Götz Becker – Vice-Chairman

Götz Becker is CEO of the FRS group of companies (Förde Reederei Seetouristik GmbH & Co. KG).

FRS looks back on a shipping history of more than 150 years. Today, the shipping company is one of Europe’s leading ferry specialists, having grown from a regional ferry operator to an internationally active business group operating 55 vessels with more than 2,000 employees worldwide.

FRS, with its headquarter in the north German city of Flensburg, has a portfolio that comprises of 16 vessel-operating-subsidiaries located in northern and southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and North America. FRS carries on numerous national and international ferry and catamaran lines around 7.9 million passengers and 2.1 million vehicles every year. Nowadays FRS owns, manages and operates a varied fleet of conventional ferries, double-ended ferries, water taxis, six solar powered passenger boats and a broad variety of high-speed catamarans. FRS has operated in total more than 20 different High Speed Crafts (HSC) half of which were built under the order of FRS.

Götz Becker has been with FRS since 1994, CEO since 2005. In 2015, he joined the OPC committee of Interferry, since 2019 Götz became Chair of Interferry‘s OPC committee. One year later, he joined the DNV•GL committee. Götz has been member of the board of directors of Interferry since 2016.

Guido Grimaldi – President

Guido Grimaldi was born in London in 1983, he is married and father of one son and two daughters. He studied at the University of Naples Federico II obtaining a Degree in Economics with Honors in 2005. Furthermore, he has enlarged his academic studies in transports and logistics by attending the MBA “Automotive Logistics” at the ECG Academy (European Vehicle Logistics Association). His personal interests are art, reading and horses. After his studies, he started working at the Grimaldi Group, a worldwide corporation funded by his grandfather together with his brothers in the late 40’s.

Currently, Guido Grimaldi is the Corporate Commercial Director Short Sea Shipping Services of Grimaldi Group, Hotel Management and Claims Department Director of Grimaldi Short Sea Services; President of the Agencies Grimaldi Sardegna, Grimaldi Catania and Grimaldi Brindisi; Member of the Board of Directors of Finnlines Plc, Valencia Terminal Europa, Grimaldi Marangolo Terminal Catania, Grimaldi Logistica Genova, Grimaldi Maroc, Grimaldi Tunis and Grimaldi Shipping Agency Shanghai.

He is also the President of the “Logistics Association for Sustainable Intermodality” (ALIS), a leading organization in the transport and logistics sector. ALIS aims to develop intermodality and sustainable mobility at both national and European levels. ALIS represents shipping companies, road haulage companies, railway companies, terminal operators, freight forwarders, transport and logistics service providers, freight villages, technical institutes, and, as honorary members and institutional partners, ports, airports, high schools, universities, and research centers.

Seamus Murphy – Treasurer

Seamus Murphy is the Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), which operates SF Bay Ferry service throughout the region.

Prior to joining WETA, Murphy spent over a decade overseeing external affairs and strategic communications for the San Mateo County Transit District (District), which operates the Caltrain commuter rail system and SamTrans bus service. As the District’s Chief Communications Officer, Murphy led efforts to secure funding for transformative projects including the $2 billion Caltrain Electrification Project. He was also responsible for passing state legislation that paved the way for voter approval of revenue measures creating over $200 million/year in new transportation investment for improvements and services throughout the Peninsula.

Murphy has been recognized as a leader focused on building strong coalitions that can effectively advocate for solutions to the industry’s most pressing challenges. He is a recipient of Mass Transit Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” award and is a key player in local, regional, state and national efforts to sustain, improve, and expand public transportation for all who depend on it.

Greta Bédard

With a career of more than 40 years in the maritime sector, Mrs Greta Bédard is now the first woman to hold the position of President and Chief Executive Officer at the Société des traversiers du Québec. This graduate of the Institut maritime du Québec as Navigation Officer completed a Master of Business Administration and is also a certified corporate director. Mrs. Bédard’s experience was developed in various spheres of the maritime division and public service, from founding two worker cooperatives to several management positions in operations and capital assets. Her sense of ethics and strategic vision of the maritime industry are amongst her many merits.

Claes Berglund

Claes Berglund is a senior executive in the shipping industry. As a Director of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Stena and active in many shipping organizations, he is a major influencer of shipping policy in Europe and globally. He holds a Bachelor in Science and is an officer in the Royal Swedish Navy (reserve). Before coming into the shipping world 15 years ago he had 12 years in road-based transport and third party logistic services.

Stena AB has activities within ferries, tankers, ports, offshore drilling, ship management, real estate and other investments. The group has a €4 billion turnover, 15,000 employees and operates more than 160 vessels worldwide. Stena is active in the challenge of finding sustainable energy sources for the shipping industry and has among other things introduces the world’s first methanol ferry.

Torben Carlsen

Torben Carlsen was appointed President & CEO of Danish Ferry & Transport Group DFDS from 1 May 2019. He joined the company in 2009 as CFO and was, among other things, responsible for DFDS’ acquisition of Ferry and Transport Group Norfolkline in 2010 as well as other acquisitions, digitisation of DFDS and major change projects. Torben has a broad and international managerial background, with leading positions in Switzerland and the USA, primarily within the airline industry. In addition to this comes experience from private equity. He holds an MSc in Finance and various board positions in the finance and shipping industries.

Matteo Catani

Matteo Catani is the Chief Executive Officer of GNV, a leading Ferry Company in the western Mediterranean Sea.

Prior to this he served as Director of Sales and Business Development (2014 – 2016), leading sales, marketing and development activities, as Strategy and Business Development Manager (2011 – 2014) heading planning, forecasting, pricing and revenue management as well as Business Planning and Analysis Manager (2007 – 2010). He had previously held different business planning related positions within the Danone Group (2004 – 2007) a multinational company leader in the food-and-beverage Industry.

Matteo holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Genoa and an MBA from The University of Chicago – Booth School of Business, US, Illinois.

Robert Clifford

Robert Clifford is the founder and Chairman of the Incat group of companies. The Incat Tasmania shipbuilding business has developed over five decades, now building a range from small commercial ferries through to very large vehicle carrying wave piercing catamarans.

Robert is still very actively involved with the design and production of the Incat product. The Incat shipyard is renowned for producing large high speed wavepiercing catamarans with the focus now as much on operating efficiency as speed.

Incat vessels operate around the world, Incat built vessels have now held the Hales Trophy continuously since 1990, and LNG powered Francisco operating in Argentina is the world’s fastest large passenger Ro-Ro.

Emanuele Grimaldi

Emanuele Grimaldi was born in Naples (Italy) in 1956 and, after finishing the military high school of “Nunziatella”, he studied at the University of Naples obtaining the Degree in Economics and Commerce with “summa cum laude” in December 1980. After his studies he immediately started working at the Grimaldi Group’s companies, founded by his father Guido and uncles in the late 40’s. Throughout his professional career, he has covered various top managerial positions, both in Italy and abroad.

Within the Group’s organization, Emanuele has gradually taken the helm of the Euro-Mediterranean short-sea services and motorways of the sea network, thus heavily contributing to their remarkable development over the last 20 years.

Emanuele is currently Chairman of Grimaldi Euromed SpA, Managing Director of Grimaldi Group SpA and Board Member of Grimaldi Deepsea SpA, President and CEO of Finnlines Plc, President of Minoan Lines and Malta Motorways of the Sea and Board Member of ACL. He is also Past President of Confitarma (Italian Shipowners’ Association) as well as Board Member and Past President of ECSA  (European Community Shipowners’ Associations), Vice Chairmen of ICS (International Chamber of Shipping), Board Member of Interferry Inc. and Board Member of Rina SpA.

Nicolas Jimenez

Nicolas Jimenez joined BC Ferries, one of the largest ferry operators in the world, in March 2023. As President and CEO, he provides leadership and strategic direction to ensure safe, reliable and affordable ferry service in coastal British Columbia. His focus on delivering an important public service is matched by his commitment to great customer experiences.

Prior to joining BC Ferries, Nicolas spent almost 20 years at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, one of Canada’s largest property and casualty insurers. He served in a number of senior roles, including five years as President and CEO. Earlier in his career, he worked in strategy and public sector management, including roles in the Parliament of Canada, the Privy Council Office (Government of Canada), BC Hydro and IBM Global Business Services.

Nicolas has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from both Harvard University and the University of Victoria as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Outside of work, Nicolas sits on many boards, councils and advisory bodies, both industry groups and non-profits. He also enjoys spending as much time as possible in the mountains, skiing, biking or climbing.

Terry MacRae

Running a marine hospitality company wasn’t exactly the course Terry MacRae expected to take when he received his BS in Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. After launching his career as an environmental engineer, MacRae rose through the ranks of Industrial Clean Air and later Ecolaire Systems, Inc., which acquired it. As Ecolaire’s vice president of sales, MacRae was always on the lookout for interesting venues for client entertainment and employee motivation. That’s when he discovered and later acquired a small charter yacht business in Berkeley, CA. MacRae eventually bought out his early partners and investors, and over the past four decades built Hornblower Group, boat by boat, into the largest private dining, charter cruise and ferry company in North America. As his company dramatically grew its fleet and number of employees, its focus expanded from chartering private yachts for corporate events to operating cruises as a setting for school dances, weddings, gala fundraisers, social events, film shoots and private parties of all sizes and types. Beginning from its San Francisco roots, Hornblower Group has grown into a global organization through both organic and M&A initiatives. With a portfolio today covering 112 countries and territories, 125 U.S. cities and serves more than 25 million unique guests annually. MacRae has worked hard to ensure that its mission remained the same: to deliver amazing experiences with an emphasis on safety, customer service and teamwork.

Steve Nevey

Steve Nevey is the assistant secretary for the Washington State Ferries Division. A career mariner, Nevey progressed directly from high school to a maritime academy in the United Kingdom. For the past two years he has served as director of marine operations for WSF and has been instrumental in the development of programs that address ongoing staff shortages in the industry. Steve has a wealth of experience from a maritime career spanning more than two decades aboard large tankers, ferries and private craft to shoreside operations for Holland America. He has worked with his team and Washington State Ferries leadership to find workable solutions to staffing shortages and vessel-related maintenance and preservation challenges to ensure better service and reliability in the long term for the users of the WSF system.

Anders Ørgård

Anders Ørgård is Chief Commercial Officer of OSK Group comprising OSK-ShipTech A/S and Steen Friis Design A/S, a leading Danish marine consultancy group specializing in innovative ferry designs and ship interiors.

He spends the majority of his time advising shipowners on Fleet Strategy, Concept Development and Technical Advisory on tender processes and negotiation of newbuilding projects.

Anders holds a master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and is a specialist in the field of RoRo and RoPax ferries, innovative concept designs, passenger flow, and on-board experience economy.

Mauricio Orozco

Mauricio Orozco is President of the Ultramar / Aquaworld Group in the state of Quintana Roo, México. In mid-1989 he joined his brother Germán to be part of Aquaworld as Vice President and was responsible for maintenance and operations of their fleet. In 2003 Germán and Mauricio started Ultramar, a passenger ferry corporation. Mauricio has been a hands on person and has been involved in the design, construction and operation of their vessels. The fleet has grown from one monohull with a 350 passenger capacity to a fleet of 23 monohulls and catamarans, capable of transporting more than 7,523 passengers in one seating. Germán and Mauricio formed UltraCarga in 2018, which owns and operates RoRo Ferries, and currently provides service to two runs in the Yucatan Peninsula of México.

Supapan Pichaironarongsongkram

Mrs. Supapan Pichaironarongsongkram is the Chairperson of Chao Phraya Express Boat Co., Ltd., Chao Phraya Tourist Boat Co., Ltd., and the Supatra Group of companies. Supapan oversees the operations of these companies, which has a fleet of over 90 vessels and transports over 12,000,000 passengers a year along the Chao Phraya River.

Chao Phraya Express Boat is currently in the process of modernizing its fleet by replacing wooden boats with aluminum catamarans.
Supapan received her B.A degree from American University in Washington DC, and an EMBA from Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. She has received numerous awards including “The Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World “ in Vancouver, 2005 and “ASEAN Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs” from Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council in Hanoi, Vietnam 2015. She is also active with leading roles in various organizations. Supapan was the President and founder of The Thai Boat Association, her most recent position is an Advisor to the President of the President of the National Assembly of Thailand.

The Supatra Group of Companies celebrate our 100th Anniversary of river transportation this year.

Matthew Portelli

Matthew Portelli is the Managing Director of Virtu Holdings Limited, a family owned, ship owning company, established in 1945; he joined the Group in 2007 and is an executive director of Virtu Ferries Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Virtu Holdings.

Virtu Ferries operates high speed ferries between Malta and Sicily, Spain and Morocco, Venice and Adriatic ports, and between the two main islands of the Maltese Archipelago. Matthew has a major role in the Company’s operations with an interest in the group’s present and future environmental responsibilities.

Virtu has diverse shipping interest including offshore bunkering, ship management and STS fendering operations. The Group’s other activities include hospitality and real estate.

Matthew is an MBA graduate of the University of Maastricht.

Anders Rundberg

Anders Rundberg is the founder and CEO of Carus, the world leading commercial IT solution provider of consumer facing solutions to the passenger shipping industry.

As CEO, Anders has led Carus through their acquisition by Anite Travel Systems and the subsequent Management Buy Out which returned ownership predominantly to the original management and staff and, more recently, the merger with Winpos to form the Carus Winpos Group.

Anders has been part of the passenger shipping industry for his whole life and it is his vision that has guided the evolution of the company’s core Reservations, Departure Control and Administration solution to todays integrated Passenger Experience Platform, that can manage all aspects of the Customer Journey to maximize the revenue and customer satisfaction.

Anders is a Master in Business Economics from the Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland and an active Rotarian.

David Sopta

David Sopta is president of the management board of Jadrolinija, Croatia’s largest passenger shipping company with a 100 year long tradition. He graduated as a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and has finished Postgraduate study from the Faculty of Economics and Business. Prior to Jadrolinija, he was Manager of International Affairs at international marketing agency. During his professional career David was Deputy Minister in Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also Board Member of the Croatian largest insurance company. Through his career he gained experience in management of foreign investments and capital projects. Furthermore, David has a large experience in business development and corporate management with high sense of initiative and entrepreneurship.

Heidi Wolden

Heidi Wolden is CEO of Norled AS, one of Norway’s largest ferry and express boat companies in Norway.

Wolden joined Norled in 2020, after three years as CEO of Kruse Smith. She has previously worked for Equinor where she held several management positions along most of the value chain within oil and gas, primarily within strategy, business development and finance. Heidi Wolden holds a Master’s degree in science from Nord University Business School, an MBA from NHH and executive education from the University of Berkeley in California and London Business School.