Speakers

Ana Aguado is CEO of Friends of the Supergrid (FOSG), a group of companies and organisations with a mutual interest in promoting the policy agenda for a European Supergrid.

Ana Aguado holds degrees in Law (University of Valencia, ES), MA in Business law from the University of London and Private International Law from The Hague University.

Prior to joining FOSG she has held positions at the European University Institute as Head of Brussels Office, in ETSO (the European association of transmission system operators) as Secretary General, in EURELECTRIC (the association of the European electricity industry) as Head of Unit for regulation, and the European Commission (DG TREN).

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 2: ‘Connectivity for Blue Growth in Europe'

Jacqueline Alder is the Coordinator of the Freshwater and Marine Ecosystem Branch at UNEP.  She is responsible for UNEP’s Water Ecosystems Programs, which includes the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans and the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities. She leads a team of dedicated professionals located throughout the world working on topics from Blue Carbon, Green Economy and Oceans, SIDS, marine debris to marine spatial planning, and wastewater and water quality.

Before joining UNEP, Jackie was a Marine & Fisheries Policy Analyst & Researcher at the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada (2001-2008) and Edith Cowan University in Perth in Australia (1995-2001).  She has extensive experience in working with governments, researchers, NGOs and coastal fishing communities throughout the Asia & Pacific Regions, Australia and Canada.  She has published numerous articles in a range of peer-reviewed journals, books and co-authored the popular book “Coastal Planning and Management”. 

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 2: ‘Marine and coastal management – fostering sustainable development and climate change adaptation’

Civil engineer – planner with professional qualifications and many years of experience in DEVELOPMENT issues and broad education in Urban and Regional Planning, Environment, Urban and Regional Economy, Public Administration and Local Government in the environment of the European Union.
Highly experienced in the study of Local Development Areas with an emphasis on Endogenous Development and the utilization of Local and Human Resources and in participation in European Programs. Additionally, he participated in the evaluation of the Development Programs, such as the role of New Technologies in the Local and Regional Development.

With great knowledge in environmental issues as well as social sensitivity in development of sustainability,  he has elaborated Studies on Environmental Impact for industrial activities, factories, storage rooms, residential areas, industrial parks for educational and research institutions, as well as for Crete’s unique golf course.  

As an experienced self employed engineer he is occupied with the study and the creation of private constructions (residences, storage rooms, branches, factories e.t.c.) Public Constructions (substructure networks, road construction) and further social interest constructions (industrial parks, residential institutions).

Furthermore, he manages to combine the multidisciplinary involvement with the constant scientific (M.Sc. at L.S.E.) and professional training, in order to fulfill the contemporary requirements of the constantly fluctuating environment. 

From October 2001 to July 2004 he worked as a C.E.O. in Heraklion’s Port Authority (HPA) by leading the transformation of the old Harbour Fund to a Limited Company of Public Utilities while achieving beneficial financial results for HPA.

Since 1994, with the establishment of the institution of Prefectural Administration, he has constantly been elected as Heraklion’s Prefectural Councilor, assuming various positions of responsibility. From Jan. 2006 to Dec. 2011 as President of the Prefectural Council of Heraklion, he dealt with significant Cretan issues such as the international airport at Casteli and the south port in Tympaki. Since Nov. 2010 as Crete’s Regional Councilor he has been involved in important development matters of Crete and the Region’s international relationships.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 3: "Mediterranean Sea Region – laying the conditions for sustainable growth and jobs"

Deputy Secretary General of the Transport and Urban Development Division in Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean

Born in Ödemis (Turkey) in 1945. Ambassador Alpogan graduated from the Faculty of Political Science of Ankara University. In 1968 he entered the Foreign Service, where he served in different positions ranging from Head of Section to Deputy Undersecretary, and abroad in Turkish missions in several countries. Amb. Alpogan was appointed First Secretary of the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo (1972-1975), Counselor of the Permanent Delegation of Turkey to the UN Office in Geneva (1979-1983), and Director General for Bilateral Political and Maritime/Aviation Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1998-2000), among others.
He became ambassador in 1995 and has since served in this position in several embassies such as Ashgabat and Athens, before his appointment as the first civilian Secretary General of the National Security Council of Turkey (2004-2007), in light of the reforms undertaken for Turkey’s European Union accession process. Amb. Alpogan was then appointed Ambassador to London, where he served from 2007 to 2010. During his term in London he was selected as the “diplomat of the year” in 2009. He joined the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean as Deputy Secretary General of the Transport and Urban Development Division in 2010.

He is decorated by the Government of Turkmenistan as well as by the City of Athens.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 3: "Mediterranean Sea Region – laying the conditions for sustainable growth and jobs"

Emilia Christina Aldegonda Bolsius (Emmy) studied  Human Geography, Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Policy. She graduated on subjects related to land use change in rural areas. She worked as a civil servant for the Dutch National Government, the Scientific Council for Government Policy, acted as advisor for IUCN for the agriculture/nature policy of the Mid European countries, lead the national team of townplanners and landscape architects and works during the last three years for the Deltacommissioner, Wim Kuijken on the Deltaprogramme.
At first doing research in the already mentioned field, gradually changing to spatial planning of the Dutch part of the North Sea and now as Director of the coastal branch of the Deltaprogramme. The central theme in her working life being how to adapt the space used to the demands of society. Staying as flexible as possible in the ways to defend the Dutch (mainly) sandy coast to climate change and sea level rise is the purpose of the current programme and of primary importance for a low delta country as the Netherlands.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 2: ‘Marine and coastal management – fostering sustainable development and climate change adaptation’

Dr Joe Borg, 60,  graduated Doctor of Laws in Malta in 1975 and Master of Laws in Wales in 1988. Since 1979, Joe Borg has held  academic posts at the University of Malta specializing in Company Law, and in Industrial Law. He also held various posts as legal adviser to companies and corporate bodies in Malta and abroad.  In 1995, he was the main author and drafter of the Malta Companies Act.   He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Malta between 1992 and 1995.

Dr Borg was elected in 1995 as a Member of the House of Representatives  for the Nationalist Party and he also served as Parliamentary Secretary within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1998/99. He then became Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta between 1999 and 2004, during which period he led negotiations for Malta’s accession to the European Union. In 2004 he took up the post of Member of the European Commission with responsibility for fisheries and maritime affairs. His mandate as European Commissioner came to an end in February 2010. He has resumed lecturing at the University of Malta since October 2010, and has been appointed Chairperson of the Board of Administrators of the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies since December, 2010.

Joe Borg is married to Isabelle and they have two children, Joseph and Clara.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 2: ‘Connectivity for Blue Growth in Europe'

Desired employment / Occupational field: Policy Development and Implementation; Coastal Zone Management; Maritime Spatial Planning 
 
Work experience

Dates: April 2011 – to date
Occupation or position held Manager: – Spatial Planning Policy
Main activities and responsibilities:
- Co-ordinating the Strategic Plan for Environment and Development; ensuring it is in line with Government plans and policies; organising meetings within Government and with stakeholders
- Providing technical input to the formulation of the plan, especially on Coastal Management, Maritime Spatial Planning
- Co-ordinating the SEA process
- Providing input to national policy on matters related to the marine environment and implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
- Focal Point for the EU sub group on Maritime Spatial Planning
Name and address of employer: Ministry for Tourism, Culture and the Environment Auberge d’Italie, Merchants’ Str., Valletta VLT 1171, MALTA
Type of business or sector: Government

Dates: July 2008 – March 2011
Occupation or position held: Unit Manager (Acting Manager between January 2008 – July 2008)
Main activities and responsibilities:
- Managing the Climate Change and Marine Policy Unit within Environment Protection Directorate
- Ensuring MEPA’s input to Malta’s positions on emerging EU Climate Change Policy
- Representing Malta at EU and UN meetings on International Climate Change Policy negotiations
- Building MEPA’s capacity to meet national obligations of the Water Framework Directive
- Technical co-ordination for transposition process of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
- Co-ordinating MEPA’s input to Malta’s positions on maritime issues
- Mainstreaming environmental policy into the development planning system on water and climate change
Name and address of employer: Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) P.O. Box 200 Marsa GPO 01, MALTA
Type of business or sector: Parastatal Organisation responsible for Spatial Planning and Environment Protection

Dates: February 2004 – December 2007
Occupation or position held: Team Manager
Main activities and responsibilities:
- Co-ordinating team responsibilities on policy development on natural resource planning
- Project Leader for MEPA in DEDUCE Interreg IIIc Project
- Policy development and Strategic Environment Assessment of Malta’s Replacement Structure Plan
- Member of EU ICZM Expert Group and Working Group on Indicators and Data (since 2002)
- National Focal Point for UNEP/MAP Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC)
Name and address of employer: Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) P.O. Box 200 Marsa GPO 01, MALTA
Type of business or sector: Parastatal Organisation responsible for Land Use Planning and Environment Protection
 
Dates February 1994 - January 2004
Occupation or position held: Planning Officer (promoted to Senior Planning Officer in October 2002)
Main activities and responsibilities: Co-ordinated the following projects:
- Coastal Strategy Topic Paper for Review of National Structure Plan
- Guidelines to establish a framework for Marine Protected Areas in Malta
- Report for the preparation of a Position Paper on Dumping of Waste at Sea
- Sustainable coastal management thematic activity under the Coastal Area Management Program (CAMP) Malta funded by the Mediterranean Action Plan
- Preparation of an Issues Paper covering all land use  issues for the National Structure Plan review
- Malta case study for EUROSION project
- Guidance for local plan policy formulation for coastal and marine development
- Review of development projects including EIA evaluation
Name and address of employer: Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) P.O. Box 200 Marsa GPO 01, MALTA
Type of business or sector: Parastatal Organisation responsible for Land Use Planning and Environment Protection

Dates: October 1993 – February 1994
Occupation or position held: Consultant
Main activities and responsibilities: Review and stock-take of the aquaculture development industry in Malta
Name and address of employer: Planning Authority, MALTA
Type of business or sector: Parastatal Organisation responsible for Land Use Planning

Dates: October 1997 - June 2008
Occupation or position held:  Part-time Assistant Lecturer
Main activities and responsibilities:
- Lecturing in Ocean & Coastal Management, Sustainable Development and Environmental Issues in the Mediterranean to students reading for a B.A. Geography and an  M.A. in Islands and Small States (M.A. ISS)
- Supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations in B.A. Geography, MA. ISS and B.A. Tourism Studies
Name and address of employer: University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, MALTA
Type of business or sector: Academic and Research
 
Education and training 
 
Dates: 1994 – 1995
Title of qualification awarded: MSc
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered: Marine Resources Management
Name and type of organisation providing education and training: Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
Scholarship Funded by the Planning Authority, Malta.
Level in national or international classification ISCED 5A

Dates: 1992 – 1993
Title of qualification awarded: B.A. Hon
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered: Contemporary Mediterranean Studies specializing in Geography
Name and type of organisation providing education and training: University of Malta
Level in national or international classification: ISCED 5A

Dates 1989 - 1992
Title of qualification awarded B. A. General
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered:
- Contemporary Mediterranean Studies;
- Psychology
Name and type of organisation providing education and training: University of  Malta
Level in national or international classification ISCED 5A

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 2: ‘Marine and coastal management – fostering sustainable development and climate change adaptation’

Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business

Hon. Dr. Christian Cardona was born in 1972. He graduated as a Notary Public and Doctor of Law from the University of Malta. He furthered his studies at the International Maritime Law at the United Nations International Maritime Organisation, where he obtained a first Class in Shipping Law.  Dr. Cardona is the author of the thesis entitled ‘United Nations Commission on International Trade Law – A Maltese Perspective’.

Dr. Christian Cardona was first elected to Parliament in 1996 and was re-elected in the 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013 general elections. In 2008, he contested the post of Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs of the Labour Party.

During the 2008 – 2013 legislature he served as the Labour Party Main Spokesperson for the Industry, Self Employed and Foreign Investment. In previous legislatures he even served as the Labour Party Spokesperson for Competition, Communication and IT. Dr. Cardona served also as member in Malta EU Parliamentary Committee during the negotiation process of Malta’s application to join the European Union as full member.

Prior to his appointment as Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business, Dr. Christian Cardona was a Senior Partner at CV Advocates, a legal firm recognized as one of Malta’s leading law firms.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Opening - Welcome to European Maritime Day 2013

Personalia

Name: Willem de Ruiter.
Date of birth: 30-04-1951.
Nationality: Netherlands.
Marital status: Married, 3 children

Present position: Consultant, Special Advisor to Fipra International

Previous position: From 2003 till end 2011, Executive Director of the European Maritme Safety Agency (EMSA) in Lisbon.

Education : Degree in civil engineering, Technical University Delft, 1975

Professional experience

1975-1985 Ministry of Public Works in NL. Last position held : chief engineer, Head of sector Canals.
1985-2003 European Commission, Directorate General for Transport.
Willem was head of the sector Inland Waterways from 1993 till 1996. Head of Unit for Internal Market in Maritme Transport (1996-1999) during which period the tonnage tax regime was introduced through EC State Aid Guidelines. Head of Unit for Maritime Safety and Protection of the Marine Environment (1999-2003) when the legislative packages Erika I and Erika II were adopted.
2003-2001 Executive Director of EMSA
As first executive director he had to build the agency from scratch. In 2011 the agency employed 240 staff of 23 different nationalities and managed a budget of 56 million Euro.

Other information

Languages: English, French, German, Dutch (mother tongue).
Distinction: Chevalier dans l’ordre du mérite maritme, France
Trustee of Sail Training International

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel Session 1: ‘The cruise sector – a safe and sustainable growth sector’

Chief Executive Officer, Carnival UK

David Dingle was appointed CEO of Carnival UK in June 2007, with full operating responsibility for the UK-based brands P&O Cruises and Cunard.  Since that time Carnival UK has continued to expand with the introduction of five new ships, Cunard’s Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth and P&O Cruises’ Ventura, Azura and Adonia.

David was Chairman of the European Cruise Council from 2007 to 2010 and continues to sit on the ECC executive committee as well as chairing the Tax Committee.  David has previously served as President of The UK Chamber of Shipping and as a director of ABTA and the UK Passenger Shipping Association.  David was awarded a CBE in the 2009 New Year’s Honours.  He is a Younger Brother of Trinity House and has an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Plymouth University.

David lives in Kent with his wife and two children.  He has a Master of Arts degree from Cambridge University, studying Classics at Jesus College. David’s interests include skiing, classical music, history, travel, wine, gardening and all sports.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel Session 1: ‘The cruise sector – a safe and sustainable growth sector’

B.Comm. (Hons.)    Economics (U.N.S.W.) 2nd Class Honours Div I, 1969
B.A. (Hons.)    Philosophy (Sydney) 1st Class Honours, 1973
Ph.D.     Philosophy (University of Western Ontario, Canada), 1980

Professor of Travel and Tourism Economics, School of Marketing, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia 2052.
Contact details: Tel: +61 2 9385 2636; Fax: + Fax: +61 2 96631985; l.dwyer@unsw.edu.au

Employment History

• Lecturer in Economics, University of New South Wales 1983
• Senior lecturer, School of Business and Technology, University of Western Sydney 1987
• Associate Professor, School of Management, University of Western Sydney, 1991
• Professor of Tourism Management, University of Western Sydney 1999
• Qantas Professor of Travel and Tourism Economics, University of New South Wales, 2003- ongoing

Qantas funds the chair of Travel and Tourism Economics at the University of New South Wales. I am the Foundation Professor. A major purpose of such funding is to support research that improves our understanding of tourism economics and tourism policy to achieve benefits for Australia’s tourism industry and the wider economy.

• Adjunct Professor, Victoria University, Melbourne, appointed 2008
• Adjunct Professor, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, appointed 2011

Offices Held Currently

• President, International Association for Tourism Economics
• Elected Fellow and Second Vice president, International Academy for the Study of Tourism
• Member, Standards of Excellence Assessment Panel, THE-ICE (International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education) 2005 ongoing www.the-ice.org
• International Advisory Board, BEST Education Network (BESTEN)
• Appointed member of the Foundation Electoral College and elected Fellow of Council of Australian Tourism and Hospitality Educators (CAUTHE) (2008)
• Coordinator, Sustainable Destinations Research Agenda, Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre. My responsibilities are to provide national leadership in the Research Program; to coordinate the Program Research Committee and to develop a national research agenda and strategy for the Program. 2003 - 2008
• Member, International Statistical Institute, Marco Polo Committee on Statistics of Travel and Tourism (COSTT) 2005 - ongoing
• Member Industry National Advisory Panel (Research) Tourism Australia 2005 ongoing <www.tourism.australia.com>
• Member Tourism Statistics Consultative Group, convened by Australian Bureau of Statistics 2003-ongoing < www.abs.gov.au>
• Member, Editorial Boards of twenty one (21) international journals:
  › Journal of Travel Research (USA)
  › Tourism Management (UK)
  › Tourism Review International (USA)
  › Tourism Economics (UK)
  › Tourism Analysis (USA)
  › Event Management (USA)
  › Anatolia (Turkey) (Conference notes editor)
  › China Tourism Research (Hong Kong)
  › Turizam (Croatia)
  › International Journal of Event Management Research (Australia)
  › European Journal of Tourism Research (Europe)
  › Acta Turistica (Croatia)
  › Tourism Focus (Cambodia)
  › International Journal of Hospitality Management (UK)
  › Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events (UK)
  › The Open Management Journal (USA)
  › Malaysian Management Journal (Malaysia)
  › International Journal of Management Studies and Research (India)
  ›Tourism Recreation Research (India)
  › International Journal of Event and Festival Management (UK)
  Member, Editorial Board, Contemporary Tourism Reviews

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 1: ‘Investing in sustainable maritime and coastal tourism - on the path towards Blue Growth’

Nationality:

British

Academic qualifications:

Bachelor of Commerce,  Liverpool University
Chartered Accountant

Professional experience in the European Institutions:

July 2010 to date:  Director General DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

2006:  Deputy Director-General, DG Competition

2000-2006: Head of unit then Director in DG Competition

1995-2000: Head of unit in DG Employment

1993-1994: Member of Cabinet of Commissioner Flynn

1987-1993: Case officer in DG Competition.

1983-1987: Administrator, DG Financial Control

Professional experience before joining the European Institutions:

1978-1983: Audit and accountancy – Deloitte Haskins & Sells

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 1: ‘Investing in sustainable maritime and coastal tourism - on the path towards Blue Growth’

Karl Falkenberg has a long experience as a negotiator in the European Commission. He started his career in the Commission as textiles negotiator, has dealt with international fisheries issues and since 1985 with the GATT. In 1990, he served as foreign policy advisor to EU President Jacques Delors, with particular focus on the German unification process. He was involved in the Uruguay Round negotiations and has been negotiating the telecommunications and financial services agreements in WTO. From 1997 to December 2000 he was in charge of the coordination of all WTO issues. In 2001 he was appointed Director in charge of sectoral trade policies and bilateral trade relations with North America, Japan, the Mediterranean area and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and in 2002 Director for Free trade agreements, Agricultural trade questions, ACP. From 2005 to 2008 he coordinated all bilateral trade policies as Deputy Director General.  In January 2009, he took up the position of Director General of the Environment, covering the EU's environmental policy in both its domestic and international dimensions.

Karl Falkenberg is a trained economist and journalist.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 2: ‘Marine and coastal management – fostering sustainable development and climate change adaptation’

Since February 2011, Bernhard Friess has been the Director of the Directorate "Atlantic, Outermost Regions and Arctic" of the European Commission's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Directorate-General.

Mr Friess studied Law at Munich University.  His career with the European Commission included assignment in the areas of Education and Training, Competition Policy and Internal Market Policy. 

In September 2002 he was appointed Head of the Financial Services Unit in the Directorate-General for Competition, monitoring and enforcing competition compliance in European banking, securities and insurance markets. In April 2006, he became Head of the Policy and Coordination Unit of the Commission's Internal Market Directorate-General. In June 2009, he was appointed Director of Planning, Personnel and Communication within the Internal Market Directorate-General.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Conclusion of the European Maritime Day 2013

He was born in Naples, Italy, in 1956 and graduated in Economics at the University of Naples.

He has covered various positions within the Grimaldi Group, being currently Chairman of Atlantica di Navigazione Spa, Managing Director of Grimaldi Compagnia di Navigazione and INARME, Executive Chairman of Finnlines Plc, Minoan Lines and Malta Motorways of the Sea and Board Member of ACL.
He’s also Board Member and Past President of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations
as well as Vice President of Confitarma (Italian Shipowners’ Association).

Established in 1947, the Grimaldi Group is a fully integrated multinational logistics Group specialising in maritime transport of cars, rolling cargo, containers and passengers. It has a modern fleet of over 100 ro/ro multipurpose vessels, pure car carriers and ferries and operates, together with strategic partners, 20 car and container terminals in the Mediterranean Sea, North Europe and West Africa as well as trucking companies.
Today the Group operates in the Mediterranean Sea, North Europe, West Africa, North and South America and is the main operator in the Motorways of the Sea in Europe and the Mediterranean.

The Grimaldi Group’s mission is to provide efficient, reliable, innovative and high quality maritime services for the transport of freight and passengers, following a continuous process of identification of its customers’ needs and expectations.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel Session 1: ‘The cruise sector – a safe and sustainable growth sector’

Martin Günthner was born on 25 January 1976 in Bremerhaven.
He is married with two children.

Following his education at the Bürgermeister-Smidt school centre in Bremerhaven, he studied the cultural history of Eastern Europe, history and philosophy at the University of Bremen

Change to a correspondence course in public relations in Heidelberg

Graduation as PR-advisor (DPRG), Deutsche Public Relations Gesellschaft in 2005

Self-employed as a communication consultant

Political activities:

1997 to 1999: Member of the Bremerhaven City Council
1999 to 24/2/2010: Member of the Bremen State Parliament
2001 to 2010: Spokesman of the SPD state parliamentary group for port affairs
2002 to 2010: Chairman of the Port Committee
2002 to 2010: Member of the State Deputation for Economic Affairs and Ports
From 24/2/2010 onwards: Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Ports as well as Minister of Justice and Constitution

Further:

Member of the SPD since 1992

Deputy Chairman of the Bremerhaven SPD from 2002 to 2012, since 2012 Chairman of the Bremerhaven SPD

Member of the board of directors of the Bremerhaven Sparkasse (Savings Bank) from 2003 to 2007 Member of the trade union Verdi

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Messages for stakeholder-day – closing of political day

Executive Vice President, Viking Line Abp since 2005

Deputy CEO since 1.11.2008

General Counsel and Head of Human Resources

Joined the Company in 1988

Born in 1961

LL.M. Train of Bachelor

Legal Director, Viking Line Abp 1990-2005

Lawyer, SF Line Ab 1988-1990

Law Clerk, Korsholms domsaga 1987-1988

Chairman, Redarnas Ömsesidiga Försäkringsbolag

Chairman, Försäkrings Ab Alandia

Chairman, Försäkrings Ab Liv-Alandia

Member of board, Finnish Shipowners’ Association

Member, Executive Committee of International Chamber of Shipping

Member of board, Sjöfartens Arbetsgivarförbund

Member of board, Svensk Sjöfartsservice AB

Member of board, Branschförbundet för Servicebranscherna

Member of board, Viking Rederi AB

Member of board, Viking Line Skandinavien AB

Member of board, Finlandshamnen Stuveri AB

Member of board, OÜ Viking Line Eesti

Member, Law Committee, Swedish Shipowners’ Association

Member, Documentary Committee Bimco

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 2: ‘Connectivity for Blue Growth in Europe'

• ESPO,  Passenger Committee chair
• AIVP,  member of Board of Directors
• head of Communications and Cruise development in Port of Helsinki
• secretary – treasurer of Cruise Europe 2003 -2008
• chair and one of the founders of Cruise Finland
• chair of Helsinki Cruise port team since 2002
• project manager for the City of Helsinki, the 450th anniversary celebration of Helsinki 1997-2000
• Master of Arts at University of Helsinki, Finland

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel Session 1: ‘The cruise sector – a safe and sustainable growth sector’

Mr Karamitsos is acting Deputy Director General and Director within the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) of the European Commission.

His Directorate is responsible for the development and follow-up of the implementation of Maritime transport policy, maritime safety, environmental protection, as well as logistics, land transport and passenger rights.

He has also been responsible for the setting up the European Satellite Navigation System GALILEO as regards policy, infrastructure and applications, and for setting the Regulatory framework for the Intelligent Transport Systems.

He is with the European Commission for over 30 years, where he has worked on various Transport issues, as well on Telecommunications, Information society, Environment, Tourism and Research and Development.

Before joining the Commission he worked with the World Health Organisation's programme on Greater Athens Pollution Control and on the Greek Academic and Public Sectors.

He holds degrees in Civil Engineering and Transportation planning from the Technical University of Athens and from Leeds University.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 2: ‘Connectivity for Blue Growth in Europe'

Parallel Session 1: ‘The cruise sector – a safe and sustainable growth sector’

Dr Marie-Louise Mangion currently heads the Tourism and Sustainable Development Unit within the Ministry for Tourism, Culture and the Environment and which also services the Malta Tourism Authority. She is responsible for formulating policies and for co-ordinating EU affairs relating to tourism and the environment. The unit she heads deals with policy and project development, EU legislative proposals, EU funding opportunities and sustainable development.

Dr Mangion has also worked on structural funds for the programming period 2004-2006 and also on projects for the programming period 2007-2013 and is currently involved in discussions on the 2014-2020 programming period. She played a major role in the formulation of the Tourism Policy for the Maltese Islands, the National Environment Policy and the Rural Tourism Policy.  Prior to her current position, Dr Mangion headed the Ministry for Tourism and Culture’s EU Affairs, Policy Development and Programme Implementation Directorate, the Malta Tourism Authority's Strategic Planning and Research Division, developing and delivering an in-house research programme for tourism economic and market research and for tourism product and human resource research. She conducted studies on the economic impact of tourism in Malta. She also played a major role in assessing Malta's tourism carrying capacity.  Dr Mangion has acted as a contributor to training programmes organised by the Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme. She holds a PhD from the University of Nottingham, UK, specialising in tourism economics and policy evaluation. Her PhD thesis was entitled ‘Evidence-based policy-making: Achieving destination competitiveness in Malta’. She is married and has two young children.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 1: ‘Investing in sustainable maritime and coastal tourism - on the path towards Blue Growth’

Mr. Dinny McGinley T.D. was first elected to Dáil Éireann in February 1982 and has been re-elected on every occasion since then for the Donegal South-West Constituency. Minister McGinley is a native Irish speaker, born in Gweedore, where he still lives.

He has held numerous front bench positions while in opposition, including Gaeltacht, Youth & Sport, Defence and Immigrant Policy. He was chairman of the Oireachtas language & Culture Committee from 1994-1997 and Chairman of the Oireachtas committee on Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs before the election in 2011.

Minister McGinley is a former member of the British-Irish Parliamentary party and was a Permanent Representative of Dáil Éireann to the Organisation for Cooperation and Securtiy in Europe (OCSE).

On 10 March 2011 Mr. McGinley T.D. was appointed by an Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny T.D., as Minister of State with responsibility for Gaeltacht and the Islands.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Keynote speeches

Laurence Mee is Director of SAMS, the 129 year-old Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scotland’s leading Marine Institute and an Associate Institute of the UN University. He holds professorships in the University of the Highlands and Islands and the University of Plymouth. He studies coupled marine social ecological systems and policy approaches for their sustainable management. Laurence graduated in  Chemical Oceanography and spent the first ten years of his career at the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he was also responsible for the construction of Mexico’s first offshore research vessel. Following that, he had an 11 year career in the United Nations. This included six years leading the Marine Environment Studies Laboratory of IAEA in Monaco conducting pollution assessments worldwide. He was part of the team drafting Agenda 21 for the 1992 Rio conference and facilitated negotiations between the six Black Sea countries for the first post-Soviet Ministerial Declaration, subsequently moving to Istanbul to found and lead the $110M GEF Black Sea Environment Programme. Laurence returned to academia in 1998 to become the UK’s first Professor of Marine and Coastal Policy and Director of the Marine Institute at Plymouth University. He continued to advise various UN bodies on transboundary water and oceans issues. Laurence acted as Special Advisor to the UK Parliament for its 2006 inquiry into investigating the oceans and for scrutiny of the UK Marine Bill, is a non-executive member of the UK Marine Science Coordinating Committee and chairs the Marine Industry Liaison Group. He has coordinated two major multi-country research projects informing EU marine policy; ‘European Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems (ELME)’ and the 36 institute ‘Knowledge-based Management of Europe’s Seas (KnowSeas)’ and is currently developing marine futures scenarios for the National Ecosystem Assessment.  Laurence enjoys writing, sailing and scuba diving.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 2: ‘Marine and coastal management – fostering sustainable development and climate change adaptation’

Member of the European Parliament+ rapporteur on the proposal for a Directive on MSP and ICM

Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe /Germany

Freie Demokratische Partei

Born on 22 February 1952, Uelzen

Hotel manager (1975). State examination for vocational school teachers, secondary level II (English, ecotrophology) (1980). Receptionist, Englischer Garten guesthouse, Munich (1975-1976). Association for rural adult education in Lower Saxony (1980-1993); deputy director of the Association from 1984. Self-employed communication instructor (since 1993).

Member of the FDP (since 1985). Vice-chair of Wennigsen Local Association (since 2002); member, Lower Saxony Regional Executive (since 2003); member of the Federal Executive of the FDP (since 2007); federal vice-chair of the FDP women's organisation (since 2008).
Member of the ELDR Council (since 2008).
 
Member, Lower Saxony Regional Assembly (2003-2009).

Member, parochial church council of the Lutheran Church of St Mary and St Peter, Wennigsen (since 1999). Member of the board of the Albert Schweitzer Families Foundation (since 2008). Member of the Supervisory Board of the Löwenherz Children's Hospice Foundation (since 2009).

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Keynote speeches

Betina Meliss graduated with a degree in national economy (Berlin) and worked for many years in the fields of operational and organisational structure and data processing. After 1990 she became active in the NGO sector for sustainable development, on local, regional and international level. She has been involved in Baltic 21 and its tourism sector since 2003 and she is still a member of the reformed Expert Group on Sustainable Development – Baltic 21, which is now included in the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). Since 2005 she operates as a project developer and co-ordinator for EU projects at Greifswald University, Institute of Geography: mainly for the projects ‘AGORA – Network Sustainable Tourism Development in the Baltic Sea Region’ (2005-2007, INTERREG III B) and ‘AGORA 2.0 – Heritage Tourism for Increased Baltic Sea Region Identity’ (2009-2012, Baltic Sea Region Programme). But she is also involved in ongoing activities like rural tourism development in Belarus. Within the frame of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Betina Meliss takes an active role especially for the Flagship Project 12.10 – Strategies for Sustainable Tourism.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 1: ‘Investing in sustainable maritime and coastal tourism - on the path towards Blue Growth’

Mr Mylly started his maritime career in the Finnish Merchant Shipping 1973. He attended Rauma Maritime College of the Satakunta University of Applied Science, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in maritime studies and qualifying as an Officer and Master Mariner in 1980. He sailed on Finnish ships until 1987 when he joined the Finnish Maritime Administration.
Mr Mylly held various positions in the FMA between 1987 and 2009. He started as a pilot and then became project manager for vessel traffic service development in the Archipelago Sea. In 1993, he became director of the Bothnian Gulf Maritime District and he moved in 1999 to the FMA headquar-ters and became head of the traffic department, before becoming Director General in April 2004. He served in this position until the end of 2009 when a merger of Finnish transport agencies took place. Mr Mylly was the tenth and last Director General in the FMA.

In his capacity as Director General, a position he held for six years, he oversaw the work of 800 peo-ple. His responsibilities covered the building and maintenance of maritime infrastructure, maritime safety and security, sea traffic management and control, pilotage, icebreaking and sea charting.

Mr Mylly also gained significant experience in cooperation projects in various European countries. He was involved in several EU twinning projects whose aim it is to help beneficiary countries develop modern and efficient administrations. He acted as project leader in a number of projects in Bulgaria, Croatia and Estonia.

During his time at the FMA, Mr Mylly was appointed as the Finnish representative to EMSA’s Admin-istrative Board and held this position from 2005 to 2009.

He was nominated to the position of Executive Director of EMSA in 2012.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 2: ‘Connectivity for Blue Growth in Europe'

Born in Karlsruhe on 6 March 1958
Married with 2 children

Education:

1979 – 1983:  Studied theology at the University of Heidelberg
1983 – 1988:  Studied law at the University of Heidelberg. Degree awarded: First State Examination in Law (with distinction)
Summer semester 1991: Supplementary course in public administration at the University of Administrative Sciences in Speyer
1989 – 1992: Practical legal training at Heidelberg district court. Degree awarded: Second State Examination in Law (with distinction)

Career history:

17 Feb 1992 – 17 Nov 2002: Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing
17 Feb 1992:  Assistant Head of the Division for International Maritime Transport Policy
01 Aug 1993:  Assistant head of section at the Federal Office for Goods Transport
01 Jan 1994:  Deputy Head of the Division for Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs
01 Apr 1995:  Private Secretary to State Secretary Hans Jochen Henke
01 Sep 1998: Head of the Berlin-Bonn Liaison Division for Railway Matters

18 Nov 2002 – 30 Oct 2009: CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag
Subject specialist in the Transport, Building and Urban Development Working Group

Since 1 Nov 2009 Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development

01 Dec 2009: Head of the Directorate for Staff, Budget, Federal Holdings and Legal Affairs (part of the Central Services Directorate-General)
01 Mar 2010: Director-General, Central Services, Grade: Ministerialdirektor
25 Sep 2012: Entrusted with the function of a state secretary. Grade: Ministerialdirektor
22 Oct 2012: Permanent state secretary. Grade: state secretary

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Messages for stakeholder day – closing of political day

Director "Mediterranean and Black Sea"
European Commission, Directorate-General "Maritime Affairs and Fisheries".

Monique Pariat is Director in the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, responsible for the Mediterranean and Black Sea since October 2010.
The Directorate develops the European maritime policy for the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, including the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy in these areas, in particular for the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources in the Mediterranean Sea and the promotion of sustainable development of coastal regions. The Directorate also promotes the integration of maritime surveillance activities in the EU in order to enhance the safety of the sea and efficiency amongst maritime surveillance communities. The mission furthermore encompasses the definition and implementation of a common framework for an efficient fisheries data management.

Prior to this post, she has been Director for General Affairs in the Directorate-General "Justice, Freedom and Security" and Director for Resources in Directorate-General "Agriculture and rural development".

She has been an official at the European Commission since 1987. She graduated from the Institute of Political Studies of Strasbourg, International Relations and holds a degree from the College of Europe in Bruges. She is French.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 3: ‘Mediterranean Sea Region – laying the conditions for sustainable growth and jobs’

Date of Birth: 19th July 1965

Nationality: Maltese

Membership in Professional Bodies:

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK)- Fellow
Institution of Analysts & Programmers (UK)-Graduate Member
Education:
1989 University of Malta  B.A. (Hons) Public Administration
1991 University of Manchester  M.A. Economics
1990 Chevening Scholar

Employment Record:

2009 – present Chief Executive Officer – Valletta Cruise Port plc
Valletta Cruise Port is the private cruise and ferry terminal operator in the port of Valletta.  In 2012, the terminal handled over 600,000 passenger movements. Since taking over as CEO, John Portelli has been working to establish a direct and regular working relationship with the cruise line operators and more recently with ferry operators in the Mediterranean.  In January 2010, Valletta Cruise Port secured its first homeport agreement with TUI Cruises.  Homeporting and turnarounds is a key objective for Valletta Cruise Port it continues in its endeavors to increase cruise passenger activity in Malta.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel Session 1: ‘The cruise sector – a safe and sustainable growth sector’

Born and resident in Tarragona, Spain, Puri Canals has a PhD in Biochemistry and Physiology from the University of Barcelona. She was until 2010 the President of the League for the Defence of Natural Heritage (DEPANA in Catalonia) and teaches Physiology, at the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona. She has been appointed at a large number of environmental bodies and since 2000 she served at IUCN’s Council for eight years as Regional Councillor for West Europe and also as Vice President from 2005 to 2008. Puri has also been the Chair of the Preparatory Committee for the IUCN 4th World Conservation Congress that was celebrated in Barcelona, Spain 5-14 October 2008. Since participating in the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, she has participated actively in many international conferences and she’s especially interested in the UNFCCC, the CBD and the Barcelona Convention. Regarding the Mediterranean Region, Puri was directly involved in promoting the creation of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation based in Malaga, and she worked with IUCN Mediterranean members for more than ten years. She’s a member of the Scientific Council of the “Conservatoire du Littoral” in France; the World Commission on Protected Areas of IUCN; and the Eurosite Council. Since 2010, she is the President of MedPAN organization, the network of Marine Protected Areas managers in the Mediterranean.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 3: ‘Mediterranean Sea Region – laying the conditions for sustainable growth and jobs’

Mr. Abdelkrim REZAL, who started his career as a sea going marine engineer officer in the Algerian merchant marine in 1978, holds a marine engineering diploma (Officier Mécanicien de 1ère classe) from The “Institut Supérieur maritime of Bou-Imail, Algéria”, and an Msc Degree in Maritime Education and Training, “marine engineering field” from the World Maritime University of Malmoe, Sweden, (Inaugural class, 1985).

Mr Rezal served successively as, a marine engineering lecturer and academic dean at the maritime institute of Bou-Ismail (1985 - 2001) , as Deputy and Director of merchant marine (2001 - 2010), and as an adviser to the  minister of transport (from 2010) at the Algerian ministry of transport.

During his career Mr REZAL has greatly contributed to enhance standards ad capacity of Algerian maritime training institutions and administration through effective implementation of international instruments, as well as national and cooperation projects in the maritime and port sector.   

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 3: ‘Mediterranean Sea Region – laying the conditions for sustainable growth and jobs’

Naval Architect – Marine Engineer

Naval Architect and Marine Engineer, graduate of the National Technical University of Athens (1984-1990). 

He is currently Managing Director of Germanischer Lloyd (Cyprus) Ltd, acting as a Site Officer, Surveyor, Maritime Safety & Security Auditor, Maritime Labour Inspector and Trainer at its Limassol Office.

In 2010, he established the "Maritime Institute of Eastern Mediterranean" a novel, non-profit organization, with the aim to promote Education, Research, Technology and Innovation within the Maritime Industry in the East Med region. The Institute is already engaged in various EU funded Research Programs and has undertaken the administration of the “Cyprus Shortsea Shipping Promotion Centre”.  In his capacity as CEO of the Institute he has submitted several proposals to the Government of Cyprus aiming to promote Blue Growth and Blue Careers, including the establishment of the “Maritime Cluster of the East Med and Black Sea”; the “Pyrgotelis Zoitos Award” for Innovation in Maritime Technology and Research; the “Cruise East Med Forum”; and the Cypriot “Waterborne Technology Platform”.

The Maritime Institute of Eastern Mediterranean has also founded its own “Offshore & Maritime Training Centre” which already provides internationally certified maritime safety training courses.  The training centre will soon also be providing accredited training services for the Offshore Oil & Gas industry in the East Med at its own facilities within the Limassol port.

From 2002 until 2011, he had the overall responsibility for the Technical Department of a large Cruise Line while previously he has been (1995-2002) Head of the Company’s Safety & Quality Department; and the appointed Designated Person Ashore (DPA) as per the International Safety Management Code’s provisions.

Prior to that he worked in various other companies and organizations within the shipping sector both in Cyprus and Greece and he has been Deputy Secretary General of the Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association – CYMEPA (www.cymepa.org.cy).
 
He is currently a member of the Technical subcommittee of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC) (www.csc-cy.org). He is an approved instructor / assessor for Safety Training by the Cyprus Administration; member of the Technical Chamber (ETEK) of Cyprus (www.etek.org.cy); and President of the Cyprus Association of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. He served his military service (1982-84) in the Cyprus National Guard as a Second Lieutenant and he still serves as a reservist Lieutenant.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Parallel session 3: Regional strategies – a path to sustainability and growth

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Dates (from – to):  December 2008 – December 2012
• Name and address of employer:  Grupo de Estudios y Alternativas 21 S.L. (Gea21), 
• Type of business or sector: European project management
• Occupation or position held: Senior Consultant
• Main activities and responsibilities: Evaluation manager for the CIVITAS ARCHIMEDES project on sustainable urban transport. Local dissemination manager for CIVITAS_Donostia San Sebastián.

• Dates (from – to): January 2007 – Present
• Name and address of employer: Independent Consultant, based in Bunyola, Spain
• Type of business or sector: European project management
• Occupation or position held: Senior Consultant
• Main activities and responsibilities: Project management and research for European projects in the 6th and 7th Framework Programme, INTERREG IVC, Intelligent Energy for Europe Programme and for the URBACT Programme. Expert attached to the URBACT secretariat during the URBACT I programme.

Participating in transnational projects on sustainable mobility: SEEMORE, CIVITAS_DYN@MO, ADVANCE, BIOSIRE, BENEFIT, AENEAS, Susta.info, SNOWBALL, CIVITAS_CATALIST and START.

Responsible for overall project coordination in SEEMORE, BIOSIRE and Susta.info. Within AENAES he was workpackage leader for the good practice exchange ring that included capitalisation work and five training workshops on sustainable mobility for older people.

Development and coordination of project proposals (FP7 and IEE programmes)
In-house consultant for the cities of Rotterdam, San Sebastián, Palma and Göteborg, for the Spanish companies GEA21 and CINESI, for the public transport operator of Palma de Mallorca and for the Dutch company Goudappel Coffeng.

• Dates (from – to):  February 2001 – December 2006
• Name and address of employer:  Goudappel Coffeng B.V., Deventer, The Netherlands
• Type of business or sector:  Traffic and Transport Consultants
• Occupation or position held:  Senior Consultant Transport and Economy
• Main activities and responsibilities:  Project management of European projects in the 5th and 6th Framework Programmes, Intelligent Energy for Europe, INTERREG IIIB and URBACT. European technical coordinator of the TELLUS project (CIVITAS I). Co-ordinator of the Susta.info project (Global Change and Ecosystems). Management tasks in the START (IEE) and Velo.Info projects (City of Tomorrow). Expert attached to the URBACT secretariat during the URBACT I programme period. Rotterdam site evaluation manager for the HEAVEN project (IST-environment). Development of European projects for the cities of Rotterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem (all NL), Göteborg (SE) and Gdynia (PL).

• Dates (from – to):  November 1998 – January 2001
• Name and address of employer:  Rotterdam City Development Corporation, City of Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• Type of business or sector:  City government
• Occupation or position held:  Coordinator of European projects
• Main activities and responsibilities:  Local co-ordination of Rotterdam partners and evaluation manager within RTD projects on transport and environment in the 4th and 5th Framework Programmes. Examples of projects are EUROSCOPE (IST) and ENTIRE (Thermie). Organization of the 14th annual POLIS conference.

• Dates (from – to):  March 1995 – November 1998
• Name and address of employer:  Bureau Bartels B.V., Utrecht, The Netherlands
• Type of business or sector: Research and consultancy for regional economics and innovation policy
• Occupation or position held:  Consultant
• Main activities and responsibilities:  Leader of research projects on topics like national and regional technology policy, labour market, subsidized jobs for young people, employment creation in the health sector, green taxes, regional economic development and evaluation of ERDF and ESF (objective 2) regional programmes.

• Dates (from – to):  May 1994 – February 1995
• Name and address of employer:  Ministry of Defence, Den Haag
• Type of business or sector:  National government
• Occupation or position held:  Military service, truck driver

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Dates (from – to):  January 1999 – September 2001
• Name and type of organisation providing education and training:  Erasmus University of Rotterdam, the University of Venice, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Antwerp (UFSIA) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)
• Principal subjects/occupational skills covered: Master on Management of the European Metropolitan Region
• Title of qualification awarded:  Master in Urban Management
  
• Dates (from – to):  September 1987 – April 1994
• Name and type of organisation providing education and training:  Erasmus University of Rotterdam
• Principal subjects/occupational skills covered:  Regional economics, industrial economics, applied economics.
• Title of qualification awarded:  Master in Economics
• Level in national classification (if appropriate):  Drs. In de Economische Wetenschappen

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Plenary session 1: ‘Investing in sustainable maritime and coastal tourism - on the path towards Blue Growth’

Hon. Karmenu Vella was born on the 19th of June 1950. He graduated in Architecture, Civil Engineering and also with a Master of Science in Tourism Management from University of Sheffield. In 1974 he was appointed Managing Director of the Libyan Maltese Holding Company. Hon. Karmenu Vella was first successfully elected to Parliament in 1976 whereby he continued to be elected in the elections that followed for nine consecutive times. In 1973 he started to practice as an Architect. In 1981 he was appointed Minister for Public works, a post he served until 1983. From 1984 -1987 he was appointed as Minister for the Industry and as Minister for Tourism from 1996 till 1998. In 2001 he was appointed as Executive Chairman of Corinthia Hotels International until 2007. A year later he served as Executive Chairman of the Mediterranean Construction Co. Ltd until 2010. During the past three years he occupied the post of Chairman of Orange Travel Group. He also served as a Foundation Member of Vodafone Malta Foundation, Founding Chairman of the Maltese Turkish Business Council and Board Director of Betfair Group Ltd. Last March he was appointed again as Minister for Tourism.  He is married to Marianne née Buhagiar and has two children, John and Philip. He is also grandfather of one, named Adam.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Opening - Welcome to European Maritime Day 2013

Axel Wenblad was Director General for the Swedish Board of Fisheries between 2005 and 2011. In 2010 he was Special Commissioner on Marine Spatial Planning in Sweden. His previous experience includes the business sector where he has had senior positions in the field of sustainability in Volvo and Skanska. He has also had various positions in the Swedish government.  Presently he serves on several boards including Worldfish Center, a global research organization to develop small scale fisheries and aquaculture in developing countries. Mr Wenblad received the WWF Baltic Sea Leadership Award in 2011.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Moderator for the day

The Hon. Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis was born on the 21st June 1973 in Mtarfa, Rabat, Malta. He completed his formative years at St. Aloysius College and his tertiary education at the University of Malta. He graduated in BA European Studies and International relations and subsequently obtained a Doctorate of Laws. During his university years, the Hon. Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis was actively engaged in the Labour Youth Forum, where he occupied the post of President for two years and was also elected as a local councillor in Attard.

Until recently, he was as a lawyer by profession, specialising in litigation in the civil, commercial, constitutional, liable law and the human rights sphere. The Hon. Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis was also chosen by the Labour Party leader today the Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat to represent and assist the Opposition in the rent law reform amendments in 2009 and the to pilot the case related to the VAT registration on cars.

In the 2013 General elections held on the 9th March, the Hon. Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis was successfully elected on the 8 Electoral District and was chosen by the Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat to form part of his cabinet and appointed him a Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth.

The Hon. Edward Zammit Lewis is married to Dr. Elena Farrugia and have one daughter Lucia and they reside in Lija.

Will be speaking at the following sessions:

Messages for stakeholder-day – closing of political day