GreenShip 2024 Speakers

Learn from the experts who are navigating new waters in maritime decarbonization.

Hover over a speaker’s image to learn more about them.

Welcome & Opening Remarks

8:30 - 9:00AM

​Bryan is a senior executive with more than three decades of experience as a business leader in entrepreneurship, sustainability, innovation, and economic development. Since 2006, Bryan has been interested and passionate about the economic opportunities afforded by the necessary transition to a low-carbon economy and has led teams in charge of projects and programs aimed at supporting those goals including the circular economy, decarbonization, innovation, investment, and equity & diversity. This includes concepts in economic transformation in the urban and regional context.

Bryan Buggey

Co-Founder
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Vancouver Maritime Centre for Climate

Jodi Evans

Vice Chair
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Deloitte

Patrick Weiler is the Member of Parliament for West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country. Before entering politics, Patrick was an environmental and Aboriginal lawyer and international development professional with deep roots in the communities which he has been representing in Parliament since 2019.

Patrick Weiler

Member of Parliament, West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Government of Canada

Industry & Market Update

9:00 - 9:30AM

Amélie is Principal – Blue Economy at Cleantech Group and is based between Montreal and Lisbon. She is contributing to the growth of the Blue Economy ecosystem globally, working with clusters, maritime partners, industrial groups, blue ventures, research centers and governments. She is monitoring and actively contributing to the evolution of this exciting emerging sector, which will be a 3 trillion dollars+ market by 2030. Prior to joining the Cleantech Group, Amélie was Executive Vice-President at Novarium and Lead Strategic Advisor for La Zone Blue. As a diplomate and a private consultant, Amélie has spent the past 15 years advising CEOs, Ministers, Ambassadors and Economic Development stakeholders.

Amelie Desrochers

Principal, Blue Economy
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Cleantech Group

Opportunities & Challenges

9:30 - 10:15AM

Additional speakers for this session will be announced soon…

Elisabeth Charmley

Board Chair & co-Founder
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Vancouver Maritime Centre for Climate

Jeffrey Johnson

Senior Manager, Marine Decarbonization
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Transport Canada

Neil is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over 25 years of experience in the maritime industry. From an Engineering Apprentice, through his university education, Neil’s extensive career has led him to assume Senior Management positions within DNV, including several Technical Management, Project Management, and Managerial roles, with particular focus on Integrity Management, Ship Classification, Technical Verification, Marine Warranty, and Advisory solutions. Neil is currently located in Vancouver, BC, Canada, with a focus on assisting industry stakeholders navigate the decabonisation journey both from a newbuild and vessel operations perspective.

Neil Fraser

Key Account Manager, Business Development
⎯⎯⎯⎯
DNV

Michael Manhas is a litigation, administrative law, and regulatory lawyer who focuses on matters relating to the environment, energy, natural resources, economic regulation, and Indigenous law. He has experience with contaminated sites litigation, defending environmental tort claims, representing accused individuals and corporations in the defence of regulatory prosecutions, defending environmental permits, and challenging administrative orders.

Michael Manhas

Partner
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Norton Rose Fulbright

Application of Alternative Fuels

10:30 - 11:30AM

Arvind is a Director at Deloitte in the Climate & Sustainability practice and leads the Hydrogen pillar under the energy transition practice for Deloitte Canada. Arvind has over 17 years of experience in leading and implementing decarbonization programs and strategies for heavy and medium duty transport, Inland Ferries and International ocean going vessels. Arvind and his team is engaged in numerous assignments with Federal, Provincial Governments and Transportation clients on fuels and technology decarbonization pathways advisory work focusing on policy, infrastructure assessment, technology readiness, and carbon pricing mechanisms.

Arvind Ramakrishnan

Director, Sustainability & Climate Change
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Deloitte

Paul leads the team at Clear Seas as they work to advance the safety and sustainability of marine shipping and contributes expertise on alternative fuels for the marine industry. Before joining the organization in 2020, he worked in a variety of industry roles including supply chain, product development and strategy positions for Westport Innovations and Rolls-Royce Aerospace.

Paul Blomerus

Executive Director
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Clear Seas

David leads the Port’s clean energy, electrification and maritime fuels programs. Key projects include development of a Sustainable Maritime Fuels Collaborative, an initiative to bring together supply and demand stakeholders to accelerate deployment of low and zero emissions fuels in the Pacific Northwest, and the Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy, a Port and utility partnership to establish the enabling clean energy infrastructure for electrification of the working waterfront.

David Fujimoto

Senior Environmental Program Manager for Environment & Sustainability
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Port of Seattle

Sabina is a professional mechanical engineer with 25 years’ experience in the hydrogen sector. She is responsible for HTEC’s Clean Fuels department, involving production and liquefaction asset development, partnerships, and plant operations. Prior to joining HTEC, Sabina was Principal & co-founder at Zen Clean Energy Solutions for seven years. She led Zen’s project management department, with a focus on consortium-based projects deploying clean and zero-emission technologies.

Sabina was featured in the "Women Leading Cleantech" 2022 by Foresight Canada and was a 2021 Clean50 Honouree.

Sabina Russell

VP, Clean Fuels
⎯⎯⎯⎯
HTEC

Technology Adoption

11:30AM - 12:30PM

Sarah is a partner in Deloitte's Sustainability and Climate practice. Nationally, she oversees Sustainability and Climate efforts for Deloitte's Government and Public Sector clients with a focus on sustainable transportation. For more than 20 years, Sarah has held executive and leadership positions in both private and public organizations, and has deep knowledge and experience in ESG strategy and reporting, climate action and net-zero strategies.

Sarah Buckle

Partner, Sustainability & Climate
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Deloitte

Nicolas Pocard is a graduate engineer and holds a Master of Science Degree in chemistry. He joined the fuel cell industry in 2004 and Ballard Power Systems in 2012. Among his responsibilities, Nicolas looks after corporate market strategy, marketing activities, government relations and strategic partnerships for Ballard.

Nicolas Pocard

VP Marketing & Strategic Partnerships
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Ballard

A Chemical Engineer by training, Maryam Ebrahimian has worked in the marine industry since 2010, as a design safety engineer and providing marine services support at Lloyd's Register. Since 2018, she has focused on energy storage projects. Maryam joined Corvus Energy in 2021 and draws on her knowledge of battery technology, regulatory and safety issues, and capital project execution to help Canadian vessel owner/operators advance the decarbonization of their in-service fleet and newbuild projects.

Maryam Ebrahimian

Sr. Sales Manager NA
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Corvus Energy

Vasileios Tzelepis is the Lloyd’s Register subject matter expert in maritime environmental regulations, marine fuels, onboard emissions, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS). In his most recent position before joining LR, Vasileios worked for the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) and he is still member of U.S. delegation to IMO for ISWG-GHG, PPR and MEPC. He was part of the MARAD META program which is focused on maritime environmental projects. Before MARAD, Vasileios worked at the United States Coast Guard (USCG) ISVS program, for Foreship as a cruise and gas expert, and prior to that as a marine surveyor for DNV in Miami.

Vasileios Tzelepis

Program Manager
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Lloyd's Register

Ports & Clean Energy Transition

1:30 - 2:30PM

Juvarya Veltkamp is a leader with nearly 30 years of experience driving change in economic development, climate action, and sustainable finance. As Senior Advisor with C40 Cities, Juvarya leads the Green Ports Forum, uniting port cities to cut supply chain emissions. She serves as a Board Director at Vancity Credit Union, a committee member at Realize Capital Partners, and is on the leadership team of the Vancouver Maritime Centre for Climate. Juvarya previously led strategy and operations at InBC, an impact investment fund. She holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from UBC, a Global Competent Boards ESG designation, and a certificate in Sustainability and Climate Risk.

Juvarya Veltkamp

Senior Advisor, Green Ports Forum
⎯⎯⎯⎯
C40 Cities

Jason Scherr, a 2025 Clean50 award recipient, brings over 30 years of expertise in port, fisheries, and environmental management. At the Port of Prince Rupert, he oversees environmental sustainability planning, including a climate change risk assessment, carbon strategy, and shore power expansion. He chairs the Port Environment Stewardship Committee and is active in multiple environmental committees, including Green Marine’s West Coast Advisory. Mr. Scherr holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University and a BA from the University of Victoria.

Andrea MacLeod

Director, Environment
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Port of Vancouver

Andrea MacLeod is an environmental professional with over 15 years of experience working with industry in infrastructure development and operations. Her technical expertise is focused on environmental legislation, programs, assessment, and project permitting. At the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Andrea and her team work together to assess effects of port development and operations on the environment and communities and develop and implement programs to reduce impacts.

Alex Adams

Senior Manager, Environmental Programs
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Port of Seattle

Alex Adams leads the Port of Seattle’s Maritime Sustainability Team, which includes the Port’s climate change, air quality, decarbonization, energy, and environmental justice projects and programs. Alex’s team is responsible for numerous collaborative and cross-sector efforts, like development of the world’s first green corridor focused on cruise ships, implementation of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy and Maritime Climate and Air Action Plan, strategies helping deliver the energy and fuels needed for Seattle’s future zero-emission maritime industry, and community-focused programs to deliver environmental justice and benefits where they are needed most.

Jason Scherr

Manager Environmental Sustainability
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Port of Prince Rupert

Maritime ESG & Sustainability

2:30PM - 3:15PM

Brittney Blokker is a Program Manager at Green Marine, joining in September 2021 and based in Seattle. She focuses on developing program requirements for shipyards and supports participants across the U.S. Additionally, she leads their Great Lakes Advisory Committee and Ferry Forum. Previously, Brittney was a maritime investigations program manager at Holland America Group. She began her career in sustainability at Western Michigan University. Brittney is currently pursuing her MBA from the University of Washington.

Daryl Lawes

Senior Manager, Environment
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Seaspan

Anna oversees WinGD’s global communications and brand reputation. She joined the shipping industry in 2018 and is an avid champion for the marine industry and the impact we play in the clean-energy transition. Anna and her team drive WinGD’s vision of powering the transformation for a sustainable future. Dividing her time between Vancouver and Switzerland Anna is a champion for equality and sustainability and does her very best thinking when away from her desk, recharging in the trails.

Anna Garcia

Dir. Corporate Responsibility & Comms
⎯⎯⎯⎯
WinG

Daryl Lawes is the Senior Environment Manager at Seaspan, a Vancouver based marine transportation company with over 4000 employees across its three shipyards, tug and barge fleets, commercial ferries, fuel transportation and vessel bunkering services. Daryl has over 25 years’ experience in the marine industry, working in both government and private sector organizations. In his current role, he is responsible for all aspects of Seaspan’s environment performance, including regulatory compliance, emissions reduction, energy efficiency, and implementation of ESG and sustainability programs.

Brittney Blokker

Program Manager
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Green Marine

Charlene is a sustainability and climate action strategist, with over 15 years of experience working with a wide range of sectors to accelerate innovation and shift organizations towards a more sustainable, lower carbon, and climate resilient future. As Sustainability Lead at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Charlene is responsible for advancing sustainability and climate adaptation planning, policy implementation, and stakeholder engagement at Canada’s largest port.

Charlene Ponto

Sustainability Lead
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

Climate Finance & Funding

3:30 - 4:15PM

Craig is a partner in Deloitte’s Infrastructure practice. He advises pension funds, infrastructure funds, private corporations, and governments on strategy and M&A transactions in the infrastructure sector with a particular focus on the energy transition. Craig joined Deloitte in 2017 after spending 13 years at another organization, where he founded and led their infrastructure M&A advisory practice; prior to that he worked as a telecommunications executive in Latin America, responsible for strategy and corporate development. Over the past 25 years, he has led teams on over 250 transactions and advisory assignments throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Craig Walter

Partner, Head of Infrastructure M&A, Americas
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Deloitte

Nicolas Jimenez

President and Chief Executive Officer
⎯⎯⎯⎯
BC Ferries

Dr. Majerbi is an associate professor at Gustavson School of Business and director of the University of Victoria’s Impact Investing Hub, a research and education center whose mission is to accelerate investments in climate solutions. Basma is a member of the ESG Advisory Council for the BC ESG Centre of Excellence, a Board Director of the South Island Prosperity Partnership and is Chair of the Advisory Board of the COAST Center for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies. She’s the recipient of multiple awards including Foresight’s BC Cleantech Educator and Canada’s Clean50 Award.

Basma Majerbi

Associate Professor & Director, Impact Investing Hub
⎯⎯⎯⎯
University of Victoria

John Casola leads the Investments team at CIB, overseeing investment strategies, transaction structuring, and capital deployment. His team collaborates with project sponsors across Canada to foster partnerships with private and institutional investors. A leader in Canadian infrastructure, John has over 20 years of experience in project finance and P3 transactions, advising both public and private sector organizations. He began his career at Torys LLP and previously served as Managing Partner of PwC’s Infrastructure and Government Services team in Canada and established Investec Bank’s Project and Infrastructure Finance division in North America.

John Casola

Chief Investment Officer
⎯⎯⎯⎯
Canada Infrastructure Bank

Nicolas (he/him) is proud to provide leadership and strategic direction to ensure BC Ferries fulfils its vital role connecting British Columbians to the people and places important in their lives. He is focused on making sure BC Ferries offers great customer experiences in a way that honours BC Ferries’ commitment to safety, reliability and affordability.

Meet the VMCC Leadership Team

Connecting Leaders in Maritime Decarbonization