Panteleimon Pantelis has 20 years experience in Ship Management and in Shipping IT Systems. As a Mechanical Engineer, he graduated from Imperial College of London and completed post-graduate studies in ‘Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Quality Management’ at Brunel University and is a member of the City and Guilds Institute.

He started his career in technical maintenance of ships before moving to Lyras Shipping as a Junior Superintendent Engineer. There, along with the technical tasks, he participated in the development and implementation of software systems in the company.

He moved to Ulysses Systems where he is now the Chief Operating Officer after holding a number of posts including Product Consultant and Services Director.

Rob O'Dwyer, Editor of Digital Ship, has been a maritime IT journalist since 2005. He has a Master's degree in business and law from University College Dublin and was previously a commercial writing consultant in Seoul, South Korea.

Rob was also previously Editor of Port Finance International.

Barbara Bersani has more than 10 years of experience in the satellite communications sector working for Marlink, Vizada and now Airbus Defence and Space. She joined Marlink as a Sales Manager for the sales regions in France, Monaco, and Switzerland in 2005. In 2008 she took responsibility for Maritime Sales for Europe West and Europe East. In 2012 Barbara was appointed as Head of Sales Maritime for Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa. Earlier in her career, she held Business Development and Marketing positions within the Defence Industry. Barbara holds a BA from The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies of Geneva and a DBA from the LSE – London School of Economics.

Manuel Valero has a Bachelor of Telecommunications Engineering and holds a Masters in Satellite Communications from the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain.

As Telenor Satellite Broadcasting Sales Manager for Maritime, he has been able to highly develop the TSBc customer database by closely supporting our maritime customers with their ever-increasing requirements prior to the new Thor 7 HTS ka band launch.

Prior to joining TSBc, he worked for STM (Global IP and now EMC) as a Business Development Manager in the period 2009/2012, and has more than 13 years of experience in the international satellite industry.

With the launch of THOR 7, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting is looking forward to offering Ka-band satellite capacity for offshore services in coverage areas spanning the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, the Red Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. We are already welcoming many new customers to our 1º West home and have seen incredible growth within the offshore sector for satellite broadband solutions in Europe and the Middle East.

Martin has spent over 30 years working in the Telecommunications, Satellite and the IT industry and currently runs Maritime Sales in Europe for SpeedCast. Martin has been involved with the Maritime industry since 2008 first as Sales Director at Zynetix a company focusing on GSM calling at sea and then with Globe Wireless as Business Development Director. Martin currently spends a lot of his time with shipping companies advising on options for communications and IT at sea. The roles he has performed in Maritime have given Martin a unique and in depth knowledge on what customer requirements are for a communications and IT solutions at sea.

Henning Horst has more than 20 years' experience in the satellite industry, with a focus on satellite broadcasting. He has held a variety of positions in engineering, product management and sales at Kirch Group, Grundig and Eutelsat. He was a member of the DVB consortium for many years, and chaired the SI standardization sub-committee. Henning joined SES in 2003, and has contributed to the company's success through his work in commercial roles for both the broadcasting and data verticals.

Henning holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from TU Braunschweig and an MBA from the University of Louisville.

Chris Insall joined Intelsat in 2014 as Senior Principal Product Manager, Maritime Services. From 2011 to 2014, he worked as Commercial Programmes Manager for Cobham SATCOM, incorporating maritime and antenna brands Sea Tel and Sailor. Prior to Cobham, Chris was at Inmarsat for 11 years with roles encompassing maritime business and product management – key responsibilities included deployment of the Fleet and FleetBroadband product portfolios. Chris has been an active participant in Digital Ship events since its launch.

Chris holds an MSc degree in Software Engineering and a BA degree in business and foreign languages, and is based in London, UK.

Leticia Diaz Del Rio is responsible for directly generating customer demand, identifying and cultivating new opportunities to sell Thuraya's maritime products and services through direct engagement with end-users and service partners around the globe.

She brings over eight years' experience across all maritime segments gained at the satellite operator and service provider level derived from her previous positions in Inmarsat, as part of the Maritime Market Development team, and in Satlink where she served the fishing industry addressing both end-user and governmental markets.

Leticia holds a BA (Hons) and MA in Management Business and Administration by the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

Kyle has 17 years' experience in the maritime satellite communication sector. Before joining Iridium as Director, Maritime Business in March 2015, Kyle worked for Station711 and before that as Director of Market Development at Thuraya, and was also previously Maritime Marketing Manager for lnmarsat in London, specialising in product development and the application of satellite communications to the maritime market.

His experience extends to working as a Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) Manager for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency in the Solomon Islands. A native Australian, he has also held a number of leadership positions at the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. Kyle was also a soldier in the Australian Army (Engineer Corps) and grew up working with his family in a number of commercial fisheries on the South East Coast of Australia.

Prof. Aristotelis B. Alexopoulos has graduated from the University of Athens (BA in Law and Political Science) and has completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Wales (MSc in Marine Law and Maritime Policy) and at the University of Piraeus (PhD in Marine Environmental Law and Chartering). He has worked in the private sector as a legal advisor/maritime operator for Shipping Companies, and in the public sector as a scientific consultant in environmental issues for the Institute of Transport and for the Local Government. He’s the author of 8 books and 1 e-book as well as of over 150 research articles published in peer academic journals, volumes, books and international conferences. He was an Assistant Professor (Adjunct) in the Departments of Marine Sciences (Lesvos) and Shipping, Trade & Transport (Chios) at the University of the Aegean and a visiting lecturer at the University of Piraeus, Department of Maritime Studies. He is currently the Director of Research & Development in the Department of Shipping, Transport & Logistics and a member of the academic staff at BCA Business College of Athens.

Dr. Poutos I. Evangelos received his first degree from the National University of Athens (2001), Department of Economics, and his Master’s degree from the University of London (2002). He completed his studies at the Hellenic Open University, where he obtained his Ph.D. with honors in Accounting and Finance (2009). Currently, he is the Manager of e – Learning Unit and Programme Manager of MSc in Accounting and Finance at BCA. He also teaches at the Greek Open University in the “MSc Banking” programme and in the graduate programmes of the National Technical University "MBA: Techno-Economic Systems" and the Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus “MSc Accounting and Finance”. Furthermore, he has taught “Maritime Financial Statement Analysis”, “Maritime Economics” at BCA, “Accounting” at the University of Athens (Department of Economics), “Corporate Finance” at the Harokopion University and “Financial Markets” at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens (Department of Business Administration). His scientific and research interests lie in the field of life-long learning, e- learning management, financial planning, the use of financial statements for proper decision making and suitable planning always in relation to the economic environment, financial accounting, and the impact of the economic environment in the distribution corporate profits.

Fotis Kamperis was born in Athens, Greece. He graduated from the Naval Cadets School and has 12 years at sea at various positions including Commanding LST and FFG.

Fotis has a extensive experience as Director of various Schools and Simulator facilities in the navy as well as in the shipping industry.

Mark joined Inmarsat in September 2016 and has responsibility for maritime marketing communications activities, with the objective of opening up the full potential of high-speed connectivity at sea across vertical markets including merchant shipping, small boat, fishing and leisure.

With over 18 years’ experience in the maritime industry, Warner has an extensive track record in digital platform development and marketing programme creation for ship owners, managers and suppliers. He has sector-specific experience in data analytics, E-commerce, lead generation and public relations, social media and online advertising. He is also the former Head of Digital Maritime and Professional Division for Informa, publishers of Lloyd’s List, where he managed the digital offering from the world’s oldest daily shipping paper during an intense development period.

Warner joins Inmarsat after seven years with ShipServ, the world’s leading e-marketplace for the marine and offshore supply industries, where he was a Director for Marketing and Business Development playing a central role in ShipServ’s contribution to the EU e-maritime digital development project.

A University of Plymouth alumnus, holding an MSc in International Logistics and a BSc in Maritime Business & Law, Warner has recently finished serving five years as Chairman of the Plymouth Nautical Degree Association, many of whose 500 members now occupy senior positions across the maritime industry. He is also current chairman of the Marine E-commerce Association.

Fotis Kamperis was born in Athens, Greece. He graduated from the Naval Cadets School and has 12 years at sea at various positions including Commanding LST and FFG.

Fotis has a extensive experience as Director of various Schools and Simulator facilities in the navy as well as in the shipping industry.

Mr. Adonis Violaris is the Chairman of the ICT Sub-Committee of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber and until recently the Managing Director of Telaccount Overseas Ltd with Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.

Mr. Violaris holds an MBA in Business Administration from Freie Universität in Berlin. Throughout his education and professional experience, he maintains close links with the IT and Communications Industry and is one of the main speakers at various IT and Communications conferences. With regard to his service role, Mr. Violaris is involved at national and local levels in Marketing, and Information and Communication Technologies.

He serves as the Chairman of the ICT Sub-committee of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber for the last 15 years.

Biography pending.

Biography pending.

Usman Tahir is Product Manager for Marlink, the largest technology-independent satellite communication and digital solutions provider serving the maritime market.

Usman has the responsibility to develop and manage Marlink’s portfolio of technical solutions for high-end customised VSAT. His role sees him work closely with Marlink end-customers, particularly in the Offshore and Cruise/Ferry markets, as well as partners and industry-leading providers to support the digital transformation of the Maritime industry.

Key milestones at Marlink have included the launch of SMARTConnect, Marlink’s portfolio of low latency, multicarrier solutions to provide terrestrial WiFi and 4G services.

Usman has a history of more than 15 years in the communications industry, having previously worked for Berlin based IP Communications company, Snom Technology AG as CTO before joining Marlink in 2014. He holds a degree in Computer Science and an MBA in International Business.

Peter Broadhurst is Senior Vice President of Safety and Security at Inmarsat Maritime, responsible for the development of the company's safety and security services. Peter will define the strategy, development and evolution of Inmarsat's satellite communication services for maritime safety, navigation, safety of life at sea and data security.

Peter started his career at Inmarsat in 2014 as Vice President of Service Delivery for the Maritime business unit, where he was responsible for leading the development of products and services from conception and implementation, through to launch and life cycle management. Peter was instrumental in the launch of Inmarsat's high-speed broadband service Fleet Xpress launched in March 2016.

With over 25 years' experience in the maritime industry, Peter began his career at sea as a Radio Officer, before running his own business and working for a maritime distributor. Peter then spent 15 years with Sea Tel Inc., / Cobham SATCOM as Vice President of Sales and Marketing where he was responsible for overseeing and managing global sales, support, marketing, training and product management.

Peter has a HND Electronics, Marine Radio General Certificate, Radar and Marine Navigation Aids accreditation from Wray Castle Merchant Navy School, and holds an Open University, BSc (Hons) First Class degree on Radio Frequency Systems.

Svend Lykke Larsen is Sales & Business Development Director for the leading Vessel IT services provider PALANTIR. He also has a background from the satellite communications industry as Managing Director for KVH Industries, Europe and prior to that sales, product and Global Key Account Management functions for the maritime electronics manufacturers Navico and Simrad/Kongsberg Maritime.

Dr. Andreas Mitrakas, LL.M., M.Sc. is currently Head of Unit – Data Security & Standardisation in the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA). He has previously been a Senior Counsel in Ubizen/Cybertrust (currently, Verizon) and General Counsel in GlobalSign NV/SA (then, Vodafone Group).

After graduating in Law (Law School, University of Athens) he earned an LL.M. in Computers and Law (School of Law, Queen's University of Belfast) and a Ph.D. in e-Commerce Law (Erasmus School of Law, Rotterdam) with a thesis entitled “Open EDI and Law in Europe: A regulatory framework”, Kluwer Law International, 1997. He also holds a M.Sc. in Strategic Quality Management (Portsmouth Business School). He is a member of ISACA, EC-Council and Athens Bar Association (non-practicing).

As Vice President, Global Maritime, Carl Novello is responsible for driving Panasonic's wholesale maritime business by leveraging the organization's high performance and scalable global network, which provides broadband communications services to a wide range of mobility markets.

Carl has spent more than 17 years in the VSAT and satellite communications field, with a specific focus in the maritime sector. He previously served as Vice President of Product Management for Intellian, and has held various roles in Sales Engineering and Product Management functions, and has a wealth of product and systems knowledge.

George Efthimiou is working as an IT administrator and security expert in the shipping industry since 2010. He has delivered various projects including vessels’ server deployment and installation, ERP deployment at office headquarters and Fleet and security auditing and upgrade, also managed efficient communications with vessels, such as database and file synchronization between vessels and office headquarters. He graduated from the Piraeus University of Applied sciences as a Computer Systems engineer and since then, he tries constantly, to develop his skills in seaworthy solutions, in cyber security and network infrastructures. His target is to make seamen and colleagues to work safe, easier and together.

Dr. Andreas Mitrakas, LL.M., M.Sc. is currently Head of Unit – Data Security & Standardisation in the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA). He has previously been a Senior Counsel in Ubizen/Cybertrust (currently, Verizon) and General Counsel in GlobalSign NV/SA (then, Vodafone Group).

After graduating in Law (Law School, University of Athens) he earned an LL.M. in Computers and Law (School of Law, Queen's University of Belfast) and a Ph.D. in e-Commerce Law (Erasmus School of Law, Rotterdam) with a thesis entitled “Open EDI and Law in Europe: A regulatory framework”, Kluwer Law International, 1997. He also holds a M.Sc. in Strategic Quality Management (Portsmouth Business School). He is a member of ISACA, EC-Council and Athens Bar Association (non-practicing).

Jason Stefanatos is a graduate of the School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering of National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), where he also worked as a researcher in the Laboratory of Marine Engineering. He joined DNV GL in 2011, where mainly worked on the computer modelling, simulation, and optimisation of ship machinery systems (part of the developing team of COSSMOS).

Currently, Jason is part of DNV GL R&D and Maritime Advisory department in Piraeus, mainly involved with digital services, Cyber Security, Fleet Performance Management solutions, performance assessment, design and operation optimisation, hybrid-electric propulsion systems, tankers offloading operations, and energy efficiency.

Ewan Robinson has been involved with shipping communications for over 18 years. Having worked with Shipping communications providers and Shipping companies on various tasks ranging from: Project management; Country management of sales channels; Vessel communication budget compliance; System Administration and Management; System development for vessels; Communications analysis; Communications Interface and System software design; Remote vessel management solutions; Citadel communications systems; Vessel IT recovery systems; Network penetration testing of office systems and L-Band Expert witness testimony.

Ewan has a degree in Marine Technology and Marine software, with further study in networks and is a qualified CEH.