Captain Mohamed Al Ali is the Senior Vice President Offshore Logistics at ADNOC Logistics and Services (L&S). In his current role at ADNOC L&S, he oversees the commercial logistics and operational activities of the ports, offshore supply and support fleet to provide end to end Offshore Logistics Solution to the customers including Warehousing, Material Handling, Port and Offshore Supply Operations.

He has over 25 years of successful experience in oil and gas and shipping. He started his career as a deck cadet with National Gas Shipping Company Ltd (NGSCO), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ADNOC in 1996, and rose to become the first UAE National Master on an LNG carrier in 2008.

Captain Al Ali was the Senior Vice President Ship Management at ADNOC Logistics and Services (L&S) since 2013. In his previous role at ADNOC L&S, he was overseeing the operations of ADNOC L&S’ shipping fleet, including LNG and LPG carriers and oil tankers as well as chemical, Sulphur and dry bulk carriers and containers. He spearheaded a number of joint energy efficiency and optimization projects.

Captain Al Ali holds an Executive Master Degree in Business Administration from Zayed University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Maritime Business and Management from John Moores University in Liverpool, UK.

A high-performance leader with extensive experience in the MENA region, Nabil Ben Soussia joined IEC Telecom Group as Director of Technologies and Operations in 2008. In the capacity of Business Unit Director, Mr. Ben Soussia played a key role in the opening of the Abu Dhabi office in 2011. In 2014, Mr. Ben Soussia initiated the opening of a new office in Kazakhstan, and in the same year, he became Managing Director of the Middle East division.

Mr. Ben Soussia moved into the role of Group Vice President in 2018, responsible for the strategic vision and management of the maritime segment.

With the increased scope of his profile and responsibilities within the Group, Mr. Ben Soussia has advanced to the role of CEO Asia, Middle East & CIS in 2020. Recently Nabil took over a global role, stepping into the position of Group CCO.

In his tenure so far, Mr. Ben Soussia has been instrumental in earning international recognition for IEC Telecom, including YahClick Innovation Excellence Award (2018), Thuraya Best Performance Data (2021), Thuraya Best Performance in Land Data VAS – Middle East & Africa (2022), and many more

Chris has a strong ship management background with international experience gained during the past 28 years of executive positions in Ship Management.

Following a career at sea, culminating in 5 years sailing as Chief Engineer, Chris worked in London, Melbourne, Singapore and Dubai holding various senior positions before joining V.Group in April 2020.

Chris has hands on experience of managing all vessel types with an emphasis on tanker management and has held senior positions with Ship Owners, 3rd party Ship Managers and an Oil Major.

Chris is a Chartered Engineer and an active member of the IMarEST, as well as being the Chairman of the Lloyds Register SEA Technical Committee and a member of the ABS, DNVGL and ClassNK ME & SEA technical committees.

Chris has a strong interest in seafarers education and welfare as well as a professional curiosity for all things maritime.

Career Highlights:

• Formerly the General Manager at Abu Dhabi Ports.
• Previously served as Managing Director at Dry Docks World.
• Initiated career as a Marine Engineer at ADNOC LNG.

Current Role: As the CEO of OFCO Offshore International, Hamad propels success through strategic leadership.

Achievements: Acknowledged for outstanding contributions, earning accolades in the maritime sector.

Legacy: Hamad's influence transcends roles, leaving an enduring mark on the industry's trajectory.

Conclusion:Hamad Al Moghrabi’s journey mirrors commitment, leadership, and a profound impact on the logistics landscape.

Effat Mostafa is currently the Founder and General Manager of SeaScope MENA, the first integraed hub for maritime PR and Business Excellence in MENA. Mostafa worked as Executive Director at Tactics Creative Communication and the Managing Editor for Marasi News, the award winner Maritime Media Platform for “Best Maritime Media” from ShipTek Awards.

Effat has more than 14 years of experience in different media fields such as PR, Publishing, Event Management, Reporting and TV Script Writing. Effat’s published articles have been anthologized in different books and journal essays such as “Issues in Comparative Politics” that was published in USA by Todd Landman. Effat is also a contributing writer in several UAE newspapers such as Gulf Today.

Effat has a special passion for the maritime sector and is proud to be the youngest Arab Journalist who successfully published more than 500 articles 36 business studies and covering different fields within the maritime sector. Mostafa has been the first professional to introduce "Maritime PR & Business Exellence" field in the MENA with successful collaboration between private and government sector through many initiatives such as "Maritime Leaders Roundtable" which created the first of its kind direct dialogue between private and government parties.

Capt. Yasser Hashem is the Director of Fleet Personnel at Bahri Ship Management. Capt. Yasser is a highly proficient master mariner and an ex-marine/harbour pilot with over two decades of sailing experience. He heads the Fleet Personnel Department and oversees the Manning, Scheduling, Training, and Performance of over 4,000 seafarers.

Capt. Yasser holds a Master license and a PhD in Maritime Law and Governance. His role plays a big part in keeping the fleet operation smooth and transforming the company’s vision into reality. He has been among the Saudi Arabia delegates in international events including the International Maritime Organization.

Well-educated and equally experienced, Eng. Hessa Ahmed Hamdan Al Malek has been a trailblazer in maritime both regionally and globally. Accomplishing a number of noteworthy achievements on both personal and professional levels, she has paved a path for ambitious women all over the world to follow. Currently, Eng. Hessa serves as the Advisor to the Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs, The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure

With over 20 years of experience in distinctive fields such as urban planning and development, maritime transport, land design and management, and public works, Eng. Hessa is well-versed as it pertains to the ins and outs of the industry. Her expertise includes: maritime strategy, policy, and governance in the maritime sector, maritime legislation, maritime education and training, port development infrastructure, as well as certifications in a number of maritime training courses related to strategy, policymaking, management, human resources and more.

Eng. Hessa worked in the Ministry of Public Works for 14 years as she was promoted from Project Manager in 2000 to Undersecretary Assistant for Public Works in 2012. During her work at the Ministry, she gained extensive experience, leadership and management skills, especially in the management of the public works management such as effective design, implementation and management of engineering projects and maintenance (buildings - roads) and specialized knowledge associated with urban planning and GIS.

In her postion at the FTA, Eng. Hessa contributed to the prosperity of UAE maritime by successfully fulfilling her responsibilities of supervising all works of the local maritime sector at a federal level. This included updating the UAE’s new maritime law, enhancing maritime education, protecting the country’s maritime infrastructure, overseeing ship registration development, and representing the nation in industry related events. Furthermore, Eng. Hessa also plays a key role in the strategic framework of the UAE’s policy and strategies for maritime administration by acting as the head of the Maritime Technical Executive Council.

Today, Eng. Hessa is also the President of the Arab Women in Maritime Association (AWIMA), where she continually strives to empower and encourage aspiring females to remain relentless in their pursuit of a maritime career. Through these efforts and an unwavering work ethic, Eng. Hessa has become an inspiration for countless women who are seeking to enter and make a name for themselves in the maritime industry.

A Senior Executive with nearly 32 years maritime experience in operational, commercial and C-suite roles. Mr. Seth has been within offshore for over 22 years and of which 17+ years has been in Middle East. He is Sr. Vice President Marine Services , ADNOC Logistics and Services from 2019. From 2014-2018, he was CEO of Halul Offshore (Milaha Group, Qatar) where he successfully transformed the business. Prior to that for 5 years, Mr. Seth was Managing Director at Smit Lamnalco, Middle East and India – with P&L responsibility for 11 countries, 800 + employees and he successfully doubled the business in 5 years. Mr. Seth has held various other senior management positions internationally in Svitzer (part of A.P Moller Maersk) and Tidewater Inc., and for 2 years worked as technical superintendent in Hong Kong. He has sailed as Chief Engineer and possesses an MBA from Manchester Business School, UK. Mr. Seth has twice been recognized among the 50 most influential leaders in the Global Marine Offshore Industry.

A Master Mariner with 25 Years of Experience in both Deep Sea and the Offshore Industry . Worked Previously with ADNOC Group for 8 Years in Abu Dhabi and currently serving as CEO of Greenfield Marine Technologies , a Company that creates smart Digital Solutions using cutting edge technologies .

A firm believer that Technology is at the cusp of revolutionizing the Maritime Industry

Mr Jamil Al Ali graduated in 1990 as a Marine Engineer from South Tyneside College, UK after completing his engineering cadetship sponsored by Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC). He sailed onboard all classes of vessels within the KOTC fleet, serving onboard products tankers, VLCC and Gas carriers during his tenure at sea, sailing up to the rank of Chief Engineer before joining KOTC Head office as technical Superintendent in 2002.

He has held various managerial positions in KOTC Head Office spanning from fleet engineering group manager to managing the Fleet new building group and has developed a vast experience in the tanker and gas carriers segments throughout his vast career.

He was often recognized for his key role in ensuring the KOTC fleet was maintained to the highest industry standards and has often received prestigious industry awards such as Tanker Operator of the year etc.

He has headed the Kuwait delegation at the IMO MEPC meeting in London and represented Kuwait at COP 23 – Shipping Initiative in Bonn, Germany.

After a very successful 30 years career at KOTC, Jamil Al Ali is appointed as Head of Regional Commercial & Business Development for the Middle East Region within the Marine and Offshore Division of Bureau Veritas.

Gireesh M Menon is the Managing Director of Aries Group of companies. Headquartered in Sharjah, the company established in 1998, now operates in 17 countries around the world. With interests in diversified fields like oil & gas, Shipping, event management, 3D animation, studios, theatres and film production, the group now has 57 companies in its portfolio. Mr. Menon is a Naval Architect by profession and has a degree in Naval Architecture from Cochin university, Masters in marine technology from Newcastle university, and also is an MBA Degree holder.

He is presently pursuing his doctorate in Naval Architecture and heads the design and Engineering division in Aries Group. He has been at the forefront of many innovative designs, consultancy works and organizing events undertaken throughout his 21-year tenure with Aries Group. Leading a team of over 400 engineering personnel, he has been instrumental in establishing Aries marine as one of the leading Engineering and design consultancy firm in the world, with expertise in a wide range of activities including Offshore Engineering, Naval Architecture, Surveys, Auditing, 3D scanning, Drone inspections, Subsea Engineering and much more. Under his leadership, the company has been involved in new build designs, retrofits and conversions of a wide variety of ship types including tankers, Cable ships, LNG ships, Rigs, offshore platforms and many more.

Capt. Dheeraj Sharma is the Director of Business Development for ABS, for the Middle East and Africa and is based in Dubai.

Dheeraj joined ABS in early 2022. Prior to this, Dheeraj spent almost a decade at the United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC) as their General Manger/Owners Representative at their head office in Dubai overseeing the daily running of the 26 tankers and office teams in Singapore, Mumbai & Hongkong. Before coming ashore, he sailed for 17 years with NOL Singapore, Kuwait Oil Tankers (KOTC) and World-Wide Shipping as Master on Shell & BP-chartered vessels.

Dheeraj is qualified Master Mariner from the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency, holds an MBA in Oil and Gas Management and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London. Having worked for shipowners, managers and oil majors in marine operations, safety, commercial and new building departments, Dheeraj brings a wealth of commercial shipping experience and an owner's perspective with him.

Ramee is a very dedicated and had working maritime professional who started his journey in the maritime industry in 2009 serving a large FSO conversion project in the Dubai dry-docks. He joined Seamaster Maritime L.L.C. in 2010, learning the ins and outs of the maritime industry, rapidly gained knowledge and helped expand the group by opening the office in Sohar – Oman, making it the first office outside of the UAE. With the experiences gained, he took over the reins of the family group in 2018, and has since then continuously improved and elevated the company’s profile and international recognition. Investments in the company is still at the forefront, with the current aim to digitalize the company with new systems and work methods, bringing it into a new age.

Jaideep Vohra began his sailing career as a Junior Engineer on board tankers and OBO vessels, having completed his Marine Engineering at DMET/MERI. He stepped ashore after gaining valuable technical expertise over his 15-year sailing career, the last five of which were as a Chief Engineer with Maersk Tankers. In 2008, he joined Mideast as a Technical Superintendent, responsible for VLCC operations. His exceptional performance led to his appointment as Assistant Fleet Manager in 2014, overseeing VLCCs, RORO vessels, and Bulk Carriers. Jaideep then became Fleet Manager in 2019, managing a mixed fleet of Product Tankers, RORO vessels, and Bulk Carriers. In 2021, he moved over to the Fleet Performance Department, overseeing the vessels' digitalization journey with a focus on monitoring and optimizing the fleet's performance. He currently holds the position of the Director, Fleet Performance and Drydocking.

With 19 years of experience in shipping, Veronika began her journey at Norwegian ropes manufacturer Timm in 2004 , where she gained industrial-related skills ranging from sales, marketing, operations, and business development.

When Wilhelmsen acquired Timm in 2015, she was put in charge of managing the mooring ropes product portfolio. As Vice President - Mooring solutions for Wilhelmsen Ships Service, Veronika is instrumental in the ongoing development of safer and sustainable rope solutions. An epitome of which is the Snap Back Arrestor – the first verified and tested solution in the market that reduces the danger of snapback – developed with expert stakeholders such as in-house R&D, vessel owners, terminals, and international organizations.

Veronika has rich experience and skills in the industry and is a board member in Eurocord, European Association of Rope, Twine and Netting manufacturers, their suppliers and affiliate industries.

Natalie is a Partner at Ince & Co Middle East’s Dubai office. Her practice focuses on contentious and non-contentious matters in the shipping, international trade and energy sectors.

Natalie advises a broad range of clients including shipowners, charterers, cargo interests, P&I clubs and insurers in connection with disputes arising out of charterparties, bills of lading, contracts of affreightment, and other contracts of carriage, as well as disputes arising out of collisions and allisions. In addition, Natalie advises clients on transactional commercial matters relating to international transport and trade.

Natalie is experienced in working with lawyers in other jurisdictions and in coordinating multi-jurisdictional proceedings on a client’s behalf. She has a wide experience of commercial litigation in both the English High Court, UAE Courts and DIFC and London maritime arbitration centers.

Xanthos joined Columbia Shipmanagement Cyprus in 2000 and held various positions prior to his appointment as Columbia Group Regional Managing Director.

Born in Limassol, Cyprus, he holds a BBA degree in Accounting from the City University of New York and also holds an MSc degree in International Shipping from Plymouth University, UK.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.

Sarah Al Qahtani is an alumna of the American University of Sharjah, where she majored in International Relations. Her career in the maritime industry took flight when she joined the Graduate Development Talents Program at Bahri, Dubai. Therein, she assumed the role of Operations Analyst at Bahri Dry Bulk. Thereafter, Sarah advanced to the Operations Management of Bulkcarriers, managing the day-to-day operations including voyage planning and optimization. Sarah’s outstanding performance led her to assume the role of Chartering Manager in 2023. In this capacity, she shoulders the responsibility of the commercial employment of Bulkcarriers and involves in several strategic projects. Sarah engages fully in Bahri Dry Bulk's digitalization plan, as part of Bahri's Data Orchestration Project. Her focus lies in planning innovative and automated dashboards on Business Performance, Voyage Optimization, and market intelligence. Finally, Sarah's knowledge extends to Shipping Economics & Investment, Supply Chain logistics, finance, and risk management.

Nikolaos Michas currently has the role of Global Tanker Segment Director for Lloyds Register based in Dubai since June of 2022.Before joining LR, he was working for another classification society for a period of 16 years. The last five years he was based in Greece with the role of Southeastern Europe and Middle East Regional Tanker Segment Director, he was also responsible for the management of Key Accounts and business development in the region. He has also worked for the same Classification society in China for a period of 11 years at different Technical and management roles. As a surveyor and site manager for a variety of newbuilding projects. Later as District Manager in north of China responsible for all operations at the district. In his last three years, he was based in Nanjing as QHSE & production Manager for central China having overview of newbuilding projects at over 20 shipyards.

At the beginning of his career, he worked as sea-going engineer and later as superintendent Engineer in shipping companies in Greece. He holds a master’s degree of engineering for marine engineering and naval architecture from University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Hertfordshire.

Dr. Jayakumar is the Chief Executive Officer of Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL) developing India’s deep-water container transshipment port at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram, India. Jayakumar has been instrumental in the conceptualization, planning, design and construction of the port, which is slated for commissioning in 2024.

A Graduate in Civil Engineering, Jayakumar acquired a Master’s Degree and PhD both in Ocean Engineering from IIT, Madras. Jayakumar is the Principal Investigator for the upcoming floating wave power plant off Vizhinjam coast being implemented by IIT Madras, ANERT and Oscilla Power Incorporated, USA. He was involved in the design, construction, and installation of India’s pilot wave power plant off Vizhinjam, which was successfully implemented by IIT Madras in 1990.

Starting his career in Kerala Harbour Engineering Department, Jayakumar was appointed Special Private Secretary to Minister for Ports, GoK in 2001 considering his qualifications and experience in the ports and maritime sector. He had a brief stint as Managing Director of the Kerala State Maritime Development Corporation, involved in dredging activities.

Dr Jayakumar was the Adviser (Technical) and Port Development Manager in Westports Malaysia where he headed several projects including the container transhipment terminal and formulated proposals to develop ports in Myanmar, Cambodia, and India.

Jayakumar was selected by the US Department of Commerce in 2015 for the Special American Business Internship Training in Port Development for Asian Port Experts. Recipient of several awards, Jayakumar has to his credit, numerous technical papers in national and international journals and conferences. Dr. Jayakumar has been conferred ‘Outstanding Engineering Personality’ by the Institution of Engineers (India).

Currently, his interests are also into renewable energy from sources like floating solar, ocean waves, offshore wind (fixed and floating power plants) and production of green hydrogen at Vizhinjam.

An entrepreneur par excellence with 2 two decades of experience in IT and business process automation. Erstwhile, worked with Hewlett-Packard across myriad divisions in the UK, India, the US, and Indonesia. A pedantic Systems Engineer and Solution Architect that can fine-tune the most complex. Automation business processes to simplify everyday operations.

Nooshin Rahmani is the Managing Director of Ruby International Maritime and Legal Consultancy. She is a highly accomplished lawyer with over a decade of experience and an exemplary track record of delivering excellence, working with clients within the maritime, shipping, and energy industries. Nooshin has extensive experience in handling complex disputes and advises a broad variety of national and international clients, including government and private sectors. She provides broad global counsel to energy leaders and successfully led negotiations and drafting of suppliers and strategic partnership agreements, including agreements between international private individuals and government entities. She possesses wide knowledge in diverse legal domains, including legal and business consultancy for maritime and energy projects, commercial agreements, banking issues, corporate investment, and financial consulting. Her main expertise is in ship financing and investment in energy projects.
Nooshin often participates in webinars, conferences, and publications, showcasing her expertise in legal, dispute resolution, business advisory, and key issues on enforcement of contracts.

Tobias Giese is a well-versed marine technical manager who brings a wealth of experience to the field. Over the course of his career, he has effectively supervised the maintenance and repair of diverse marine vessels, and showcased outstanding leadership in technical capacities.

He commenced his career in the marine lubricants sector as a Technical Service Engineer for LUKOIL Marine Lubricants Germany. Building on his experience in this role, he ascended to the position of Technical Manager, spearheading projects for Lukoil Marine Lubricants in both Germany and Dubai. Prior to assuming the role of Technical Manager at LENOL DMCC, Tobias served as the Technical Superintendent at Liberty Blue Shipmanagement.

In 2015, Tobias earned his degree in marine engineering from Fachschule für Seefahrt Marine College in Flensburg, Germany, which helped further his journey in the maritime field. Tobias seamlessly blends technical expertise with hands-on experience, making substantial contributions to the advancement of the maritime industry.

Nitin Mehta serves as the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Strategy of GMS. He also serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Lila Global, the ship-owning entity of the GMS group. He joined in 2021, and during this period he has led the group through significant revenue and horizontal growth.

Extensive experience in diverse markets with a profound knowledge of finance and proven advisory skills allow Nitin to provide solutions by getting all stakeholders together to achieve common objectives.

Nitin believes in keeping things simple and attributes his success to mutually respectful relationships, which he has built over his extensive career. He is driven to uphold the highest level of ethics, credibility, and transparency through a diverse and holistic range of competencies he has gained over the last 28 years across multiple geographies.

Prior to joining GMS, he was CEO of Tomini Shipping and held several executive positions for a number of banks, including Standard Chartered, Citibank, and Mashreq Bank.

Capt. Dheeraj Sharma is the Director of Business Development for ABS, for the Middle East and Africa and is based in Dubai.

Dheeraj joined ABS in early 2022. Prior to this, Dheeraj spent almost a decade at the United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC) as their General Manger/Owners Representative at their head office in Dubai overseeing the daily running of the 26 tankers and office teams in Singapore, Mumbai & Hongkong. Before coming ashore, he sailed for 17 years with NOL Singapore, Kuwait Oil Tankers (KOTC) and World-Wide Shipping as Master on Shell & BP-chartered vessels.

Dheeraj is qualified Master Mariner from the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency, holds an MBA in Oil and Gas Management and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London. Having worked for shipowners, managers and oil majors in marine operations, safety, commercial and new building departments, Dheeraj brings a wealth of commercial shipping experience and an owner's perspective with him.

Capt. Vikas Pandey is a veteran of the Maritime sector and a successful entrepreneur.

He has 17 years of expertise in the shipping industry and 11 years of entrepreneurial experience in the Maritime sector, advanced technologies, telecommunication and biotechnology.

He is a thought leader and an advisor to multiple Web2 and Web3 projects

Michael is a seasoned digital shipping+, logistics-, and eCommerce strategist with a strong passion for identifying, testing, building and investing in disruptive business platforms and above all building high impact teams.

Before joining BCG, Michael was the Venture GM and Board Member for Twill Logistics and the Head of Strategy at eBay, Germany. He also led Strategy and M&A eBay Classifieds Group, Global. Michael is also a startup investor and advisor for several start-ups

Michael holds a MSc Economics and Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, UK as well as a BSc International Business, Copenhagen Business School, DK. He was also an office in the Royal Danish Army.