2023 Speakers

Carleen Lyden Walker is the Chief Evolution Officer of SHIPPINGInsight, leveraging off her experience as a marketing and communications professional in the commercial maritime industry with over 40 years of experience.  She specializes in identifying, developing and implementing strategic programs that position SHIPPINGInsight as the most effective forum for shipowners and solution providers to advance optimization and innovation in the maritime sphere.  In 2015, Ms. Lyden Walker was appointed a Goodwill Maritime Ambassador by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). She is a member of WISTA (Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association), the Connecticut Maritime Association, WIMAC (Women in Maritime Association, Caribbean) and is a Past-President of the Propeller Club Chapter of the Port of NY/NJ. She was also elected to the Board of Trustees of  Tall Ships America Foundation, Northeast Maritime Institute, and the New Era Academy (Baltimore Harbor School).  Ms. Lyden Walker is also CEO of Morgan Marketing & Communications, Co-Founder/Executive Director of NAMEPA, and Founder of both CARIBMEPA and the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage.  In 2010 she was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the United States Coast Guard, and in 2014 a Public Service Commendation for her work on World Maritime Day and AMVER, respectively.  She held a USCG Captain’s license.

Angelica Sogor is an experienced maritime professional, with 13 years of experience in maritime operations, safety, training and development, and regulatory compliance.  

 She began her career designing and managing maritime training courses and professional development programs, including technical and non-technical training for regulatory compliance and custom client needs. She then gained experience in operational vessel management and regulatory compliance (including health, safety, security, and environmental) with cruise ships and privately owned passenger vessels. 

 She currently works as a Manager, Marine Safety & Training at Carnival Cruise Line in Miami, Florida. At Carnival, she has an essential role of implementing and verifying regulatory safety and training procedures and programs, as well as managing emergency response preparedness. She creates and manages shipboard emergency response procedures; implements crew training, drill, and assessment programs; and supports passenger safety through implementation of the onboard guest safety briefing process.  

 She holds a B.A. and M.S. in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami (Miami, FL, USA) and a M.S. in Education (with graduate certificates in Teaching the Adult Learner and Leadership in Technology) from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA).  

Christopher J. Wiernicki is Chairman and CEO of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Chairman of ABS’ Affiliated Companies. Mr. Wiernicki has over 35 years of extensive commercial, government and international experience in marine and offshore design, operations, infrastructure and safety management, ports and bunkering, digitalization, cybersecurity, and clean energy transition. He is a serving member of the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), which advises the White House on how to reduce risks and improve the resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure sectors. 

David Cummins is President of the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition, a non-profit, strategic alliance formed to accelerate the transition of waterborne transportation in Canada and the United States toward net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  

Prior to his current role, Cummins worked as an executive with Shell with more than 35 years’ experience covering many locations around the world as well as many diverse businesses and skill areas.  Cummins was Shell’s Commercial and Business Development Manager for Shipping & Maritime, Americas, and before that served as Vice President of Shell Korea Limited, managing relationships with Korean shipyards and heavy industry. Cummins previously contributed to Shell’s success in technical management, global strategy development, commercial deal making, new business development, strategic customer account management, divestment and portfolio deal teams, capital project planning & execution, and change management/corporate redesign.

Cummins is a frequent speaker with various organizations on topics including Shipping Sectoral Decarbonization, Global/International Account Management, Strategy Development, Negotiation/Deal Making and Cultural Differences between Western and Asian Countries. In his personal time Cummins is an avid golfer and photographer and is also sole proprietor of a timber tract operations company in the US. 

John D. “Jack” Noonan is a maritime industry professional with 40+ years’ experience.  He had served as President/CEO of Chembulk Tankers from 2007 until his retirement in December 2017.  He subsequently formed, Binnacle Maritime LLC which provides advisory services within the shipping, ship finance and related maritime services industry.  

Jack is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy where he earned a B.S. in Marine Transportation and a USCG Unlimited Tonnage License as 3rd Mate. Additionally he was commissioned as Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve, ultimately being promoted to Lieutenant. Following graduation in 1978, he sailed with the US Flag Tanker Fleet of Texaco, advancing his USCG License to Chief Mate.   

From 1984 until joining Chembulk in 2007, Jack served in operations, chartering and commercial management roles with chemical tanker owner/operators Stolt-Nielsen and Clipper Tankers USA.  He also spent eight years as a shipbroker with independent brokerage firm SPI Marine USA.   

Jack’s membership in professional associations includes the Connecticut Maritime Assn., the Marine Society of New York, the American Bureau of Shipping, Northeastern Chemical Association and the North American Marine Environmental Protection Assn.  

Jack is serves on the Board of Directors of McAllister Towing Co., the Seamen’s Church Institute Board of Trustees and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Advisory Board.  

In 2017, Jack was recognized by the Connecticut Maritime Association as Commodore for its annual shipping industry symposium.  Additionally that year he was named U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumnus of the Year. 

President of Triworld Shipping, Inc. in Armonk and currently responsible for the Group’s activities in USA for the drybulk fleet. 

Licensed Master Mariner (unlimited tonnage) with a long list of higher education programs under his belt: 

• MS in Transportation Management from SUNY Maritime, Fort Schuyler 
• MBA from Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY 
• Executive Education program from Harvard Business School 

And the latest – Basics of Angel Investing from the Ann & Bill Payne ACA Angel University.   

Over 40 years of ‘hands-on’ experience in the dry bulk sector which included sailing on ocean-going ships of over 100,000mt DWT and current shore based experience in brokerage, ship management, ship finance and investor relations.   

On the Board of Directors of ASBA. 

Roy Bleiberg is the Vice President of Business Development for North America for the American Bureau of Shipping and has over 30 years of global marine and offshore experience with ABS.  He is responsible for business development and account management for all North American marine markets.  He has in-depth knowledge of class and regulatory requirements and has held various leadership positions with ABS, including most recently Vice President of Engineering and Director of Global Gas Solutions.  He is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering Systems. 

Joseph Gross is the Manager of Dry Cargo Vessel Operations at d’Amico Shipping USA in Stamford, CT.  Mr. Gross joined d’Amico in December 2013. A US Coast Guard licensed Master Mariner, he has over 30 years of experience in the maritime industry, both at sea and ashore.  Coming ashore in 1997, he spent two years working in vessel operations at Charles R. Weber Company, followed by eleven years there as a spot tanker broker.  From 2010 until 2011, he worked as a dry cargo broker at John F. Dillon & Company, and from August 2011 to December 2013 as a ship broker on the projects desk at Maersk Broker America, Inc.   Mr. Gross graduated from SUNY Maritime College in 1991 with a Bachelors degree in Meteorology & Oceanography, and a US Coast Guard Unlimited Third Mates License.  Mr. Gross was the President of the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) from 2016 until 2020, and is a member of Senator Christopher Murphy’s (CT) Long Island Sound Advisory Council. 

Captain Robert Hughes previously served as Genco’s Chief Operations Officer from January 2019 to March 2023. Captain Hughes has over 25 years of experience in the shipping industry both at sea and ashore, with a focus on vessel and cargo operations, customer relations and strategic planning. Captain Hughes holds a Bachelor for Science degree from the US Merchant Marine Academy, a Master of Business Administration from Molloy College, and a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College, and actively maintains a US Coast Guard Master of unlimited tonnage any oceans license. 

Dr. Jason Zuidema is Executive Director of the North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA). NAMMA is an association representing seafarers’ welfare organizations in more than 55 ports around North America. The goals of the organization include professional development and networking for its members, but also providing a common voice for seafarers’ welfare to increase collaboration with ports, government, labor, and the wider maritime industry. Dr. Zuidema has been involved in the seafarers’ welfare since 1997 and previously taught at Montreal’s Concordia University. He currently serves also as General Secretary of the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA), is vice-chair of the Canadian National Seafarers’ Welfare Board, is a trustee of ISWAN, and is the producer of the Ship Welfare Visitor Course online for the UK’s Merchant Navy Welfare Board. Dr. Zuidema lives in Montreal with his wife and three children.

Katherine is a 2022 Duke of Edinburgh Award recipient for her accomplishments in sports, arts, and voluntary service.

Mr. Andersen has over 30 years of experience in the maritime industry with a focus on propulsion systems and machinery.  He has a MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington and started his career at a marine engineering company in Seattle.  

In 2005, he joined DNV Maritime Technical Advisory Group based in Norway.  Since 2010 he is based in Houston, Texas and is currently a Business Development Director for DNV Maritime, Region Americas.  In this role, he is focusing on alternative fuels, environmental compliance, energy efficiency, and novel technologies in shipping.    

He is a member of the SNAME M-16 Panel on Propulsion Shafting and is on the North America Environmental Protection Association (NAMEPA) Board of Directors.  

Peter is a shipbuilder, naval architect and marine surveyor with 40 years experience in the maritime industry and is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. Starting his career at UK shipbuilder Vosper Thornycroft as an apprentice shipwright/metalworker and later as a naval architect in the ship design department.

After a period with Lloyd’s Register specializing in yachts and passenger ships, Peter worked with the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency where he was involved in the implementation and expansion of the large yacht code and directly responsible for the development of LY2. He joined the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry as a marine surveyor where he was instrumental in developing the Register as the world leader in large yacht registration and more recently has played a lead role in the development of the REG Passenger Yacht Code, first published in November 2011.

Peter is a regular panelist at innumerous maritime events and regularly contributes to articles on regulatory matters in industry publications. He is a well-respected authority on matters related to the construction and regulation of ships and large yachts.

Peter has a Law Degree from the University of London and completed the LPC with the University of Law and has subsequently been involved in the development of legislation and providing advice on international maritime regulatory matters.

Peter founded Southgate Maritime Inc in 2018 and is currently serving a Regional Director, Americas for the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands and is responsible for the Authority’s technical operations in the region.

Equipped with her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Art degree in Teaching from Sacred Heart University, Molly has established herself as a dedicated science educator. Molly’s deep-rooted passion for marine and environmental science was sparked in her youth growing up on Long Island Sound. In her role as MPSEC Director, she leads the strategic efforts to promote maritime education in our nation’s primary and secondary schools through partnerships and resource sharing.

As the Education & Outreach Director for the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), Molly spearheads NAMEPA’s education and outreach initiatives around public and student environmental stewardship and marine environmental awareness for maritime personnel. With a primary focus on developing and implementing comprehensive programs, she engages participants on mission-driven initiatives, grant-based projects, and informative programs in collaboration with diverse audiences including the public, students, and both shoreside and offshore maritime personnel.

Molly is also a secondary science teacher and Adjunct Professor at Sacred Heart University.

Morten Arntzen currently is the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Team Tankers International Ltd, a major operator of chemical tankers, and serves as Senior Shipping Industry Advisor to Macquarie Bank.  He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Maine Maritime Academy and sits on the Advisory Council of American bureau of Shipping (ABS).

He has been involved in the global shipping industry continuously since 1980 in a variety of capacities: credit analyst, banker, underwriter, arranger, advisor, investor, board member, speaker and chief executive officer.  He has worked for or with companies all over the globe, thru several shipping cycles and in all the major shipping segments (tankers, dry bulk, container, cruise, offshore, barges, LNG carriers and car carriers).    

He built and reshaped several businesses during his banking career and actively participated in 2 major bank mergers (Manufacturers Hanover with Chemical bank and Chemical Bank with Chase Manhattan Bank) where he ran the global transportation finance businesses; transformed American Marine Advisors from an arranger of loans to a multi-product shipping investment banking boutique specializing in restructuriong; and successfully diversified Overseas Shipholding Group from a pure operator of crude tankers in the spot market to a company with multiple product lines, including an LNG business and the biggest JOnes Act tanker operation.  He has served on the Board of Directors of a number of companies and institutions, including Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Chiquita Brands International, Essar Shipping, IM Skaugen, TBS Shipping and Guardian Navigation.

Linda Kongerslev is currently Director – Global Engagement & Sustainability at OLDENDORFF CARRIERS, where she has been working for the dry bulk owner & operator since 2000.

 Linda has a commercial background with long-term experience in dry bulk chartering. She was active in Oldendorff’s transshipment projects for many years, including three years as General Manager of their Abu Dhabi office, and has recently joined Oldendorff’s sustainability and industry engagement department.

Bart Kelleher is Chief Financial Officer for Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE: ASC).  He has over 25 years of progressive experience in the maritime, finance, energy, and industrials sectors. Most recently from 2016-2022, Mr. Kelleher held executive roles with Chembulk Tankers, an owner and operator of stainless-steel chemical tankers, serving as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer.  Prior to that from 2010-2015, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Principal Maritime Management which owned and operated a fleet of Suezmax crude carriers and chemical tankers; he also functioned as acting Chief Financial Officer during the company’s start-up and initial growth phases.  In addition to his executive experience in the maritime transportation sector, Mr. Kelleher has held roles in investment banking, commercial banking, equity research, and capital markets in the maritime and energy-related industries at Bear Stearns and HSH Nordbank.  Earlier in his career, he served as a deck officer onboard US-flag crude oil tankers and held management positions in both the cruise industry and with a leading naval architecture firm.  Mr. Kelleher holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MS in Ocean Systems Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BE in Naval Architecture from New York Maritime College.  Mr. Kelleher serves as a Director of Element 1 Corporation, a developer of methanol to hydrogen technology, and as an Advisory Board Member to OrbitMI, an innovative technology firm offering advanced AI-based fleet performance management solutions.

Michael G. Roberts is a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology and a nonresident senior fellow with the Center for Maritime Strategy of the Navy League of the United States. Mr. Roberts founded and directs the American Maritime Security Initiative, which is focused on the national and economic security concerns raised by China’s growing dominance of the commercial maritime industry.

Mr. Roberts first became involved in transportation regulatory issues in 1979 when he was assigned to the Transportation Section of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. He has remained involved in transportation legal and policy issues for most of his career as a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, DC. Roberts was a senior executive with a leading American shipping company, serving from 2008 as general counsel and leadership team member for Crowley Maritime Corp. Roberts’s responsibilities included liaising with the Pentagon, Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, and other government agencies on maritime security matters. He also served as president of the American Maritime Partnership, a leading maritime trade organization, for two years through the end of 2021.

Jonathan Arneault is the CEO and co-founder of FuelTrust, a GreenTech SaaS startup solving the hardest and most impactful challenges across the shipping fuel industry – a $500B market annually.

An engineer, executive, and entrepreneur, Jonathan has led product development, engineering, marketing, business development, support, sales, and M&A. Jonathan’s adventuresome career includes senior positions at Netscape, AOL, INet Solutions, Mercator, Ascential Software, and IBM. He serves on the boards of various universities, federal and state government programs, and non-profits, as well as an advisor to several venture capital firms and tech startups.

Mr. Jeff Lantz is the Director for Commercial Regulations and Standards for the U.S. Coast Guard.  His responsibilities include the development of U.S. maritime safety, security and environmental protection regulations and policies for shipping and the U.S. merchant mariner credentialing program.  He leads for the U.S. in the development of international safety, security and environmental protection standards at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and represents the U.S. at the IMO in many capacities including as head of delegation to both the Maritime Safety Committee and Marine Environmental Protection Committee.

David has broad experience in all phases of engineering and ship management. In addition to extensive engineering experience aboard tankers, David was previously Managing Director of V-Ships USA and Technical Director for Suezmax owner Principal Maritime. He is now responsible for overseeing Ridgebury’s engineering and technical group and working directly with ship managers, with particular focus on value-added activities surrounding performance optimization, capital investment and drydock efficiency.

Monika has amassed fifteen years of valuable professional experience in the maritime and financial technology sectors. Her journey commenced in 2008 at MSC, where she undertook various leadership and client-facing positions. This tenure provided a solid foundation for her subsequent role as Director of Operations at a prominent paper trading company. In 2019, Monika ventured into the fintech industry and rapidly ascended to the position of Director of Client Success.

Throughout her career, Monika has excelled in leading client relationships, fostering high-performing teams, and collaborating closely with clients and technology to devise innovative solutions. These endeavors have been instrumental in driving business growth, scalability, and revenue generation. Her unwavering commitment to nurturing strong partnerships, coupled with her profound expertise in both maritime and financial technology sectors, positions her as a trusted advisor and strategic ally for clients striving to accomplish their business objectives.