Stefan Hyttfors is an acclaimed futurist, author, and award-winning global speaker. Stefan has a background as a journalist and economist. Today, he is one of Europe’s leading voices on disruptive technologies, behavioral change, and next-generation leadership. His presentations are always tailor-made to ensure relevance. The feedback from the audience is usually a mix of «inspiring, entertaining, and thought-provoking». Stefan has been awarded the Swedish Speaker of the Year twice. (more…)

Torger Reve, Professor Emeritus of Strategy and Industrial Competitiveness at BI Norwegian Business School, has had a distinguished academic and professional career. With a PhD in marketing from Northwestern University and multiple master’s degrees, Reve has served in prominent roles including President of BI Norwegian Business School and the Foundation for Research in Economics and Business Administration. (more…)

IRENE ROSBERG is Director of the Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics (The Blue MBA) at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Europe’s leading institution of its kind.  From the beginning, she has been responsible for the design, development and co-ordination of The Blue MBA. On behalf of CBS, she has a fundamental role in building global relationships and networks within the maritime industry. (more…)

Craig Eason has been a journalist for longer than he was at sea. His sea going career started out of school, becoming a navigation officer, working mainly on deep sea oil and gas carrier for an oil major before gaining valuable experience in a number of other vessel types.

He left the sea to pursue his interest in journalism, first with a double-honours degree at the University of East Anglia, UK, where he also majored in Scandinavian studies and Swedish, and then at City University, London, for a broad journalism post-graduate diploma.

After a stint as a broadcast journalist, focusing on radio and television news production, he became involved in corporate event research and production ahead of becoming a maritime journalist, first with Lloyd’s List and then under his own company Fathom World.

It was in this latter period he became well-known as a knowledgeable and competent editor, event moderator and podcast host.

So, with over 20 years journalism experience and a decade at sea, Craig joined TradeWinds editorial team in 2023, strengthening the publications firepower as it continues to grow from strength to strength.

Eirik Solheim is an internationally sought-after communicator and speaker in the media and technology industry with 25 years’ experience as a technology consultant, media producer and journalist at NRK. In 2006, he started the renowned development department NRKbeta. Solheim has held a board position at NCE Media/Media City Bergen and has been a consultant at Accenture. He is associated with Volda University College as a researcher and has a degree in media engineering from the University of Stavanger.

Knut Arild Hareide is the newly appointed leader of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. He comes from the position as Director General for the Norwegian Maritime Authority. Previously, Hareide was leader of the Christian Democratic Party from 2011 to 2019 and has been active in both local and national politics. Hareide was a member of the Parliament from 2009 to 2021. From 2004 to 2005 he was Minister of the Environment, and from 2020 to 2021 he was Minister of Transport and Communications. He holds an MSc in Business Economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, and has worked as Organisation Director, Project Manager and Business Developer in Schibsted.

Siri Pettersen Strandenes is Professor Emerita, at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). She is Honorary Visiting Professor at Faculty of Finance, Bayes Business School, City, University of London. Her main research areas are Maritime Economics, Economics of Air Transport, International Economics and Industrial Organization. She has published on freight market modelling, port pricing strategies, shipbuilding and airline competition among other topics. Strandenes was awarded the Onassis Prize in Shipping 2023. She has served on the Board of several public institutions and private companies in shipping and finance, among them DNB, Norges Bank, Bergshav Shipholding, Norwegian Hull Club and the Rafto Foundation.

Hans Christian has two decades’ experience in international marine insurance. A former officer of the Norwegian Royal Navy, Hans Christian joined Norwegian Hull Club as a Claims Handler and Adjuster in 2002. From there he garnered a wide variety of experience thanks to management roles in Underwriting, Offshore Energy & Special Risks, and Charterer’s Liabilities. Following his tenure as Chief Operating Officer, Hans Christian took on the role of Chief Executive Office in 2016. He is a graduate of the Norwegian University of Science & Technology and MIT, holding a Master’s in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering. He says: “I believe in staying curious – both personally and for Norwegian Hull Club as a business. Such a mindset helps us to stay relevant for our clients, building on our foundation of integrity, trust and experience.”

Morten Rud Pedersen is the Founder, President and CEO of the Rud Pedersen Group.
Morten has extensive experience in everything from strategic advice and communication to crisis management and project implementation. He started the Group with Rud Pedersen Public AEairs in 2003, and the firm has since developed successful operations in 18 countries based on Morten’s concepts, creating a unique and high-level strategic communications and public aEairs service. Rud Pedersen Group was named EMEA Public AEairs Consultancy of the Year in 2023. Before starting his own company, Morten worked as Managing Director of ETUC
(European Labour Movement) in Brussels for eight years and was Special Advisor for the former Party Leader of the Danish Social Democrats, Mr. Mogens Lykketoft.

Henrik H. Langeland (b. 1972 in Oslo) is an novelist and literary researcher. Langeland had his breakthrough as an author in 2003 with the novel Wonderboy, a publication that helped define an era in Norwegian economic history. He has published several novels and the latest Makten og æren is an intense and diverse family drama about life in a Norwegian shipping company.

Henrik Langeland has also written several non-fiction books, including Ut å stjæle lesere – Håndbok i narrekunst. For several years, Langeland has held writing courses aimed at those who want to learn the concrete mechanisms on which a well-written narrative is based. Since 2008, over a thousand people have attended his seminars – not just fiction writers, but anyone with ambitions to create better stories.

Madhu Koirala is a PhD candidate in Computer Science at University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Tromsø, Narvik. His research is centred on harnessing AI to track dry bulk cargoes such as iron ore, coal, etc. using satellite imagery. Specifically, his research focuses on identifying and detecting various types of ores, and estimating their volumes at a specific port. This work aims to generate immensely valuable economic insights for shipping companies.

Dr. Debanshu Ratha is a researcher in applied mathematics, remote sensing and AI. He obtained his PhD from IIT Bombay and Master of Science in Mathematics from NISER, Bhubaneswar. He has worked in various reputed institutions and organizations in Netherlands, France, India and Norway. He has 10+ years of experience working in research and consultancy projects.

His work has been adopted into European Space Agency’s SNAP software. He has consulted start-ups working in agriculture insurance in leveraging space technology for crop loss/crop failure assessment. He has provided more sophisticated measures to calculating traffic index from road sensor data to CBS in Netherlands. He is a recipient of several prestigious national and binational cooperation awards.

He is interested in working on interdisciplinary problems, often intersecting with industry operations to make them more efficient and sustainable.

Allan Nganga is currently a PhD fellow at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) focusing on maritime cybersecurity. He is part of MarSafe (Maritime Safety), a cross-disciplinary research group at HVL whose research is human-centered and system-oriented. He brings onboard a wealth of experience ranging from systems security to digital forensics. His main research is in human factors specifically situation awareness, decision-making, information processing, and warning compliance. His current research is investigating how human factors impact the effectiveness of cyber incident communication to ship crew. He has published on this topic and is open to future collaboration.

Marianne Møgster currently serves as Executive Vice President Sustainability, which includes HSEQ, Communication, and Digitalization and Technology. She has experience from several other leadership positions in DOF. She joined the DOF Group in 2008 and has more nearly 20 years’ experience in the offshore energy industry, including finance roles in DOF, StatoilHydro, and Norsk Hydro. She is currently serving on several Board of Directors in Norway, including Norwegian Shipowners Association, Norwegian Hull Club and Belships.

Fredrik Barth is together with John Jacobsen (and friends) are the founders of Nordic Circles, an award-winning Norwegian company that upcycles maritime metals, from oil platforms and ships, into building products in the building industry. The products are loaded with identity and positive storytelling values, while they at the same time have almost zero emissions. Jacobsen is the CEO of Nordic Circles, and CEO of a famous Norwegian business strategy office called Willder. Barth is the chairman of the board in Nordic Circles and the CEO of local architectural company Vill Arkitektur.

Samaneh Abolpour Mofrad has a strong background in mathematics, holding a master’s degree in Geometry and another in Applied Mathematics, specializing in porous media and oil reservoirs. I completed my Ph.D. in Machine Learning and Data Analysis in collaboration with the Department of Radiology, with a focus on aging and dementia.

Following my Ph.D., I worked as a Data Scientist Consultant at Inmeta, a consulting company in Oslo. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher supported by a Marie Curie grant at the University of Bergen and Imperial College London. My research focuses on geometric deep learning and graph neural networks, with applications in weather forecasting and smart shipping.

Professor Haiying Jia is a distinguished scholar at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), specializing in shipping economics, finance, insurance, and international trade. She earned her PhD in Finance from Bayes Business School and has experience working as an investment analyst in London’s finance industry. Prof. Jia’s research focuses on energy efficiency, shipping emissions, operational behavior, risk assessment, and commodity trades.  She has led several industry-collaborative projects and published extensively in leading academic journals, contributing to innovative solutions in the global shipping and trade sectors.

Elisabeth Drægebø is the Head of Section for the Business Development Team in DNV’s Maritime Region North Europe. With 10 years of experience in solving operational and technical issues in the maritime industry, she also brings management and operational expertise from the oil and gas industry, along with previous work experience in marine insurance.

Drægebø is passionate about the green shift in ocean industries and currently serves as the chair of the board in Maritime Bergen and as a board member in Maritime CleanTech. She holds a Master of Science degree in Marine Technology, specializing in operations of marine systems, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Commander Tommy Krabberød is section chief for Naval Power and Management at the Norwegian Defense Academy / Naval Academy. With over 20 years’ experience in training officers and he has good insight into what is needed to train leaders for the Norwegian Navy. He has served on a frigate and has a PhD in organizational theory. He recently completed the Norwegian Armed Forces’ senior executive course and he is engaged in developing future leaders for the Norwegian Armed Forces and the maritime sector.

Matthew Duke is an experienced executive management professional with a degree in environmental studies focusing on sustainable development. He worked for 15 years in the IT/Digital field, with six years leading the global IT function for chemical operator Odfjell SE. Matt then moved into a commercial role, leading the maritime team for the tech company Kongsberg Digital. Matt took over as CEO with Grieg Maritime Group in 2019.   At Grieg he has overseen the strengthening of the core Open Hatch business, whilst building out new innovative business segments within Short Sea, New Energy & Ocean Venture investments.  Matt has varied board experience, including the Bergen Ship Owners Association, Grieg Logistics, Grieg Connect and G2 Ocean.  He holds dual British & Norwegian citizenship.

Tor-Erik Rong have long experience in working with start-ups and scaling companies. Highly technology driven, enjoy making life a bit easier for the customers and end users by developing meaningful and valuable technology that solves real problems.

Experienced in Maritime, sailing on ships as well as long-term engagement in ScanReach developing solutions for the Maritime industry. Previous experience from Oil & Gas, nationally here in Norway as well as international for more that 15 years.

Have held multiple leading positions over the last years in multiple companies, from leading development and products but currently holds the title Chief Business Development Officer in ScanReach – Onboard Wireless Connectivity.

Maren Lodden is a project manager at Grieg Maritime Group, where she has been working since September 2022.  In her current position in Grieg Maritime Group, she has been involved in several projects withing the digital sphere and business development. Her career path includes experience as a consultant at Atea Norge, where she specialized in advanced data analytics. She has a diverse background, and has now  combined two of her major interests:  digital transformation and the maritime industry.

Maren Lodden is an active figure in the Norwegian maritime industry, holding several leadership roles in key organizations. She serves as the Vice Chair of YoungShip Bergen, a network that supports young professionals in the maritime sector, focusing on knowledge sharing and networking within the local and international maritime community. YoungShip Bergen has over 250 members and plays a vital role in shaping future maritime leaders​.

In addition, Maren is a board member of WISTA Norway (Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association), a global organization dedicated to empowering women in the maritime industry.. Maren’s involvement in WISTA highlights her commitment to fostering gender equality and supporting women’s leadership in the traditionally male-dominated maritime sector​. Her dual roles in these organizations underscore her influence and dedication to promoting diversity and developing young talent in maritime Norway.

Torleif Lothe is an oceanographer and Research Director for Coastal and Ocean Systems at NORCE. He has worked with applied and industrial measurement, analysis and modelling/forecasting of waves, wind and current for 30 years.

His group cooperates with Equinor, Gassco, the Norwegian Coastal Administration, the Norwegian Maritime Authority, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, as well as a number of other companies in wind power, aquaculture, shipping, ship design and others.

NORCE has worked with detection and short-term warning of waves and ship movement for a number of years and collaborates with leading players such as Kongsberg Maritime, Equinor and DOF in the area.

Lothe is also regional manager in NORCE for the region of Haugalandet and Sunnhordland.

Anders Vahlin is Research Director Autonomous Systems and IoT at NORCE. He holds an M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Chalmers in Gothenburg/Imperial College in London and a PhD degree in signal processing for wireless communication from NTNU in Trondheim.

He has more than 25 years of experience from industrial research and technology development in international electronics industry. Over the years, Vahlin has held various technical and management positions in industries including radio communication, instrumentation and sensors.