Category Archives for "Speakers"

National Climate Change Adaptation Officer
Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy, Grenada

Roxanne Graham is currently the National Climate Change Adaptation Officer for Grenada, tasked with revising the country’s National Adaptation Plan as well as its Climate Change Policy. Previously, she worked as a Research Assistant with the NF-WMU “Closing the Circle Programme: Marine Debris, Sargassum, and Marine Spatial Planning in the Eastern Caribbean.” This program, generously funded by The Nippon Foundation and hosted at the World Maritime University (WMU) – Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, was where Roxanne also earned her PhD in Maritime Affairs.

From 2017 to 2021, Roxanne was an Instructor at St. George’s University (SGU), where she taught lower-level Biology courses and contributed to senior-level courses within the Department of Biology, Ecology, and Conservation.

Roxanne also holds a Master of Marine Management degree from Dalhousie University, Canada. Before pursuing her Master’s degree in 2015, Roxanne served as a Project Assistant at Roberts Caribbean, Ltd.—Environmental and Development Consulting. In this role, she gained expertise in conducting environmental consultancies, including social and impact assessments, and contributed to several national environmental and climate change-related reports.

Roxanne is also an active member of GAEA Conservation and was recently appointed the Secretary of the Grenada Coral Reef Foundation (GCRF).

Beyond her professional life, Roxanne is a mother and loves to spend time outdoors with her family.

Focal point for the Women in Maritime Programme
International Maritime Organization

Mariana Noceti is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). She has contributed significantly to various divisions, starting with the Goal-Based Standards programme in the Maritime Safety Division and later in the Office of the Director for Legal Affairs and External Relations. Currently, she leads IMO’s Women in Maritime Programme within the Technical Cooperation and Implementation Division. In this role, she drives the Organization’s gender and capacity-building programme, focusing on training, visibility, and recognition.

Mariana also serves as an advisor for all of IMO’s external gender-related activities and outputs, providing strategic advice on long-term thematic projects and regional technical cooperation programmes. Her expertise centres on promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women in the maritime sector.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Mariana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpreting and a Diploma in Gender, Policies, and Participation. She has served as one of IMO’s United Nations Focal Points for Women and has been a key member of the IMO Gender Equality and Diversity Group for the past five years, contributing to the development of the Secretariat’s Gender Equality Strategy.

Before joining the UN system, Mariana worked as an interpreter and translator for high-profile clients across Latin America and Europe, further enriching her multicultural and multilingual expertise.

VTS operator, AO Sjötrafikservice Trafikcentral
Swedish Maritime Administration

Rickard Friberg holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nautical Science from Kalmar Maritime Academy, graduating in 2016. He began his career as an AB and Second Officer aboard various survey vessels, working on the renovation and replacement of navigational aids in the Swedish archipelago. Currently, he serves as a VTS Operator at the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA), where he also takes on key roles as a superuser and on-the-job training instructor, ensuring new colleagues are equipped for their responsibilities.

Throughout his maritime career, Rickard has witnessed firsthand how individuals are treated differently based on privilege. Inspired by the efforts of colleagues advocating for change, he found the courage to challenge destructive social norms. Since joining REDO Academy as a workshop leader two years ago, he has led numerous sessions within SMA to promote awareness and foster inclusive, sustainable working environments. Passionate about advancing the blue economy, he looks forward to engaging in discussions on gender equality at the upcoming conference.

Marine Culture Lead
A.P. Moller – Maersk

Amalie Grevsen leads the Maersk Fleet Cultural Transformation, driving critical initiatives that promote an inclusive and respectful work environment across the global fleet. She is responsible for developing, designing, and implementing key programs such as Maersk’s Global Anti-Harassment campaign and an onsite leadership program for all Senior Officers and Superintendents.

With a dual focus on both strategic projects and structural barriers, Amalie works to ensure that cultural change goes beyond policies to create lasting behavioural shifts. She is passionate about supporting change processes through clear and impactful communication, helping employees across all levels recognize challenges and embrace solutions.

Before joining Maersk, Amalie spent eight years at TV 2 Denmark, the country’s largest commercial broadcaster, where she worked with external partnerships—an experience that strengthened her ability to navigate complex stakeholder landscapes and build bridges across organizations.

University Lecturer, Police Training
Malmö University

Johan Pettersson works as a lecturer and teacher at the police training program in Malmö. He teaches the course Power Analysis, where tomorrow’s police officers get to train their abilities to discover, understand, analyze and apply knowledge regarding power structures in their police work. It can be operational aspects such as treatment, reflection skills, communication, prejudice, racism and use of violence or collegial aspects regarding culture, jargon, feedback, masculinity norms, civil courage or sexual harassment.

Since 2018, Johan has met with companies, workplaces, sports clubs, and schools and lectured on gender equality issues, work environment, inclusion, discrimination issues, diversity, and power structures. He is a political and gender scientist, passionate about discussing and raising awareness of gender equality and power issues. He often works in male-dominated environments – the Swedish Armed Forces, the police department, the forestry industry, the shipping, and the tech industry, where the aim is to engage men in gender equality work. Johan has expertise in topics related to gender equality, masculinity theory, jargon, and homosocial communities between men.

Johan grew up in masculine environments, with high-level sports, destructive friend groups, and boyish summer jobs, and is therefore passionate about raising knowledge and people’s ability to stop, reflect, and become better at putting themselves in the perspective of others.

Deputy Director Corporate Business (Maritime)
Warsash Maritime School (Solent University)

Yvette de Klerk is the Deputy Director for Warsash Maritime School with responsibility for Corporate Business, including the School’s Short Course Sales and Corporate Finance teams. She also oversees Safety Training at the Warsash Campus and the Ship Handling Centre at Timsbury Lake, key elements of the Short Course portfolio, and research & knowledge exchange activities. Prior to taking up her current role in March 2024, Yvette was the School’s Commercial Business Manager (Maritime), having relocated the year before from Singapore, where she was Head of Training, Ship Management at the Wallem Group. Her previous roles include Managing Director of Maritime Training Enterprise (Pty) Ltd and National Cadet Programme Manager at the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI).

Yvette holds an MSc in Maritime Affairs, Maritime Education and Training from the World Maritime University.

Marine Engineering Programme Head & Supervisor
Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology

Chief Engineer Christalyn Delos Reyes Chiong , PhD.M.E. (Doctor of Philosophy in Maritime Education), is a distinguished maritime professional and academic leader, currently serving as the Marine Engineering Program Head and Supervisor at the College of Maritime Education, Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST), Philippines. She previously held the roles of Concurrent College Dean and Marine Engineering Program Head, demonstrating her expertise in both academic leadership and maritime industry practices.

Before transitioning to academia, Chief Engineer Chiong accumulated over seven years of onboard experience, including two years as an Engine Cadet and five years as a Junior and Senior Marine Engineer Officer aboard passenger, offshore, and container vessels operating locally and worldwide. Her extensive industry experience provides invaluable insights into maritime education, ensuring that students receive practical, industry relevant training.

Chief Engineer Chiong holds the distinction of being the first female Marine Engineering cadet at ZSCMST, as well as the first female Marine Engineer from her city and region a groundbreaking achievement in a traditionally male-dominated field. She is also recognized as the second female Marine Engineer in the Philippines. Her contributions have set an unbreakable record, inspiring future generations of female seafarers and maritime professionals.

In addition, she made history as the youngest and first female College Dean in the College of Maritime Education at ZSCMST, where she has continuously elevated both her name and the institution’s reputation. Her leadership and dedication serve as a testament to the capabilities of female seafarers and marine engineers in taking on significant roles in the industry.

While actively teaching, Chief Engineer Chiong pursued and successfully earned her Master’s and Doctorate degrees, further strengthening her academic expertise. She is also practicing to involve in research, innovation, and extension programs, recently she has her publications, in “Beyond the Maritime Education Classrooms: Analysis of Life Skills Gained from Maritime Trainings.”

Chief Engineer Chiong remains passionately engaged in both seafaring and academia, with a strong focus on marine engineering laboratory work, maritime safety, and industry. She continues to be an advocate for female leadership in maritime education, proving that women can excel in technical and leadership roles within the global maritime industry.

Principal Investigator, Fisheries
Ecotrust Canada

Dr. Dyhia Belhabib is an expert on fisheries, maritime crime, and socially just conservation and enforcement. She is currently a Principal Investigator at Ecotrust Canada, working on illegal fishing where she founded Spyglass, the most comprehensive criminal record of fishing vessels in the world. She is also an Executive Director at Bel Investigations where she works on creating responsible solutions for crime-free supply chains.

Dyhia has developed a comprehensive curriculum on enhancing fair and effective enforcement at sea for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and works on building capacity in multiple jurisdictions around the world. Her research has investigated the links between conservation and illegal practices, industrial fisheries and artisanal fishing, and between development and governance in the sector. She has also advocated for decolonization and greater equity in ocean science, conservation, and development.

She is a leading expert on West African fisheries, with extensive knowledge of the region’s marine ecosystems and the challenges facing small-scale fishers. Her research has focused on the intersection of social justice, environmental sustainability, and economic development in the context of West African fisheries. She has collaborated with local communities and organizations to advocate for responsible fishing practices and build capacity in marine conservation and enforcement. Her deep knowledge of the region’s fisheries has helped her to identify the specific challenges facing small-scale fishers, such as access to credit, infrastructure, and market opportunities.

She is a TED speaker and serial TEDx speaker. Her work has been featured on the New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, CBC news, LePoint.fr, and a multitude of other news outlets. She is also a multiple times TED Speaker talking about decolonizing science, the conservation narrative, and how tech can advance safer and more sustainable oceans.

Dyhia obtained a PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Studies from the University of British Columbia in 2014 and has authored over 110 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and reports.

Senior Inspector, International Cooperation Specialist
Korea Coast Guard

Jeana Kim joined Korea Coast Guard(KCG) in 2005, for having experience in working with foreign countries. Before she joined the KCG she worked as a starter member and Deputy Section Chief of the Novera Optics Korea, Inc., a US Company in Korea that was based in San Jose, CA.

After she joined the KCG, most of her career engages planning or innovative performance at Taean CG Station, Pyeongtaek CG Station, ect. She also worked as an instructor at the Korea Coast Guard Academy in her early career.

Her first international affairs career started in 2016, working for the Minister of Public Safety and Security, Seoul. In 2017, when the KCG became an independent agency under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, she was transferred to the International Cooperation Division, KCG HQs. Since then, she engaged in many international affairs related to KCG, expanding her relationship with many CG countries around the world. She specialized in Police Investigation and also worked in the Criminal Affairs Division.

She is the only officer in KCG who graduated from the World Maritime University and is the first and only one in Korea who studied both at the World Maritime University in Sweden and the IMO International Maritime Law Institute in Malta.

Assistant Manager (Planning)
Marine Environment Protection Authority, Sri Lanka

Dinishiya Athukorala is a marine environment professional with 10 years of experience in environmental management, policy development, and strategic planning. She currently serves as Assistant Manager (Planning) at the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) in Sri Lanka. In this role, she has played a key part in shaping national policies and strategies related to SDG 14, National Biodiversity Targets (NBT), and the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project. She also plays a central role in preparing institutional consent reports for Sri Lanka’s international commitments on coastal and marine environmental protection. Additionally, she served as the coordinator for the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) Advisory Mission in 2024, which focused on upgrading the country’s oil and chemical spill contingency plans.

Ms. Athukorala began her career with a training period at the Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat in 2015 before joining MEPA in 2016. Her research interests include strengthening marine biosecurity in Sri Lanka and conducting natural resource damage assessments for oil spills. She has also contributed to significant research in areas such as the Waste Reception Facility at Colombo Port, coral reef health assessments, and surveys on marine invasive species, macro debris, and port biological baseline studies.

Ms. Athukorala holds a Master of Science in Maritime Affairs, specializing in Ocean Sustainability Governance and Management, from the World Maritime University in Sweden. She also holds a Master’s in Environment Management from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Fisheries and Marine Sciences, specializing in Oceanography and Marine Geology, from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka.

In addition to her professional work, she is an active member of several professional associations. She serves as the Treasurer of the Sri Lanka WMU-Sasakawa Alumni and is a life member of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS).