The port–city interface is where economic ambition, urban life, and environmental responsibility meet. This high-level plenary will gather leading voices to explore innovative approaches for connecting ports and cities, creating spaces that are both competitive and livable.
Olga Farman was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Québec in February 2025. A lawyer specialized in corporate law, she previously served as Managing Partner, Québec Office at Norton Rose Fulbright, an international law firm that she joined in 2013, where she sat on the firm’s pan-Canadian Executive Committee.
Ms. Farman holds an LL.B and an MBA in Business Administration from Université Laval. She is a member of the Barreau du Québec, which awarded her the Advocatus Emeritus distinction in 2021.
Ms. Farman sits on the Board of Directors of LA Caisse, of the Beneva Group and its insurance subsidiaries, and chairs the Board of the Fondation du Musée de la civilisation. In addition to her expertise in legal and legislative affairs, she also specializes in ethics, intellectual property and corporate governance.
Her career has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Hermès de carrière in 2024, the most prestigious distinction awarded by the Faculty of Business Administration at Université Laval, and the award from the 42nd edition of the AMBAQ MBA Gala. In 2023, she received the Grands Diplômés Award from Université Laval. In 2019, she was named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN). She is actively involved in the community being the co-initiator of the citizen movement Rêvons Québec 2050, honorary co-chair of the major fundraising campaign for the Brian-Mulroney Institute of International Affairs at Université Laval, launched in 2022, and has served as Co-chair of the Centraide (United Way) campaign for Québec and Chaudière-Appalaches in 2021.
María del Rosario Soto Rico has been president of the Almería Port Authority, which manages the ports of Almería and Carboneras, since September 2022. She has a degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Granada, having studied at the University of Strasbourg (France) as an Erasmus student in 1998, where she obtained a scholarship to study at the European Parliament. Her interest in knowledge and specialization led her to complete various master's degrees in Marketing and International Trade, Human Resources Management, and Occupational Risk Prevention in both Spain and the United Kingdom. She has also completed the Advanced Course in Social Security and Labor Law at the Center for Financial Studies in Madrid and doctoral courses in Social Psychology and Social Security and Labor Law.
Her work in public administration began in 2003 as Councilor for Equality, Youth, Health, and Consumer Affairs in the City Council of Almería, where she continued until 2012 as Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Social Services and Equality. She was subsequently a senator for the Autonomous Community of Andalusia in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th legislatures and a member of the Andalusian Parliament in the 9th legislature.
Mr. Chin-woo Lee has served as Director of the Shipping & Port Division at Busan Metropolitan City since January 2025, where he oversees comprehensive policies on maritime, port, and logistics affairs—including policy development for industrial promotion, infrastructure enhancement, and international cooperation.
With over a decade of experience at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea’s central government agency responsible for national maritime and port policy, he has held key leadership roles in the Port Operations Division, Marine Environment Policy Division, Seafarers Policy Division, and the Polar Policy Team of the Marine Development Division. During his tenure, he contributed to major national initiatives in port management, environmental governance, and ocean development.
He also led inter-agency coordination at the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development, advancing regional innovation and balanced growth across the country, and served as Executive Deputy Head of the Preparatory Office for the National Incheon Marine Museum, where he oversaw the planning and coordination for the museum’s establishment.
Mr. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Korea University, one of Asia’s top ten universities in the QS Asia University Rankings.
Joseph Sutkowi, WEDG, is the Chief Waterfront Design Officer at the Waterfront Alliance. Joseph leads the WEDG® (Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines) program and oversees Waterfront Alliance’s resilience planning project in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. He brings significant experience in ports, offshore wind, climate resilience planning, economic development policy, and infrastructure. Previously, Joseph was a senior consultant at Karp Strategies, a New York City-based urban planning and economic development consulting firm where he led projects in infrastructure, real estate development, and sustainability. In previous roles, Joseph worked with Living Cities on equitable procurement, a New York City Council member on transportation, the American Red Cross in disaster response operations, and the University of Michigan in foundation relations. Joseph resides in Queens, New York. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan and a Master’s of Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner School. Joseph is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s New York City Infrastructure Product Council, co-chair of a committee of the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative, an Advisory Board Member for the National Working Waterfront Network, and a member of the New Jersey Association of Floodplain Managers.
