBA) and Economics at New York University (MA and Ph.D. in Economics). From 1979 to 1985 he worked as an Economist and Currency Analyst for Citibank in New York, and also as Foreign Exchange Exposure Management Advisor, Foreign Exchange Dealer, and Money Market Dealer. In 1986 he took over as Citibank Investment Banking Country Head and Country Treasurer for Greece, and in 1990 also took over as Country Head for the Institutional and Corporate Banking sectors. From August 1992 to October 1993 he was Deputy Minister of Finance in the government of Konstantinos Mitsotakis, with the Public Debt and Public Assets among his responsibilities. In 1994 he returned to Citibank, and in 1996 he founded Capital Partners SA., which deals mainly in strategic partnerships and company takeovers and mergers. In March 2004 he was elected deputy for the Precinct of Attica and was appointed Deputy Minister for the Economy and Finance, Head of the General Accounting Office. His responsibilities included the formulation and implementation of the Budget, Central Government Debt & Operations, Government Security Auctions, Public Trusts, Loans and Bonds, the Public Corporation for Moveable Assets, Subsidy Programs and Management of Public Funds, the State Bursar’s and Payments Office (State Treasury), Fiscal Relations with the EU, Fiscal Validation of the Ministries, Prefectural Governments and Legal Entities under Public Statute and Civil Servants Pension Funds. In September 2007 he was re-elected MP for Attica and appointed Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy.

Senior Advisor- Board Member

Marcura Group

Chairman & MD

The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI)

With over 40 years’ experience in the shipping industry, Captain Anoop Kumar Sharma is the Chairman and Managing Director of The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI), a Government of India Public Sector Enterprise and India’s largest shipping company. Prior to his current appointment in 2016, he was the Managing Director of Essar Shipping Ltd (ESL). A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, Captain Sharma is currently the President of Indian National Shipowners’ Association and the immediate past Chairman of the National Committee on Shipping & Transport of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Captain Sharma is also on the Boards of the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), North of England Protection & Indemnity Club, Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Irano-Hind Shipping Company, India LNG Transport and the Dredging Corporation of India. He is also a Member of several high-level committees within international Classifications Societies such as Bureau Veritas, Lloyds’ Register and American Bureau of Shipping.

Group CEO

Monjasa

The Chief Executive Officer of the Monjasa Group, Anders Østergaard co-founded the company back in 2002. Today Monjasa is a leading global partner in the oil and shipping industries with offices in Europe, Americas, Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The company employs around 500 personnel in its core business, which includes trading and supply of marine fuels, oil trading, terminal operations, agency, and shipowning. In 2018 the company’s revenue reached US$ 2 billion, with more than 4 million tonnes of fuels supplied across over 600 ports worldwide.

Senior Vice President, Ship Management

ADNOC Logistics & Services

Captain Al Ali started his career with NGSCO in 1996 as a deck cadet and made his way through the ranks until he sailed as the first UA National Master on an LNG carrier in 2008. Later in 2009 he joined the head office of ADNATCO-NGSCO to serve as Operations Manager and Tanker Fleet Manager and in 2013 was appointed Senior Vice President of Operations supervising the operation of the LNG, tanker and dry bulk fleets as well as all marine personnel. In 2017, following the merger of ESNAAD, IRSHAD and ADNATCO, he assumed the role of Senior Vice President, Shipping, at ADNOC Logistics & Services and has recently been actively involved in a number of energy efficiency and maintenance optimisation projects.

MD & CEO

Essar Ports Ltd

Rajiv Agarwal has been the Chief Executive and Managing Director of Essar Ports, one of India’s largest private port companies, since 2010. In total he has over 30 years’ experience under his belt in leading management positions. With Rajiv at the helm, the volume of cargo handled by Essar Ports has grown significantly. Recently under his leadership the company has achieved the successful divestment of the Vadinar Oil Terminal while he has been instrumental in setting up a 20 million tonnes a year dry bulk terminal in Salaya, Gujarat, and the commissioning of 24 million tonnes annual capacity iron ore terminal in Vizag Port. Alongside his success at Essar Ports, Rajiv has contributed significantly to the development of industry friendly policies for the maritime sector through his participation on various trade bodies, including the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Federation of Indian Commerce Industries (FICCI), and The Associated Chamber of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)

General Manager-Finance & Corporate Support

Oman Drydock Company

Leadership Role

General Manager-Finance & Corporate Support December 2017-Present Oman Drydock Company ODC was established in September 2006, by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman with 100% investment and was initially operated by South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Company Limited (DSME). ODC is one of the largest and most modern ship repair yards throughout the world.
General Manager Treasury– 2011-2017
Oman Shipping Company
Established in 2003 Oman Shipping Company SAOC (OSC) grew out of the Omani government’s vision to develop a national fleet catering to the maritime transportation requirements of the country’s rapidly growing hydrocarbon, petrochemical, mining and metallurgical industries.
Banking Experience 2001-2011
Responsible for the Banks treasuries and investments with a portfolio of over $ 1B
Professional Skills Background

• Involved in the strategic decision making for the company to formulate company strategy and execution plans.

• Supported the corporate development plans to expand and diversify the business in order to achieve the strategic growth objectives.

• Lead the strategic initiatives to transform the company into a lean and agile organization.

• Financing of VLLCs, VLOCs, SPCs and all new projects and Hedging of Interest Rate and Foreign Currency risks

• Expert in cash management

• Headed treasuries of two bank in Oman

Active member in different boards and committees

Educational Background
– MBA – University of Bedfordshire (UK)
– BSBA- Sultan Qaboos University
Age- 40

General Manager

Emirates Classification Society (TASNEEF)

Waleed Altamimi joined Tasneef as the Chief Operating Officer in October 2016 and has over 30 years of prior maritime experience including time with the UAE Navy, Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding (ADSB) and Abu Dhabi Ports. Waleed started his career in the UAE Navy as a midshipman in 1986 and obtained his Naval Architecture Degree from the US Naval Academy. He then moved to ADSB in 2004 as a technical manager and was responsible for the design management of the Baynunah Corvette Construction program. After this Waleed joined Abu Dhabi Ports in November 2008, taking responsibility for the development of a number of the emirate’s ports, including Khalifa Port.

Partner

Stephenson Harwood

A banking and finance expert in Stephenson Harwood’s Dubai office, with a particular focus on asset and structured finance, Nijoe’s experience in the Middle East consists of maritime and aviation portfolio acquisitions and disposals, complex loan finance, Islamic finance and operating and finance leasing transactions. He advises major national and international lenders, investors, lessors and operators around the world on financing structures involving the maritime and aviation industries. Prior to joining Stephenson Harwood, Nijoe was the legal advisor to the maritime department of Department of Transport for the Government of Abu Dhabi. He is also a frequent guest lecturer to the Hamburg School of Business Maritime, teaching students business related issues regarding Islamic finance and the shipping industry.

Group MD

Seamaster Maritime

Rashid Al Heddi has a career spanning over 40 years in the industry, starting with P&O, and the Mackinnon Mackenzie Group of companies. From there he transitioned into BMMI and MMI, now Inchcape Shipping Services, before joining V. Ships as the Middle East Managing Director. He was promoted to Worldwide Head of Agency Services V. Group’s V. Ships Agency in 2005. He left V. Ships after 8 years to run Seamaster Maritime and has been instrumental in the group’s growth since then. He has been an active member of Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, the Institute of Logistics and Transport, and the Executive Committee of the Nautical Institute since 2001, where for past three years he has been the Vice Chairman of the UAE branch.

Business Development Director Middle East & Africa

DNV GL – Maritime

Pawan Sahni is a Marine Engineer who started his career at sea and after sailing as a Chief Engineer, joined DNV in 1995 at Bahrain. He started out as a Surveyor and a Lead Auditor for Quality and Safety Management systems and later relocated to Singapore. As a Project Manager for conversions in Singapore he was amongst the pioneers involved in shuttle tanker conversions. Pawan subsequently took on the role of country manager for Indonesia and after a successful assignment there relocated back to Singapore, where he established the Singapore Service Centre. As a Senior Principal Surveyor and Lead Auditor he streamlined customer support and enhanced efficiency by providing a single point of contact for all operational issues. Pawan relocated to Dubai late last year and took up his present role.

Senior Associate

Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla

Kirsty Cattanach is a specialist, English law-qualified maritime lawyer with nearly 15 years’ experience of shipping, energy construction, re-insurance and trade matters gained in London, Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong and now Dubai. Kirsty is predominantly a disputes lawyer and has handled arbitrations before the LMAA, the ICC, the HKIAC, CIETAC and the DIFC-LCIA, together with litigation in the English and Hong Kong Courts. Since joining Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla, Kirsty has been increasingly busy advising on maritime aspects of M&A deals, including questions of charterparty risk, insurance cover-age and vessel ownership. On the construction side, Kirsty has han-dled a number of large-scale ship and rig construction disputes, both company-funded and under FD&D cover and has acted both for the buyer and the yard. She also handles superyacht disputes and yacht insurance coverage reviews for owners.

President

International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS)

Capt. Zarir Iràni, FIIMS, AFNI, HCMM, FICS, Asso. CII, NAMS-CMS, MBA Global President – International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) – (2018-2020) The Chair at Board of Directors at Constellation Marine Services, London & UAE. Executive committee member & member of Controlling Council at Nautical Institute, UK.
“A Surveyor delivers trust, accountability and efficiency via his independent report first and then knowledge, competency and ability – much later.”- as quoted by Zarir Irani – the President and member of board IIMS, UK.
Capt. Zarir Irani has an OCIMF accreditation as an OVID Inspector valid until 2020 and is also an approved e-cmid Auditor Inspector. He represents Antiqua & Barbuda Maritime & Flag State Administration as their sole representative and Regional Director at UAE & Singapore.
Zarir has been a Certified Marine Surveyor from National Association of Marine Surveying (USA) since 2006 (NAMS-CMS). (A fellow of the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS), and current global President of IIMS since 2018.
Over 29 years of work experience in the Maritime and Offshore industry. Capt. Zarir Soli Irani is the founder member of a leading Marine Surveying firm M/s. Constellation Marine Services LLC, Head Quartered in London and managed by an independent Board of Directors with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Fujairah since 2007 having concluded 19,000 nominations by mid-2019. A Master Mariner holding MCA class I license Unlimited foreign going (FG) (valid until 2022.)