LISW unveils its Steering Group

John Hulmes, Chair of the London International Shipping Week 2025 (LISW25) Steering Group, has combined industry and government experience with leaders drawn from the next generation in selecting his team to help manage this must attend global shipping event.

Chris Shirling-Rooke, CEO of Maritime UK, Gemma Griffin, Vice President & Head of Global Crewing at DFDS, together with Geraint Evans, Chief Executive, UK Major Ports Group, Rhett Hatcher, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Chamber of Shipping, Sharon Jones from the UK Ministry of Defence, and Lars Lippuner, Director of UK Customer Maritime Services at the MCA, and the newly appointed Commercial and Operations Director of Shipping Innovation Andy Snell, join past SG members Jos Standerwick, CEO of Maritime London, Mark Jackson, CEO of The Baltic Exchange, Tom Chant, CEO at the Society of Maritime Industries, Jeremy Penn, former Chief Executive of the Baltic Exchange, Shahab Paya, Acting Deputy Director, Maritime Strategy and Programmes at the Department for Transport as well as LISW co-founders and co-CEOs Sean Moloney and Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes on the LISW25 SG.

Both the SG and the soon-to-be announced LISW 25 Board of Advisors will be managed by Shipping Innovation Director of Events Luci Llewellyn-Jones as part of the Shipping Innovation Secretariat.

Announcing his team, John Hulmes, former Chair of Mersey Maritime, paid tribute to the quality of leadership the individual members bring to the table.

“LISW is a major international maritime event that leads the discussion about the future of the industry, blue sky thinking and industry collaboration in everything it does. Shipping is entering a very interesting period of rapid change with the advancements being made in alternative fuels, digitalisation and AI vying for the headlines with the impact the changing geopolitical scene will have on established and newly created trade lanes. 

“These and other issues such as increasing awareness of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, the disruptive impact of the grey and dark fleets, and the increasing divergence between domestic, regional and international legal regimes, will dominate discussion during LISW25,” he added.

LISW helps to mark Merchant Navy Day

London International Shipping Week joined leaders from the UK shipping industry as well as rule makers from the Houses of Parliament to celebrate Merchant Navy Day and mark the launch of Maritime UK’s Diversity Charter.

Addressing a packed reception on the terrace of the House of Commons, Robin Mortimer, CEO of the Port of London Authority and Chair of Maritime UK, welcomed the newly appointed Maritime Minister Mike Kane MP and Mark Dickinson, General Secretary of Nautilus International.

He told guests: “On the eve of Merchant Navy Day, we want to pay particular tribute to the extraordinary contribution of our seafarers, the backbone of the industry, in challenging conditions often far from the comforts of home. They work tirelessly to ensure that 95% of all our food, fuel and supplies reach our shores safely.”

Mike Kane added: “I know that shipping is responsible for 95% of our island’s national freight. It supports over 60,000 high quality jobs, both at sea and on land and directly adds a staggering £6.6 billion to our economy each year. We have great people. I'm sure everybody here shares our ambition for prosperity, stability and a higher standard of living for those people in our coastal communities. Government will work with you to continue breaking down barriers, empowering people with the skills that they need, not simply for the jobs, but for rewarding careers and shipping.”

 Maritime risk central to LISW25 discussion 

Risk at sea is currently headline news, with threats including terrorism, piracy, and adverse weather. Shipping needs real-time information and data to keep world trade flowing smoothly while ensuring the safety of seafarers and ships.

Maritime risk will be at the centre of debates and discussions during London International Shipping Week 2025, and we are delighted to announce that Dryad Global is joining us as LISW25 Maritime Cybersecurity and Risk Intelligence Partner.

Dryad Global provides up-to-date and immediate risk intelligence information backed by expert analysis for the global maritime industry, utilising its cutting-edge risk intelligence platform, Secure Voyager Hub, and its specialised cybersecurity suite, Cyber Voyager, powered by BlackBerry.

Shipping has come a long way from a shout from the Crow’s Nest to alert the captain. Today’s maritime industry needs satellite vessel tracking, weather updates, and information on global environmental regulations. Unfortunately, as geopolitical conflict increases across the globe, vessels and fleet managers also need Maritime Safety Information and distress alert relays, as well as details about Joint War Committee designated areas, and real-time incident alerts. Dryad Global’s network of intelligence analysts also provides personalised insights and support to ship operators and shore-based support teams, enabling them to make informed decisions with confidence.

The safety of shipping will be at the heart of LISW25 and Dryad Global’s specialists will be central to discussions. Corey Ranslem, CEO, said: “At Dryad Global, we are committed to delivering high-quality products and services to our clients. London International Shipping Week 2025 provides an exceptional platform for us to expand our global presence, strengthen relationships with existing and new clients, and contributing to industry knowledge by sharing insights on the latest global developments. We are proud to be a corporate sponsor and partner of this prestigious event.”

Sean Moloney, joint-CEO and co-Founder of LISW25, welcomed Dryad Global’s involvement, commenting: “The maritime world is under extreme pressure in many areas and we are pleased that Dryad Global can bring its specialist knowledge to LISW25 to raise awareness of the challenges faced by ships and seafarers as well as highlighting how to mitigate these risks.”

New  Bronze Sponsor 

Shipping Innovation welcomes the Alan Turing Institute as a Bronze Sponsor of London International Shipping Week. The Alan Turing Institute, headquartered in the British Library in London, is the UK’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence.

Its Data-Centric Engineering (DCE) programme aims to make data-centric techniques fundamental to engineering practice, leading to safer and smarter engineering that is more intelligently designed, built and maintained.

LISW25 SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNTIES

Join us at #LISW25!

For all enquiries please contact Karen Martin.

Tel:       +44 7812 077502 Email: kmartin@shippinginnovation.com

www.londoninternationalshippingweek.com