Culture and Governance

Bookda GHEISAR

First Senior Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

PORT OF SEATTLE

For more than 30 years, Bookda has fought for racial equity and social justice. She is deeply passionate about creating systemic, transformational change, and has a proven track record of grounding her work within communities that are most impacted by racial and economic inequities. Bookda believes that we all have a responsibility to actively repair the harm done to historically oppressed communities, and to do so, we must work collectively to improve opportunities and outcomes for all, while simultaneously addressing the unique needs of different communities.  

 

Before coming to the Port, Bookda served as a Policy Advisor for King County’s Office of Equity and Social Justice. She has also served as the Executive Director of multiple philanthropic organizations, each committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

 

 

As Senior Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Bookda provides leadership and strategic direction for the Port’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts, both internal and external. She leads a team of racial equity experts build capacity in departments across the Port to address institutional racism by creating equitable policies, practices, and procedures. Bookda is leading the Port’s efforts to create a culture of inclusivity and belonging, to ensure the fair and intentional distribution of resources and opportunities, and to expand economic development and quality of life for all.  

Christophe HUSSER

Directeur Général Adjoint - Département Espaces publics et Aménagement urbain

VILLE DU HAVRE

Christophe Husser has been deputy general manager of the city of Le Havre since 2018. In charge of technical services, urban planning and ecological transition, he pilots projects for the development of public spaces, the construction of public facilities and urban development, particularly at the city-port interface. Previously, he held positions in the State's territorial services on mobility and transport infrastructure policies, as well as at the Port of Dunkirk, where he was in charge of industrial-port zone development and environmental policies. Christophe Husser is a graduate engineer from the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées.

Irina GORBATIKOVA BONDARENKO

Director of Administrative Department

FREEPORT OF RIGA AUTHORITY

I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Philology and Literature  by Latvian State University; and M.D. in Translation & Interpretation, Faculty of Humanities, by University of Vigo, Spain;
Since 1998 I have been working  for the Freeport of Riga Authority in the same position as today being responsible for maintaining and fostering corporate long term relationships with  international governmental state and municipal entities, port of Riga sister ports,  international port organizations, foreign embassies located in Latvia.
I am also in charge of receiving foreign business commercial delegations and port trade promoting and cultural events organization;
I serve for many years as :
Alternative Director for Latvia in International Association of Ports and harbours (IAPH);
Member of General Assembly for Latvia in European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO);
Representative for Latvia in International Association of Ports Cities (AIVP)

Hilda GHIARA

Tenured Researcher and Professor in Maritime Traffic, Ports and Regional Economies

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA

Hilda Ghiara, is Aggregate Professor and Tenured Researcher in Applied Economics, DIEC (Department of Economics, - University of Genoa Italy and member of the scientific board of the Italian Centre of Excellence for Integrated Logistics (CIELI). Responsible of a full module (Department of Economics), University of Genoa (Maritime and Port Economics). Author, co-author or editor of several scientific international publications, she is regularly a speaker/session chairman at scientific and professional conferences. She is Project manager of international research programs financed by the European Union and other private and public institutions. Since 2009 she has been a main promoter and project manager of the project Genoa Port Center (Port of Genoa Exhibition & Education Center), an initiative aiming to advance port communication and port knowledge exchange. The project won in 2009 a Special mention for ESPO award and in 2012 the Port of Genoa who has been chosen to receive the ESPO Award for societal integration dedicated in 2012 to the theme of Youth.

Florian WEYER

Directeur Général Délégué du Grand Port Fluvio-Maritime de l'Axe Seine

HAROPA PORT DU HAVRE

Chief engineer of Bridges, Waters and Forests, graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, Florian Weyer is delegated CEO in charge of HAROPA PORT territorial direction of Le Havre and of the Digital transition project.

Florian Weyer began his career at the SNCF before joining the Ministry of Ecology as head of the Policies and Techniques department at the North-Western Interdepartmental Road Directorate. In 2014, he was appointed director of Transport at the Regional Council of Alsace. His position evolved to become Deputy CEO in charge of Mobilities at the Grand Est Regional Council. During these five years, he was responsible for organising passenger rail transport, monitoring infrastructure projects financed by the Region and planning and coordinating mobility on a regional scale. He led major projects for the modernisation of regional transport, such as the opening up to rail competition.

 

In the summer of 2019, Florian Weyer joined the cabinet of Elisabeth Borne, Minister of Ecological Transition and Solidarity, as Land Transport Advisor, before joining Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, Secretary of State to the Minister, in charge of Transport. Appointed Minister Delegate in July 2020, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari promoted Florian Weyer to the position of Deputy Director of his cabinet. In addition to his portfolio on all land transport, he was responsible for coordinating the France Recovery Plan for transport, coordinating industrial sectors and contributing to the Climate and Decentralisation law projects.

 

On 31 January 2022, Florian Weyer took up his post at the territorial direction of Le Havre, within the new "Seine axis major river/seaport" which brings together the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris into a single establishment. In this capacity, he is appointed member of the HAROPA PORT management board.

Karine OTIS

Présidente Directrice Générale

PORT DE BAIE-COMEAU

Versatile and involved in her community, Karine is a graduate in Urban Studies and Political Science (B.Sc.) as well as in Environmental Sciences (C.S.E.). She also holds a grade in Business Administration - Strategic Project Management. Involved for nearly 15 years in regional development, Karine has acquired a deep knowledge of the territory, its socio-economic profil, and its potential. Well established in her community, she is known for her rigor, her dynamism, her sense of priorities and of course, her passion for her native region, the North Shore, in Quebec.

Maria Jimena LOPEZ

Presidenta CGPQ

CONSORCIO DE GESTION DEL PUERTO DE QUEQUEN

Her career began as a social worker in the Municipality of Necochea, working between 2004 and 2015 in Primary Health Care. She was also director of the Protected Workshop of the Centro de Ciegos Luz y Unión, promoting the labor and social integration of visually impaired people.

Between 2015 and 2019, she was Secretary of Human Development and Social Policies of Necochea, managing key areas such as culture, sports, gender and protection of the rights of children and adolescents. In 2019, she was elected national deputy for Frente de Todos, holding relevant positions in transport, health and gender commissions, and co-author of important laws such as Zero Alcohol and Oncopediatrics.

In 2022, she assumed as Secretary of Transportation Management of the National Ministry of Transportation, before reaching her current position in Puerto Quequén, where she continues to focus on strengthening regional economic development and social inclusion in the area.

Since February 2024, she has served as president of the Puerto Quequén Management Consortium, with a solid track record in the public and social spheres.

Ronnie YAMBAO

Senior Deputy Administrator

SUBIC BAY METROPOLITAN AUTHORITY

Mr Ronnie R. Yambao, Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Group of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority leads the operations management of the Subic Bay International Airport and the Port of Subic Bay. 

He joined the SBMA in 1998 as an Investment Specialist.  As Manager of SBMA Investment Department from 2006 to 2016 and OIC of the Office of the Deputy Administrator for Business Group from 2011 to 2016, he managed an account portfolio of over $5 Billion worth of investments in the sectors of shipbuilding, manufacturing, renewable energy, power, logistics, maritime, industrial park development, and shipping industries.

He is a graduate of BSC Management from San Beda College in 1994 and finished his MBA at the Ateneo De Manila Regis Program in 2006.  He was a recipient of the Carl Duisberg Scholarship Program in 2002 and finished a course in Investment Promotion and International Management in Germany. He also completed a course in Strategic Port Management in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan under the Japan International Cooperation Agency Scholarship Program in 2019.

David BELAND

Chargé de Projet

REGION DE LA BIOSPHERE DE MANICOUAGAN UAPISHKA

Young professional recognized for his passion and deep connection to his surroundings, David Béland brings strong leadership and commitment to projects that create cohesive and authentic partnerships, strengthening the role and impact of the Manicouagan-Uapishka Biosphere Region.

As one of the three Coordinators of the UNESCO EuroMAB Youth Network, David actively promotes collaboration across designated sites. Additionally, as a co-leader in establishing the Canadian Youth Network, he plays a key role in building a national network that embodies the shared values of Canada’s youth and UNESCO, particularly through a genuine commitment to reconciliation by fostering meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities.

Rodrigo MOITA DE DEUS

Board Member

NEWSMUSEUM

Following a career in journalism and public relations, he is now the director of the NewsMuseum, a multimedia museum themed to press and speech freedom. The Newsmuseum’s team also develops projects for other museums and cultural institutions.

In addition, Rodrigo serves as a consultant. He is president of the Portuguese Shopping Centre Association's (APCC) strategic council, and a political analyst for RTP (Portuguese public broadcasting network).

He has been invited to speak at numerous conferences both in Portugal and abroad.

Moderator

Catarina CARVALHO

Editor Mensagem de Lisboa

C&C

Catarina Carvalho is a journalist, founder and director of the Mensagem de Lisboa project, a local and community journalism start-up dedicated to the city - and which carried out the Roger Kahan project at Cais da Europa with the Port of Lisbon. 

 

She was executive director at Diário de Notícias, where she was responsible for the digital transition of the century-old newspaper. Before that, she was in charge of the magazines area at Global Media Group. She has worked for various publications such as Expresso, Visão, Sábado and Diário Económico - in recent years in leadership positions.