Speakers

Mr Al Jourani runs the Dubai Maritime Cluster Office (DMCO), which is established in response to the Dubai government’s efforts to transform the local maritime sector into one of the world’s most comprehensive and competitive maritime clusters. Mr Al Jourani leads DMCO to maintain the leadership position Dubai enjoys in the region as the number one maritime destination, and create a strong competitive edge to Dubai maritime product offering in its various forms. 

Prior to joining Dubai World as Chief Marketing Officer for Dubai Maritime City in 2007, and since 2009 as Director of Communications for Dubai Maritime City Authority, Al Jourani was the head of marketing and communications for the Al-Futtaim Group, the leading UAE business conglomerate. Prior to Al-Futtaim, Mr. Al Jourani was also in Dubai World, heading the marketing operations for its Middle East’s leading online marketplace Tejari.com.  Mr Al Jourani was a director in the Dubai based Wallis Marketing consultancy, one of Dubai’s most successful business focused PR and communications agencies. Prior to his tenure at WMC, he was the communications manager at Sakhr Software, where he managed all related marketing communications activities for the world’s leader in Arabic IT solutions. Before Sakhr Software, he was the technology and business editor of Arabia.com.  Mr Al Jourani has also been an editor/translator with BYTE Middle East magazine, as well as a visiting lecturer at the University of Baghdad.

Mr Al Jourani has earned a bachelor degree in English language and literature, a master’s degree in English applied linguistics, and is currently working on his PhD in business management. He has translated, from English to Arabic, six books for MacGraw-Hill publishing.

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Nearly 12  years  experience sailing on variety ships  and other self propelled  vessels,  such  as  LNG ships, Container and Bulk Carrier ships  worldwide, including a period as port captain on LNG Terminal, holding unlimited merchant navy Master Licence.

Captain Taleb has joined Port of Fujairah as a marine pilot in 2014, in 2016; he took a senior position in the PoF as Deputy Harbour Master and Head of Marine Traffic & Safety, after he has been awarded the Degree of Master of Science in Port Management by Liverpool John Moores University.

He is given responsibility in monitoring and management of moorage area and harbour facilities, operations and maintenance of harbour facilities and equipments with Familiarity with all applicable local marine ordinances, performing nautical investigations, furthermore, his given the ability to enforce local marine ordinances.

He is also serves a member of the national Executive Team for Logistics Performance indicator.

Spending her summer visits to the UAE as a child wandering around the Gulf Craft factory and playing in the showrooms cemented Abeer Alshaali’s commitment to the company. Mrs Alshaali was raised and educated in the United States of America. She always yearned to work in the family business, but after completing her Bachelor’s degree at Rice University in Houston, Texas, she joined HSBC to gain an initial experience.

After her professional years, Mrs Alshaali took time off work to raise her own family. She also spent those years actively involved in the Parent Teacher Association of Dar Al Marefa School in Dubai, handling all finances for the association. Later she joined the Gulf Craft organization working in the Executive Office handling the management of the company alongside her father. She has successfully overseen the implementation of new processes to make the company more efficient and has been instrumental in improving the structure of the company.  

Mrs Alshaali believes in a continuous learning and improving work ethic and to that end is currently pursuing her MBA. She encourages a cooperative work environment and sees industrial development fundamental to the economic growth of the UAE. She encourages more involvement between the private and public sector as she believes that there are many common goals that can be achieved together.

Mrs Alshaali is also a board member of the Ajman Media City Free Zone and serves as a mentor in the Shaikh Abdulaziz Bin Humaid Leadership Program.

Abdulla Bin Damithan has been with DP World since 2001. He was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer for DP World – UAE Region in 2017. Abdulla is responsible for all revenue generation activities, products and services offered across the portfolio including Ports & Terminals, Parks & Zones and Trade Enablement solutions.

Abdulla is a recognised leader in the maritime & logistics landscape within the Middle East with commercial success across the maritime & logistics industries. His focus on innovation and customer centricity have been the core of his commercial strategy. Abdulla sits on the Board of a number of DP World Ports & Terminals globally and also is an independent director in logistics ventures.

A proud Emirati national, Abdulla has a Bachelors in Business from the United States and a Graduate Diploma in Maritime & Port Management from the National University of Singapore. He has also completed the Dubai Leaders Program and leadership courses at the London Business School.

Lars holds an MSc (Physics), an Executive MBA and seafaring UK MCA Deck Certificates of Competency. His professional career stretches across the telecommunications sector, where he was an expert in the early adoption of Voice over IP, a career at sea and a shore based career covering various roles in the maritime industry including Maritime Training and Education.

Lars joined the senior management of Warsash Maritime Academy in 2012. In his current role he is heading up the commercial operations for the Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering, part of Solent University, which incorporates the world-renowned education for seafarers as well as academic programmes for shore based roles in shipping.

Katharina Stanzel has served as Managing Director of INTERTANKO since 2012. The fifth MD in the Association’s 45 year history, she brings an environmental background to the position. She holds postgraduate qualifications in coastal management and business administration from universities in Germany, the UK and Australia.

A marine biologist by training, she entered the world of shipping in the 1990’s. Focussing on marine pollution from ships, she spent ten years as technical advisor for the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) before joining the IOPC Funds, a UN body tasked with administering several crucial compensation conventions for oil pollution from tankers.

She is a Member of the American Bureau of Shipping and sits on the Marine and European Advisory Committees for Lloyd’s Register and RINA respectively. She also served as non-executive director on the Board of SeaAlarm, a Belgian foundation that brings together NGOs, government agencies and industry to enhance oiled wildlife response.

In 2012, she was honoured to be named WISTA International Personality of the Year by the Women in Shipping Trade Association.

Jason Stefanatos is a Senior Research Engineer in DNV GL R&D and Advisory department in Piraeus, Greece. He holds a degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and his field of expertise includes digital services, cyber security, machinery systems and fleet performance assessment, design and operation optimisation, hybrid-electric propulsion systems, and energy efficiency. He has 13 scientific and industrial publications. The past 2 years has been actively involved in many digitalization projects of DNV GL both (research and applications).

Currently, he is regional responsible for the following lines of services: Cyber Security, Environmental compliance (EU MRV, IMO DCS, CAP 2020, Scrubbers), Performance (performance needs mapping, Vendors selection advise, ECO Insight, energy efficiency).​

Jörgen Strandberg is General Manager Advanced Technology at Wärtsilä Voyage Solutions. He joined the company in September 2016 after having previously served in various ship management positions, most recently with AIDA and Costa Cruises. Born in 1967, he studied mechanical engineering but because of his love of the sea, he joined the merchant navy and then studied to become a Captain. He subsequently served again at sea as an officer and eventually earned his captain’s license. Following his marriage, he became a lecturer at Kalmar Maritime Academy, specialising in instrumentation and navigational systems before going off to international companies.​

Following a 19 year sea career as a marine engineer, Timothy has specialised in marine fuel oil consultancy since 1995 with LR FOBAS and is the technical authority on marine fuel oil quality and exhaust emissions for Lloyd’s Register.

 A member of the ISO TC 28/SC 4/WG 6 and CIMAC Fuels WG7 working groups since 2006 and involved with the revisions of the 2010/12 and 2017 ISO 8217 marine fuel oil specifications and today in developing the ISO Publically Available Specification for 2020 including involvement in the IMO MEPC and PPR proceedings for the development of consistent implementation guidelines for Annex Vi Reg. 14.1.3.  He is also engaged as an expert advisor to the European Shipping Sustainability Forums from 2013.