LATEST SPEAKER INTRODUCTION IN LINKEDIN

 Erik Eklund, Director General of the Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket), appointed on 10 June 2024 by the Swedish Government. 

 Erik Eklund’s background in naval architecture, earned at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, provides him with a deep understanding of ship design, navigation systems, and maritime operations.

Before taking the helm of Sjöfartsverket, Eklund held senior leadership roles at Transportstyrelsen (Swedish Transport Agency), developing expertise in regulatory oversight and national transport policy. He also served in operational roles earlier in his career within Sjöfartsverket, giving him direct experience with the challenges of maritime infrastructure management. In addition to his public-sector experience, Erik Eklund led innovation initiatives at Candela Technology AB, a Swedish pioneer in electric hydrofoil vessels. 

Sanna Sonninen has served as Maritime Director at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) since October 2024. Prior to this role, she served as Pilotage Director at Finnpilot Pilotage Ltd, and also acted as Chief Executive Officer of Ice Advisors Ltd. She has previously held positions at Traficom’s predecessor agency, the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi), as well as at the Finnish Maritime Administration, including senior management and development roles.

Before joining the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) as a researcher in 2001, she worked for nearly ten years as a deck officer on Finnish merchant vessels, including tankers and RoPax vessels. Her career thus combines extensive seagoing experience with long-standing expertise in maritime administration, regulation, research and leadership.

Sanna Sonninen holds qualifications as a Master Mariner and a Master of Science (Technology). She is currently a doctoral researcher at Aalto University.

 Charlotte Røjgaard is the Global Marine Fuels Director at Bureau Veritas, leading 

VeriFuel’s team of experts. 

Charlotte has a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the Technical 

University of Denmark and an executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics from 

Copenhagen Business School. 

Having spent 15 successful years with MAN Energy Solutions where she began her 

career, she moved to Singapore to enhance the technical capabilities at DNVPS

eventually rising to Technical Director. Joining Bureau Veritas’ VeriFuel team in 2015 as 

Global Technical Manager, she has been instrumental in strengthening the company’s 

expertise in marine fuels whilst successfully launching and establishing VeriFuel as a 

well-recognised global brand.

Charlotte represents Bureau Veritas’ VeriFuel at conferences and sits on numerous key 

industry committees, including ISO 8217 (products from Petroleum, synthetic and 

renewables sources) and ISO 6583 (methanol) while also using her expert knowledge 

and experience advising international working groups and authorities on industry trends 

such as endemic fuel cases.

In May 2024, she joined the CIMAC board as VP of working groups and since

November 2024, she has chaired IBIAs newly formed European Regional Board.

Ansis Zeltins has a Bachelor's degree from Latvian Maritime Academy in 

Maritime Transport and a Master's degree in Business Administration 

from University of Salford (United Kingdom). 

As the CEO of the Freeport of Riga since 2017, Ansis Zeltins has been involved in the maritime industry for 20 years 

now, representing the country at various international maritime industry 

forums such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the 

International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), Member of the Board 

of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the Head of the 

Shipping Working Group of the Council of Europe. Member of the Board 

of the Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) since 2018,

Member of the Board of the Employers' Confederation of Latvia (LDDK) 

since March 2022. 

Ansis Zeltins has served as Vice-Chairman of the European Sea 

Ports Organization (ESPO) since November 2022 and was elected 

Chair of ESPO in November 2024. 

Ansis Zeltins has the qualification of a chief mate on ships of 3000 BT 

and above.

Nelson Chow stands at the forefront of business transformation in Asia as both the President of the Institute for Supply Management – Hong Kong Branch (ISM-HK) and the leading Partner at Argon & Co. With over twenty years of experience, his expertise spans operational excellence, margin enhancement, supply chain risk management, sustainability and digital transformation across both multinational and local organizations. He has served 50+ clients worldwide and managed 100+ strategic projects across sectors including Automotive, FMCG, Food & Beverages, Luxury & Fashion, Private Equity, Retail & E-commerce, Power & Utilities, Life Sciences, Transport & Logistic, Trading and Industrial.

Nelson is passionate about nurturing the next generation of business and digital talents, highlighted by his roles as a Professor of Practice in the Global Supply Chain Master Program at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Chair of Program Advisory Committee at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. He has enriched his academic credentials with Executive programs from prestigious institutions including The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Stanford, and Cambridge.

As President of ISM, he has led multiple company visits in Greater Bay Area for corporate and individual members, including visits to Tencent, BYD, the Qianhai Authority, and Yantian International Port.

He, representing ISM-HK, has recently co-organizing the Supply Chain, Procurement and Logistics Theatre with ReThink HK 2025. A sought-after speaker, Nelson recently spoke and moderated the Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference (ALMAC), HK Disneyland Supplier Diversity Symposium, Standard Chartered Supplier Diversity Conference, ESG Xchange, Suzhou American Chamber Manufacturing Conference, Annual ASEAN Procurement Innovation Summit, Digital Procurement Transformation, Luxury Symposium, Asia Retail Arena, Asia Pacific Procurement Congress, World Finance Forum, Smart Supply Chain and Logistics Asia, Asia Digital Supply Chain Summit and ProcureCon Asia.l Board.

 Andres Uusoja currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer and a Board Member at HHLA TK Estonia, a key subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) — one of Europe’s most influential port and logistics groups. 

Andres Uusoja leads commercial strategy, business development, sales, and customer relations for one of the Baltic region’s most dynamic multimodal terminals. 

Across more than twenty years of experience in the international logistics sector, he has developed expertise spanning maritime transport, intermodal solutions, and terminal operations — positioning him at the forefront of evolving supply chain trends.

Under Andres Uusoja’s commercial leadership, HHLA TK Estonia has strengthened its role as a critical gateway for cargo flows across the Baltic Sea region. The terminal in Muuga Port plays a strategic role in connecting sea, rail, and road transport, driving both export and import activity while supporting sustainable logistics growth in Northern Europe.  

Mrs Laura Langh-Lagerlöf is the Managing Director and co-owner of the Finnish company Langh Group Oy Ab and its daughter companies, shipping company Langh Ship Oy Ab and green tech manufacturer Langh Tech Oy Ab. 

Laura has a master’s degree in Economics & Business Administration from Åbo Akademi University and she has since an early age been involved in the family business. 

Thanks to the excellent knowledge in the maritime industry and the good business sense, Laura has led the shipping company successfully and has accomplished significant growth in the fleet. 

In addition to being a ship owner, Laura has from the start been a very important actor in the development of Langh Tech’s scrubbers, and has thereafter continued to drive the company to constantly look for new areas to innovate. 

Nowadays Langh Tech develops several kinds of green tech for vessels, including SOx scrubbers and thereto related water treatment systems, ballast water treatment systems, carbon capture and batteries, which have combined been sold to over two hundred vessels. 

Niclas Seligson is a highly experienced Master Mariner and maritime professional with over 30 years at sea. 

Since 2006 he has worked for Finnlines and he spent 17 years as a captain, including serving as captain of Finnlines’ M/S Finnstar on the Helsinki–Travemünde route. 

On 1 July 2025, he transitioned ashore, taking on the role of Sea Personnel Manager, Finland at Finnlines. In this position, he leads a team on land and oversees more than 800 Finnish-flagged seafarers. 

Across his career, Niclas has built deep operational expertise — not only from navigating sea routes but also in organizational leadership. He draws on his firsthand knowledge of shipboard life to guide personnel development, foster well-being, and strengthen cooperation between shore and sea teams. In addition to his role at Finnlines, 

Niclas serves also as a Senior Advisor at SeaFocus International. In this capacity, he mentors emerging maritime talent, supports strategic projects, such as future maritime safety initiatives, and helps bridge the gap between technical expertise and leadership in shipping. His leadership philosophy centres on combining operational excellence with empathy, ensuring the seafarers he leads are not just capable but also supported and motivated.