With just 139 days to go it is time to introduce our Keynote Speakers who will welcome you to Amsterdam.
The opening keynotes on Tuesday 21 June in the Auditorium, Hall 10, RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, Amsterdam will be:
Nancy Scheijven-Westra, Director Vessel Traffic and Water Management, Rijkswaterstaat
After studying business economics at the school for business administration and economics, Nancy studied international management and different cultures in Europe at the University of Maastricht.
After her studies Nancy did a traineeship at Ormit and after that she worked as an management consultant at Ordina for 10 years. In this position she carried out assignments for both the public and the private sector.
Thereafter Nancy chose to work for Dutch Ministry of Education where she fulfilled several roles in the field of business operations, she was also responsible director of HRM there.
In 2010 she joined Rijkswaterstaat, part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water management. For four years Nancy worked as Director of Asset and Environmental management at the division North Holland.
In 2017 Nancy made the transition to primary activity of Rijkswaterstaat. She became Director vessel traffic and water management of the man waterway infrastructure. She is responsible for the daily operation of about 450 locks and bridges in the Netherlands, vessel traffic management services, incident management and law enforcement. She is also responsible for the water management including the reporting on water quantity in times of both drought and floods.
Being the Director vessel traffic and water management, Nancy faces future developments on autonomous shipping. Rijkswaterstaat supports maturation of Smart Shipping and invests in its infrastructure to give autonomous ships a warm welcome.
Ms Maja Markovčić Kostelac EMSA Executive Director
Ms Maja Markovčić Kostelac took up the position of Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) on 1 January 2019. She is responsible for the running and development of the Agency under the oversight of its Administrative Board.
Starting out as a maritime lawyer, she has subsequently gained long-standing experience in the maritime field in both the public and private sector.
Prior to joining EMSA, Ms Markovčić Kostelac was State Secretary for Croatia’s Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure. Her duties entailed developing strategies, policies and legislation in the area of maritime transport, maritime safety, security and environmental protection. In this role, she also led the Croatian delegation in a range of international forums at the United Nations, such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
During her time at Croatia’s Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure she held a number of positions, including Director of the Maritime Policy Directorate. She also served as Director of the Croatian Shipowners’ Association (Mare Nostrum).
Since joining EMSA, Ms Markovčić Kostelac has established the Agency’s five-year strategy (2020-2024) and organises its implementation. She has led EMSA’s work on a range of strategic and operational issues, including the maritime dimension of the European Green Deal, the development of enhanced digital solutions for national level administrations and relevant authorities, and the provision of support at international level to the European Commission and Member States at the IMO.
Morten Mickkelsen, Chair of IPIECA
Morten brings 40 years of oil, gas and energy industry experience and sustainability expertise to his role as Ipieca chair, where he oversees the development and delivery of Ipieca’s strategy and yearly work streams.
He works with Ipieca’s leadership team to direct the efforts of over 1,000 sustainability professionals from more than 70 member organizations, who work together through Ipieca to produce and share good practice and knowledge to help the industry improve its environmental and social performance.
In 2020 and into 2021, Morten led the work on a new Ipieca vision and strategy which builds on its core role of advancing environmental and social performance to also support the industry’s contribution to the energy transition and sustainable development.
During his 15 years to date at Equinor, Morten has been in Vice President roles for major field development projects, field operations and corporate sustainability in which he was part of the leadership team which built up a new corporate function for sustainability.
Prior to working at Equinor, he spent 25 years at Norsk Hydro, where he managed petroleum technology for several fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and reservoir research teams.
In his free time, Bergen-based Morten likes to make the most of Norway’s varied and often spectacular landscapes, enjoying cross-country skiing, hiking and fishing.
