Esteban L. Biondi

Esteban is an engineering and environmental consultant with more than 25 years of experience in comprehensive marina design and sustainable waterfront development projects, having participated in more than 200 marina consulting assignments worldwide. He is a member of Urban Land Institute (ULI) and serves in the ULI SE Florida and Caribbean District Resiliency Committee. He was recently Chairman of the Recreational Navigation Commission of PIANC, and remains a representative of PIANC in ICOMIA Marinas Group, member of the PIANC Working with Nature Jury, and the principal author of the working group report 'Guidelines for Sustainable Recreational Navigation Infrastructure'.

Idan Cohen – Pick a Pier

Idan is owner and founder of Pick a Pier, an innovative Israeli marine tech start-up, at the centre of promoting the concept of “Smart Marinas” together with ICOMIA and EBI. Aims include facilitating international boater movement (existing barriers include a lack of access to information on regulations covering length of stay, access requirements, etc.), improving communication processes between boaters and boater service providers (such as marinas), and fully optimising marina operations in line with customer requirements and advances in other sectors, such as hospitality.

Kellie Covington

Kellie is a sustainability consultant that has worked in the marine industry all her life, from superyachts to professional race teams. In 2022, she co-founded the Sustainable Marine Alliance to foster greater collaboration across the sector and drive meaningful action on sustainability. 

David Cusworth

Having dedicated his life to the sea, David's maritime journey began at 16 with the Royal Navy. He furthered his experience by circumnavigating the globe in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and later supported multiple such races from shore. A seasoned sailor, David is an RYA Yachtmaster with over 100,000 nautical miles under his belt, fuelled by an unwavering passion for the water, sailing, and seamanship.
Savvy Navvy is a leader in leisure, digital navigation, often called Google Maps for boaters. The aim is simple - to demystify and simplify navigation to keep boaters safer, help them enjoy their time on the water

Elizabeth Dumergue
 

Elizabeth started her career as a lawyer over twenty years ago before becoming a sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion professional.  She currently works at ARC Ratings and is also the Chair of a non-profit organisation aiming to help companies transition to a net zero economy, as well as being the Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement at Pride In London.  Pride In London runs various events, including the annual Pride event in central London which attracts approximately 1.5 million people.  You can reach out to Elizabeth on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliz-dumergue/

Dr. Dominique Durand

Dominique Durand is an entrepreneur, researcher, science manager, and science strategy advisor, based in Bergen, Norway, working on the sustainable protection and exploitation of the sea. He is a scuba-diving instructor and precursor (since 1986) in engaging scuba-divers in scientific activities. He has led “Ship-of-Opportunity” initiatives since 2001, using commercial and recreational boats for automated observation and scientific measurements at sea.

Philip Easthill

Philip Easthill is Secretary General at European Boating Industry (EBI), an umbrella organisation representing the recreational boating and nautical tourism industry in Europe, including boatbuilders, refit and maintenance companies, marinas, brokers, importers and yacht charter companies.  As an established stakeholder at EU level, EBI's mission is to advance and represent a sustainable boating and nautical tourism industry #MadeInEurope. EBI has partnered with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, committing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

José Luis Fayos - Global Management Consultoría SLU

José Luis Fayos is Technical Advisor with ANEN (Asociación Nacional de Empresas Náuticas), president of the ICOMIA Sustainability Committee and active in various other committees. He is an engineer and has spoken in a wide variety of forums and seminars on nautical issues, specifically marina design and management. With more than 20 years’ experience in the nautical sector, José Luís works on design, planning and management projects for nautical facilities and marinas at an international level, as well as carrying out audits of marinas and running courses on emergency response and environmental management.

Patrick Hemp

Patrick Hemp is the Technical Consultant for the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) and IMEC since 2013. Previous positions include being the design coordinator for the multihull company, GUNBOAT and is a yacht design graduate from The Landing School in Maine, USA having spent many years as professional crew upon privately owned classic sailing yachts. He currently lives in Cape Town South Africa where he tries to keep up with his sons in all watersport-related activities.

Kara McGee

Kara McKee has a strong background in environmental conservation, having obtained a BSc in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Environmental Sciences (2021). She went on to specialise in Marine Ecology and Coastal Ecosystems during her MSc from the International Master of Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea) programe (2023). Since 2025, she has held the position of Junior Science Support officer, primarily focusing on supporting the EMODnet Secretariat with project governance, partnerships, and communications. 

Dr. Kate Larkin

Dr. Kate Larkin is Head of Secretariat for the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), an EU public in situ marine data service of the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), a key Marine Knowledge service of the EU, which together with the Copernicus Marine Service is providing the backbone infrastructure for the EU Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO). Kate has a multidisciplinary background with a degree (2002) in Natural Sciences from the University of Birmingham, UK, and a PhD (2006) in marine biogeochemistry at the University of Southampton and National Oceanography Centre, UK. She has over 15 years’ experience working in ocean observation, marine data and knowledge at both National (UK) and at European levels.

Dr. Emma McKinley

Dr Emma McKinley is a Senior Research Fellow at Cardiff University. Her research focuses on understanding the complex relationships between society and the sea through concepts such as ocean literacy and considers how these insights can be used to support effective ocean governance. She is the Academic Lead of the Severn Estuary Partnership, and is the founder of the Marine Social Science Network, a global, interdisciplinary community of marine social science researchers and practitioners. She sits on the UK’s National Decade Committee for the UN Ocean Decade, the International Science Advisory Group for MEOPAR and the IOC-UNESCO’s Global Group of Expert on Ocean Literacy. 

Adolfo Mesa

Adolfo Mesa Quevedo, an industrial engineer with an MBA, developed his career in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, where he led projects such as the Port of Tazacorte and the management of wind farms and real estate. After moving on to run a recycling company, he now specialises in artificial intelligence, offering services in this field to various companies.

Dan Natchez

Dan Natchez, CMP, leads DANIEL S. NATCHEZ and ASSOCIATES, Inc., an award-winning international firm specialising in waterfront design and environmental enhancement. His work encompasses marina resorts, residential complexes, and industrial ports worldwide, serving some of the largest marina chains.
As a leading expert in the recreational boating industry, Dan advocates for holistic, cost-effective marina designs, including stormwater management and barrier-free access. An avid boater, sailor, and water-skier, he competes and judges in water sports. Dan authors the syndicated column "Natchez On The Waterfront" and has received numerous accolades, including the ICOMIA Golden Cleat Award and the Global Marina Institute’s Certified Marina Professional recognition.

Marcelo Sabanes - SES Eficiencia

A member of the Regional Coordinating Committee Advisory Group MCR2030 EU - United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Marcelo specialises in project management, sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, risk management, climate change mitigation and adaptation with emphasis in urban planning, low carbon cities, circular economy, community engagement and development, renewable energy, capacity development, training and strategic partnerships and planning.

James Ward

James Ward is a Recruitment and Retention Expert, having led the award-winning marine recruitment company Marine Resources for over 22 years.  James’s knowledge and insights specific to people-engagement make him a leading voice when it comes to strategies for getting the right people into businesses and keeping them. James recently delivered an excellent and well-received workshop to the ICOMIA and IFBSO teams, on meeting the needs of younger generations in the workplace.

Krešimir Žic

Krešimir Žic is a Croatian marina industry expert with over 25 years of experience driving the digital transformation of marinas. Educated as a computer engineer, he leveraged his technical expertise to lead the transformation of Marina Punat from a traditional port into one of Croatia’s most modern, service-oriented, and award-winning marina resorts. As part of this journey, he created Marinacloud, an advanced marina management platform, and SENSE4BOAT, an innovative IoT solution designed to enhance the safety of boats and marinas. Since 2022, he has been collaborating with D-Marin to develop cutting-edge digital solutions that are shaping the future of the industry, making the marinas safer, more efficient and more sustainable.