Marine Innovation Summit 2024

Dr. Fabio Ballini

Associate Professor at World Maritime University

Edvard Molitor

Head of International Public Affairs & Sustainability, Port of Gothenburg

Jonatan Höglund

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Furetank

Niels Kristiansen

Chief Executive Officer of Portchain

Ruan Wei

Dean of International Education College, Shanghai Maritime University

Kai Song

Chief Digital Officer, China Merchant Energy Shipping

Michael Chen

Director of Artificial Intelligence Research Center, DNV Research & Development

Fox Chu

Partner & Sector Lead of Travel, Logistics & Infrastructure practice, McKinsey & Company, China

Tom Erixon

President and Chief Executive Officer of Alfa Laval                     

Tom Erixon is the President and CEO of Alfa Laval AB since 2016. Previously Tom has held positions as President and CEO of the Ovako Group, President of Sandvik Coromant and a number of senior positions in Sandvik. During the 90’s he had a career in Boston Consulting Group where he became Managing Partner and Practice Leader Industrial Goods. 

Tom holds a Master of Law from Lund University, Sweden and an MBA in Business Administration from IESE, Spain. 

Sameer Kalra

President Marine Division, Alfa Laval                                         

Sameer Kalra is the President of the Marine Division at Alfa Laval AB since 2018 and a member of Alfa Laval’s Group Management.  

Sameer joined Alfa Laval in 1995 and he has held different senior management positions within the Alfa Laval Group. Before Alfa Laval, Sameer held several positions in shipping companies, which adds up to, close to 40 years of experience in the marine industry. Recently, Sameer was featured on 'Lloyd's List of Top 10 technology leaders 2022' in the maritime industry.

Sameer holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, USA and is a Graduate Marine Engineer at, the Directorate of Marine Engineering and Training, India. 

Frederik Schur Riis        

Head of Green Ship of the Future                                         

Frederik Schur Riis is Head of Green Ship of the Future (GSF) - a non-profit collaboration driven and financed by more than 40 organizations from across the maritime industry. GSF aims to facilitate collaboration and innovation across the ecosystem, with the goal of bringing the maritime industry closer to a future free from negative impact on the climate and environment.  

Frederik has a background in entrepreneurship and impact investing. He has been founding, consulting, and investing in companies from various industries, all with the common nominator of being for profit, while aiming to solve one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Frederik holds a Master’s degree in Economics, Business Administration, and Innovation from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, and Columbia University, USA. 

Dr. Uwe Lauber   

Chief Executive Officer and Chief Sales Officer of MAN Energy Solutions SE 

Dr. Uwe Lauber has been Chairman of the Executive Board of MAN Energy Solutions SE since 2015. In January 2023, he additionally took over the responsibility for the company's global sales and after-sales operations as Chief Sales Officer. 

He currently chairs the VDMA Engines and Systems Association as well as the VDMA working group “Power-to-X for Application “and is member of the National Hydrogen Council of the German government. 

Panel 1

Dr. Fabio Ballini               

Associate Professor at World Maritime University                                                                                                                     

Dr. Fabio Ballini has an Economic and Maritime Transportation background. He obtained his MSc in Maritime Economics and Transport at the Faculty of Economics in Genova (Italy) and holds a Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, awarded a European Ph.D. label, from the University of Genova (Italy), Dept. of Naval, Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering (DITEN).  

He has also held the position of Adjunct Professor and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Maritime Economy in Genova (Italy). 

At WMU, Dr. Fabio Ballini is currently an Associate Professor in the Maritime Energy Management specialization dealing with academic and research topics related to Smart Ports, Circular Economy and the Clean Energy Transition, Port Energy Management, Gaseous Emissions from Ships in Harbors, Externality Cost in Transportation and Energy Audit Systems in Port. 

Dr. Ballini has extensive experience in developing research projects and project proposals and has been involved in numerous EU and international funded projects. His research results have been published in leading journals.

Edvard Molitor                  

Head of International Public Affairs & Sustainability, Port of Gothenburg                                                                               

Edvard Molitor is the Head of International Public Affairs & Sustainability in the Port of Gothenburg and is responsible for external relations in a global context, focusing on sustainable development and decarbonization of ports and shipping. He is the key representative of the port authority within global organizations and associations on matters related to sustainability and environment. 

In 2021 Edvard was appointed vice chairman of the Climate & Energy Committee of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), the main representative of the port community within the International Maritime Organization. He is also a Board Member within the Environmental Ship Index, and from 2017 to 2020 he chaired the Sustainable Development Committee of the European SeaPorts Organisation. 

Edvard Molitor has a wide international experience of environmental management, sustainable development, maritime operations, and marine pollution response, and holds a M.Sc. degree in Aquatic and Environmental Engineering from Uppsala University. He has previously worked at SSPA Sweden AB, at the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and at the Swedish Coast Guard Headquarters. 

 Jonatan Höglund         

Deputy CEO of Furetank 

Jonatan Höglund is the Deputy CEO of Furetank, a family-owned Swedish shipping company with a progressive innovation strategy aimed towards sustainable shipping. Jonatan has a degree in Marine Engineering, sailed as a chief engineer for many years and brings extensive experience as Furetank’s newbuilding inspector. He has been deeply involved in developing Furetank's Vinga vessel series, currently world-leading in energy efficiency and very well received in the market.    

Furetank runs a wide span of collaborations with energy companies, fuel producers, vessel designers, national policy makers, technology suppliers and ports, to spur progress throughout their own chain of operations as well as Swedish shipping in general.  

Their contributions include piloting renewable fuels and pushing for ports to offer LBG (liquid biogas) fuel infrastructure. All new vessels are equipped with a hybrid battery solution, a ready-to-use high voltage shore power connection and many other solutions lowering energy consumption and environmental emissions.  

Niels Kristiansen             

Chief Executive Officer of Portchain                                   

Niels Kristiansen is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Portchain. As CEO, Niels is dedicated to advancing the berth alignment network of the future enabling Just-In-Time operations for container liners and terminals at scale. 

Previously, he worked at McKinsey advising primarily container terminals and liners on strategy and digitization.  

Niels studied Economics at the University of Gothenburg and Oxford, and has an M.B.A. from M.I.T. 

Panel 2

Professor Ruan Wei         

Dean of International Education College Shanghai Maritime University                                 

Ruan Wei is currently the Dean of the School of International Education and the Director of the Office of International Students at Shanghai Maritime University. He specializes in international maritime safety conventions, maritime safety management, policy, and seafarer education and training, conducting research across these areas.  

Ruan Wei graduated from the Navigation Department of Shanghai Maritime University in 1994 and earned a master’s degree in Maritime Management at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Sweden in 2000. 

He has represented the China Maritime Safety Administration at various IMO sessions. Since 2012, he has also represented the International Maritime Lecturers Association at IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee meetings. Currently, he is a member of the STCW and Maritime Investigation Sub-Committees, a senior auditor for the Quality Management System for Seafarer Education and Training in China, and an expert at the Examination Center of the China Maritime Service Center. 

Kai Song                           

Chief Digital Officer, China Merchant Energy Shipping   

Kai Song is the Chief Digital Officer at China Merchant Energy Shipping (CMES), responsible for the group's shipping digital transformation strategy. He focuses on the innovative application of digital technologies such as big data, AI (including large models), and blockchain in the shipping industry.  

He advocates the integrated development of ship and shore intelligence, aims to leverage the value of ship operation data, and leads the development of a ship operation visualization platform. Using digital and intelligent technologies, he is dedicated to advancing safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly fleet operations management.

Michael Chen       

Director of Artificial Intelligence, Research Center DNV Research & Development                        

Michael Chen boasts over two decades of extensive experience in the digital industry. Having been associated with DNV for 18 years, he has gained a deep insight into the business and a strong passion for digital technologies. Michael excels in commercializing innovative solutions and driving successful implementation projects, with a primary focus on identifying the most effective digital solutions for DNV and its clientele. 

Currently, Michael holds the position of Director of Artificial Intelligence Research Center at DNV Group Research & Development. In this capacity, he is responsible for transforming and developing the Artificial Intelligence Research Center into a globally influential unit, with an emphasis on Assurance of AI and AI in Assurance to guide the future of the digital assurance strategic goal landscape. 

Fox Chu 

Partner & Sector Lead of Travel, Logistics & Infrastructure practice, McKinsey & Company, China 

Fox Chu is currently a Partner with McKinsey & Company, co-leading travel, logistics and infrastructure practice in China and Asia. With 20 years of experience in ports, shipping, and logistics, Fox has led major M&A deals, growth initiatives, cross-sector expansions, operations turnarounds, and digital transformations for key stakeholders across Asia.

His expertise spans growth strategy, M&A/IPO, organizational restructuring, cross-border e-commerce, capital excellence, operations transformation, technology modernization, and new business building. He has been involved in landmark logistics M&A transactions in the region and serves as an honorary advisor for the Financial Reporting Council in Hong Kong.

Fox holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Science degree from Hong Kong. He has also completed advanced financial courses from London Business School.

Moderators

Franciska Kjellström

Service Development Manager - Alfa Laval

Hisham Ali 

Division Manager/Vice President, Marine Division, MEA , Alfa Laval 

With more than a decade experience in the Maritime Industry in MEA, through various leadership roles across top tier technology providers, MAN Energy Solutions and Alfa Laval, Hisham Ali brings vast experience in supporting Maritime companies in optimizing their fleet of vessels and paving the way for a more sustainable future. This is achieved through various cutting edge technology solutions to reduce GHG emissions and enhancing the energy efficiency in their fleet and thereby paving the way for a more sustainable fleet. 

In his current role as Division Manager/Vice President, Marine Division, MEA, Hisham Ali is responsible for Alfa Laval’s operation throughout 42 countries in MEA region for the Marine Industry, both for Capital Projects and for Technical Services of the equipment’s in operation