Climate change mitigation and energy transition (continued)

Roel Hoenders is Head of Climate Action and Clean Air in the IMO Secretariat and oversees IMO's regulatory work on decarbonizing international maritime transport.

Roel holds a law degree with specializations in international environmental and maritime law. Before joining IMO, Roel held various positions in the European Commission, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and in the port and logistics sector.

Before joining the IMO Secretariat, he worked as legal and policy officer on defining EU renewable energy and clean air policies in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment and on promoting sustainable shipping in the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

In earlier functions, Roel managed sustainable transport infrastructure projects in the MENA region at the European Commission's Development Cooperation Directorate and advised on ESG and government relations at the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) and DHL Netherlands.

Dr. Harry T. Conway is the Chair of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization. He was Vice Chair for five years before ascending to the chair's position in December 2022.

He chaired the 78th and 79th sessions of the MEPC in the absence of the Chair. It was under his leadership during MEPC 80 that the IMO 2023 GHG Strategy was unanimously adopted by Member States. He has also chaired several steering committees of the MEPC, including that for the Comprehensive Impact Assessment on States of IMO GHG Short-Term Measures and the IMO 4th Greenhouse Gas Study.

Dr. Conway has been part of the Liberia delegation to IMO meetings since 2006, and participates actively in all Working, Drafting, Correspondence and Intersessional Groups of the Committees and Subcommittees of the IMO. He is a member of the International Quality Assessment Review Body (IQARB).

Miryam Saade Hazin is a Mexican economist with more than 26 years of experience in macroeconomics, public policy, sustainable development, monetary policy, econometrics, natural resources governance, infrastructure, transportation, and logistics.

She worked for nearly 16 years at the Central Bank of Mexico, two years at Simbiosis Económica and has worked in different divisions at ECLAC: Economic Development, Natural Resources, Sustainable Development and Human Settlements, and currently at the International Trade and Integration Division (ITID).

Miryam has several publications and has provided technical assistance to several countries in Latin America. She holds a master’s degree in economics with specialization in international economics, public policy and advanced econometrics from the University of Warwick, England.

Since September 2022 she has served as Officer in charge of the Infrastructure and Logistics Unit at ECLAC.

Desmond Tay is currently the Regional Director (Americas) with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), stationed in San Francisco.

Prior to his current appointment, he was with the Innovation, Technology and Talent Development Division. He is responsible for catalysing innovation initiatives such as PIER71, the Maritime Innovation Leadership Roundtable, the Smart Port Challenge and the Maritime Drone Estate.

Desmond currently holds a computing degree and an MBA from Monash University and the University of Adelaide. He has spent more than 15 years in managing and developing IT solutions for the maritime industry and MPA.

Leveraging on his technical expertise and industry knowledge, he is passionate about working with marinetech start-ups to reimagine their solutions for the maritime industry.

Vivian Rambarath-Parasram is an accomplished Attorney at Law, serving as an Assistant Professor of Maritime Studies and holding the position of Director and Head of MTCC Caribbean. With over 25 years of experience, she has cultivated expertise in diverse areas of maritime governance and marine environmental protection. 

Vivian has spearheaded the development and execution of numerous academic programs aimed at enriching the local and regional maritime industry. Her teaching and research concentrate on the law of the sea, maritime law, policies concerning maritime decarbonization, and the blue economy. 

As a trailblazing member of Women in Maritime Caribbean, Vivian actively promotes gender diversity and inclusion in the maritime sector. 

She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of the West Indies and pursued specialized training in maritime law at the IMO International Maritime Law Institute in Malta, complemented by various postgraduate degrees.