Meet our Speakers

Mathieu Girardin was born in 1982. He graduated from ESCP Europe with a Master in Management in 2005 and later earned an Executive MBA from INSEAD in 2018.
After 8 years in Strategy and Management consulting, Girardin began his career in the maritime industry by joining CMA CGM in 2013. Over nearly a decade, he held various senior management positions in Europe and Asia (Singapore), contributing significantly to the company’s operational and corporate strategies.

In 2022, Mathieu Girardin joined DFDS as the Executive Vice President for the Ferry Division. In this role, he oversees all Passenger, Ro-Ro, and Ro-Pax activities, along with their associated terminals. His leadership has been pivotal in strategic decisions, such as the acquisition of Spanish-Moroccan ferry operator FRS Iberia, or the sale of the Copenhagen-Oslo cruise ferry route to Gotlandsbolaget, which aimed to refocus DFDS’s efforts on transport and logistics services.

Girardin is known for his forward-thinking approach, particularly in expanding DFDS’s presence in high-potential freight corridors like the Strait of Gibraltar. His vision includes introducing environmentally friendly vessels powered by electric, methanol, and ammonia by 2030.

Outside of his professional life, Mathieu is passionate about sustainable maritime practices and innovation in the shipping industry. His contributions continue to shape the future of maritime transport, balancing commercial success with environmental responsibility.

Background
• ESCP Business School
• INSEAD Master of Business Administration

Career
• Accenture 2005 - 2007
• RISE CONSEIL 2007 – 2013
• CMA CGM:
- Deputy Line Manager 2013 – 2014
- Line Manager 2014 – 2015
- Senior Line Manager 2015 – 2016
- Deputy Chief Trade Officer APL, Singapore 2016 – 2018
- CEO Asia Regional Office, Singapore 2018 – 2019
- Chief Trade Officer CMA CGM Asia and APL, Singapore 2019 – 2020
- Senior Vice President Group Operations 2020
- Senior Vice President Short Sea Lines 2020 – 2022

Volunteer work
• Maritime Industry Cluster President – French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore
• French Trade Advisor Denmark

Board work
• Board Member - French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (2019-2021)
• Board Member – French Chamber of Commerce in Denmark (since 2024)

Björn Boström is since 2008 Managing Director at Port of Ystad. He has 40 years of experience in shipping in companies like Saga Line, DFDS, Lion Ferry, DSØ A/S (i.a. The Hydrofoils Copenhagen-Malmö), the domestic island ferry company Ven-Trafiken AB and for 16 years now Port of Ystad. He has a broad experience of ferry operations and has worked as Sales Representative, Sales- and Marketing Manager, Route Manager and Managing Director.

The port has undergone a major development as two new ferry berths, for vessels up to 240 meters, were built ready for service in January 2021, an investment of more than 100 million euro securing the future port operations.

Since 2008, Port of Ystad has strengthened its position as Sweden's third largest ferry passenger port. Port of Ystad is now also developing as a cruise port as the city of Ystad is well suited as cruise destination. The new berths make this possible.

Mr. Achille Onorato, the eldest son of Vincenzo Onorato, represents a fifth generation ship – owner.
He graduated in Business Administration at Bocconi University in Milan. Later received his Master always Bocconi in Logistics and Transport Infrastructure.
Even before his degree, he already participates actively in the business of the company, working on board of the ship fleet of the family alternately to studies
from the age of 13 years old until the end of university, spending on board a total of more than 3 years.
He then later started to work in the commercial area of the group and then became the Hospitality and on Board Services Director of the company Moby SpA.
On January 2012 he became the CEO of the company Toremar, first public shipping company that was privatized in Italy, achieving a radical revolution and innovation of the company.
Mr. Achille Onorato has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Moby and Tirrenia – CIN since 2015 and he has also served as the sole director of both companies from its formation until its conversation into a joint stock companyand the subsequent appointment of the Board of Directors.

On July 2015 Mr. Achille Onorato has become the Vice Executive Chairman of Moby SpA and subsequently on April, 2016 he became the Chief Executive Officer and in the same time he still keeps the position of Vice Executive Chairman of the company.
In addition to the Ship - owner's family tradition, just like his father, he has also the passion for sailing on regattas.

Summary of Current Position in the Company:
* Moby CEO and Vice Executive Chairman
* Member of the BoD of Tirrenia – CIN
* Executive Member of the BoD of Toremar
* BoD Member of San Cataldo
* Chairman of Agemar and Renzo Conti sr

Brian Thorsted Hansen joined Fjord Line AS as the CEO in 2021.

Fjord Line was founded in 1993 and is Norway's second largest shipping company for international passenger traffic and freight transportation between Norway and Denmark. Being a link between coastal communities and in connecting Norway and Continental Europe has always been important throughout Fjord Line's history.
Fjord Line has led the way in the green transition at sea being pioneers within green shipping and sustainable fuels. This includes being an early adopter of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) technologies.
Brian is a seasoned executive within the shipping industry and has previously served as Head of DFDS' passenger business including successfully led DFDS' digital transformation within the passenger division. His focus has always been on innovation, growth and execution based on people, customer centricity and value creation

Juan Pablo Molina, born in Madrid in 1971, is MSc. In Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering by Polytechnic University of Madrid and MBA by IDE.
With more than 25 years of experience in different areas in maritime industry and with a large worldwide background, in Latin America, Singapore and The Netherlands.
He has developed different projects and business management responsibilities in ship repairs and ship building shipyards like NAVANTIA, VULKAN SHIPYARD and DAMEN SHIPYARDS GROUP both on commercial vessels, military ships as well as mega-yachts.
Since 2021, he joined for a second time the ferry and ro-pax owner BALEARIA, where in total has accumulated almost 10 years of experience as Technical Director.

Panos Dikaios is the CEO of ATTICA GROUP, one of the leading ferry operators worldwide, based in Greece. He joined the Group in 2012 and from 2013 until 2023 he served as the Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Dikaios is also a member of the Board of Directors of ATTICA GROUP as well as its subsidiaries.
He has more than 20 years of experience in shipping finance and investment banking. Prior to joining ATTICA GROUP, he held the position of Shipping Manager at the Investment Bank of Greece, responsible for financing and investment banking services to the maritime sector. Mr. Dikaios is also an elected member of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, Board of Directors.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in maritime studies from the University of Piraeus in Greece, and an MBA from the RSM Rotterdam School of Management, in Netherlands.

With a distinguished career and educational background, Panagiotis G. Anastassopoulos seamlessly blends technological expertise with strategic leadership.
As CEO OLPA, he oversees overall strategic management, implementing innovative approaches to enhance port services and fortify the port's position at the national and international levels. He has spearheaded initiatives for the development and enhancement of port infrastructure, elevating the efficiency and competitiveness of Organization. Actively seeking and promoting strategic collaborations with other ports, businesses, and agencies,
he strengthens the position of OLPA in blue economy. Panagiotis G. Anastassopoulos boasts a BA in Mathematics from the University of Patras
and an MBA from the Hellenic Open University and several IT accreditations.
Furthermore, he holds specialized knowledge in the development of IT systems, particularly in WEB2.0 applications.
With over 25 years of experience, he possesses excellent expertise in innovative business models and digital transformation.

Chief Commercial Officer of OSK Group comprising OSK-ShipTech A/S and Steen Friis Design A/S – leading Danish marine consultancy group specialising in innovative ferry designs and ship interiors, maritime risk assessment and green propulsion technologies to name just a few.

Anders has served as Secretary General of Danish Society for Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and has been recommended as fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects in London. He spends the majority of his time advising shipowners on Fleet Strategy, concept development and technical advisory on tender processes and negotiation of newbuilding projects.

Anders holds a master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and is a specialist in the field of RoRo and RoPax ferries, innovative concept designs, passenger flow, and on-board experience economy.

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

Katja started working in ship finance at KfW IPEX-Bank in 2011. With a current portfolio of approximately EUR 15.6 billion, KfW IPEX-Bank is one of the world’s leading ship financiers. The bank provides financing for European vessel owners for construction of new vessels and the modernisation of existing vessels, newbuildings from European shipyards, and vessels with significant European content – always with a strong focus on sustainable ship finance.

Over the course of her career, Katja has been responsible for managing relationships with numerous shipping companies worldwide. In 2018/2019, she temporarily left the maritime sector to gain experience in equity portfolio management and financial modeling at KfW IPEX-Bank. For the past five years, she has focused on Nordic clients as a relationship manager, responsible for the origination and structuring of new projects. Her core clients are Nordic ferry operators.
In her many years of experience, Katja has gained profound expertise in both the financial and technical aspects of various (sub)sectors within the maritime industry. She holds a Master of Finance from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

Andreas Ullrich is the Global Market Director responsible for passenger ships and ferries.
Andreas is the Global Market Director for Passenger Ships and Ferries within the Commercial Department of RINA Service. He is a Naval Architect and has extensive experience with passenger ships and ferries related to design, construction and operation. Industry Experience
•Over 35 years of experience in classification society in different roles mostly related to passenger ships and ferries.•Experience in design verification, surveying ships, project management of complex ships, training and ISO certification (ISO 9001)•Technical advisor to the German Flag State Administration at IMO MSC and Sub-Committee meetings mainly related to passenger ships
Topics
•Passenger ships and ferries
•Alternative fuels and technologies, Sustainability and Decarbonization
•Alternative design and risk analysis / assessment

Andreas Weidner was born in 1963 and studied Electrical Engineering with a specialization in automation technology at the University of Rostock. He has dedicated more than 35 years to Anschütz, holding a variety of leadership positions across the company.
For 15 years, he successfully led the naval sales division, shaping key customer relationships and contributing to the company’s global footprint. Since September 2023, Andreas has served as Managing Director, responsible for corporate strategy, business development, innovation, and the company’s international subsidiaries.
With a strong technical background and extensive management experience, Andreas is passionate about driving innovation and guiding Anschütz through the challenges of a rapidly evolving maritime industry. He is married and has two adult children.

As Head of Gotland Tech Development, Mikael is working with the energy transition of Gotlandsbolagets ferry business.
He holds a research background with a Ph.D in Naval Architecture and has since been working with
government maritime projects, leading research projects, and sustainable technology for shipping.
Before joining Gotlandsbolaget Mikael was a part of starting the Swedish wingsail company Oceanbird and acting as Techical Director.”

Endre Løvaas (CCO) and Mikael Egnér (CTO) from Ferry Systems combine decades of heavy domain experience, respectively from business development and IT-systems. The mother company DSD can display 170 years of maritime innovation, and Ferry Systems is no exception as the solutions and technologies are cutting-edge when it comes to boarding and booking.

Endre Løvaas has led the growth of several companies within the travel industry domain, whilst Mikael Egnér previously served as software architect at Stena Line for 17 years and also held the role as chief architect for 4 years before he went on to build a new industry standard for ferry reservation systems, removing legacy and operational constraints.
Together they will display by examples how modern boarding and booking technology bring significant effects to the ferry industry, through operational cost- and emission savings in parallel with improved customer experience and profitability.

Endre Løvaas (CCO) and Mikael Egnér (CTO) from Ferry Systems combine decades of heavy domain experience, respectively from business development and IT-systems. The mother company DSD can display 170 years of maritime innovation, and Ferry Systems is no exception as the solutions and technologies are cutting-edge when it comes to boarding and booking.

Endre Løvaas has led the growth of several companies within the travel industry domain, whilst Mikael Egnér previously served as software architect at Stena Line for 17 years and also held the role as chief architect for 4 years before he went on to build a new industry standard for ferry reservation systems, removing legacy and operational constraints.
Together they will display by examples how modern boarding and booking technology bring significant effects to the ferry industry, through operational cost- and emission savings in parallel with improved customer experience and profitability.

Andrew is an experienced maritime professional, who has over two decades of experience in the industry. Originally a deck officer serving on cruise vessels, he then moved to western channel ferry services operating form the UK to Europe. Since coming ashore in 2012, he has held operational positions in both the ferry and cruise industries. In 2015, Andrew joined the team at Portsmouth International Port initially as a Port Operations Manager, and then in 2023 took on the role of Head of Cruise & Ferry. Portsmouth International Port is the UKs most successful municipal port, with ferry services operating to France, Spain and the Channel Islands and has bold ambitions to reach net zero by 2030 and become zero emission by 2050. In 2023, Portsmouth was successfully awarded funding to embark on a ground-breaking decarbonisation project which will see the port design, build and operate a shore power system across its three busiest berths which will become operational in Spring 2025

Christophe MATHIEU
Born on 3rd August 1968

Educational background:
Master in Management Science Paris I
International Executive Program INSEAD 2005

BRITTANY FERRIES:

From 1991 to 1999: Brittany Ferries UK (Ltd) – Plymouth
Finance, Operation and Commercial Passenger Departments
March 1999 to April 2006: Group Business Controller
May 2006 to June 2009: Strategic Development Director
June 2009 to March 2016: Group Strategy and Commercial Director
Member of the Executive Board
Since April 2016: Chief Executive Officer

INTERFERRY:
Board Member from 2011 to 2023

Chairman from 2020 to 2022

CONDOR FERRIES:

C.E.O. since February 2024

GREEN MARINE EUROPE:

Board Member since 2024

Per brings over 40 years of maritime experience and innovation.
From Master Mariner and Port Operations Manager to leading SmartPort Architect, he has worked hands-on across all continents—transforming ferry and terminal logistics at more than 100 locations.
Per has created blueprints for multiple digital terminal ecosystems, now powering some of Europe’s busiest ferry ports and leading RoRo operators.
He pioneered the first digital RoRo gate systems in the early 1990s,
followed by the development of DFDS’s GTMS and the design and rollout of rePORT at Stena Line, and later contributed to the development of additional ferry systems—digitizing real-time flows of vehicles, trailers, and cargo.

As the operational designer of the SmartPort ITS concept for Adaptive Recognition, Per bridges operations with emerging OCR and sensor technologies.

Today, he advises OEMs, system integrators, ports, and ferry operators on how to connect infrastructure, technology, and operational workflows
to deliver the next generation of automated, data-driven port operations.

Torben has more than a decade of experience in the maritime industry, working internationally with equipment supply across both merchant and passenger shipping. His background is rooted in sales and business development, and he has held positions in both large global companies and scale-ups, covering technologies such as fuel cells, waste heat recovery, and combustion technology.
He is passionate about clean technologies and innovation that drive efficiency and sustainability, and he is motivated by the rapid pace at which the maritime industry is adopting new green solutions.
Since February 2025, he has been part of Echandia as Sales Director, playing a key role in expanding the adoption of LTO battery technology in the European market. He believes direct electrification with batteries holds significant potential – benefiting both the environment and the financial performance of shipowners by improving day-to-day operational efficiency

With over 11 years of experience in the maritime sector, Meri has built a strong track record in delivering mission-critical technology solutions to ferry operators, ports, and terminals. She specializes in helping clients increase operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance real-time visibility through digitalization and automation.

For the past 5 years, Meri has served as the Sales Director at Surikat, where she has been instrumental in driving the adoption of innovative solutions that transform terminal operations. Her work empowers terminals to optimize their workflows, ensuring smoother operations and improved service delivery.

Meri’s deep industry expertise and passion for advancing maritime technologies have made her a trusted advisor to leading terminal operators worldwide. She is committed to helping businesses unlock the full potential of their operations through cutting-edge digital tools .

Dr. Gernot Tesch has a professional education as ship electrician.
He holds a German university degree in Business Administration & Management and a MBA in Shipping & Logistics
(Middlesex University London). At the University of Rostock, he wrote his PhD about workable competition on shipping markets. He has 25 years of experience in ferry and Ro/Ro-shipping and Port Management at DFO and Scandlines in different positions including Business Development and Line Management. He got appointed Managing Director of Scandlines Deutschland GmbH between 2010 – 2014. Since
2015 he has been Managing Director of the Port of Rostock.

Johan Roos is the Executive Director of EU and IMO Affairs for Interferry based in Sweden. Previously he was Director of Sustainability with Stena Rederi AB. He holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Johan works in close relation with the European Shipowners and the International Chamber of Shipping.

He has extensive experience of international maritime regulation, having represented Interferry at the IMO since 2008 and with the EU institutions since 2010. At the IMO, Johan attends all Committee meetings in person and also covers most of the sub-committees. At the EU level, he represents Interferry - primarily through consultation with the EU Commission and various stakeholder working groups – mainly covering safety, environment and operational issues.

In 2016, Johan set up Ferrysafe, an Interferry initiative focusing on ferry safety in countries not covered by SOLAS, noting the extensive need of capacity building in many African and South East Asian countries.

Maddy joined Brock Solutions in 2019 and quickly became a driving force behind SmartPort’s evolution. Since 2022, she’s led the project at Rosslare Europort, shaping its direction from the ground up. Now, she’s steering SmartPort’s implementation at the Port of Dover, helping deliver a real-time Transit Assurance System.

Maddy's experience with ports projects includes leading software development, collaborating with stakeholders to develop core functionalities, and gathering feedback to ensure meaningful solutions are delivered. Her expertise extends to building integrations with third-party companies and maintaining SmartPort’s Azure-based infrastructure, ensuring the system runs smoothly behind the scenes while delivering impact where it counts.

Andreas Krohn is a seasoned IT professional currently serving as the Chief Technology Officer at Expian where he oversees all technological operations. His career began in programming and evolved through roles as a Product Manager and Project Manager, eventually establishing himself as an API specialist.

Prior to his tenure at Expian, Andreas was Head of IT at Forsea Ferries where he was responsible for IT strategy and implementation, IT and OT security. Andreas has personal experience of understanding the pain points Ferry Operators face and their requirements of a ticketing solution.

Andreas's diverse experience and leadership makes him a key figure in the IT and Digital sectors, driving innovation and growth across various organisations, in particular the ferry industry.

Throughout his professional career, THOMAS DOEPEL has systematically enriched his knowledge and experience within the shipping industry. By combining maritime knowledge with a broad economic insight through his Master Mariner, M.Sc. Economics and MBA studies at Copenhagen Business School, he has gained a deep understanding of the real key drivers in the shipping business.
Mr Doepel has been a member of the Executive Committee at Finnlines since 2013 and took on the position as Chief Operating Officer (COO) from beginning of 2020 in Finnlines.
In March 2025, Mr. Doepel was appointed President and CEO of Finnlines. Mr. Doepel is also the vice Chairman of the Board of Finnish Shipowner’s Association and member of the Board of ICS (International Chamber of Shipping).

Prof. Dr. Sebastian Jürgens, born in 1963, has been CEO at LHG since January 2014. He is currently the sole managing director once again.
Simultaneously Sebastian Jürgens is Honorary Professor of Transport Logistics at the Technical University of Berlin. Prior to that, from 2009, he was a member of the Executive Board of Hamburger Hafen Logistik AG (HHLA) responsible for the Logistics and Intermodal Divisions.
Jürgens was able to draw on his experience at Deutsche Bahn where he was a member of the Divisional Board and member of the Executive Board in charge of the Intermodal Division.
He finished his legal studies as attorney. In addition he achieved a Ph.D. in philosophy. Jürgens began his professional career at McKinsey & Co and in a law firm.