Zero Point Four

He previously held the position of Senior Vice President of American Bureau of Shipping Global Government Services, where he was responsible for the government market sector across the four ABS divisions and technology. Before becoming Senior VP of Global Government Services, Watson was President and COO for the Americas Division where he was responsible for all operations of the American Bureau of Shipping in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to joining ABS, Watson served as Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement at the US Department of Interior. In this role he provided regulatory oversight for energy exploration and production on the US Outer Continental Shelf. Before becoming BSEE Director, Watson served as the US Coast Guard’s Director of Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship, where his responsibilities included commercial vessel safety and security, ports and cargo safety and security and maritime investigations. He was also designated as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the government-wide response to the Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico.

Watson earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Marine Engineering from USCGA in 1978. He received his Master of Science in Naval Architecture and his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1985. Watson earned an additional Master of Science in Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in 2001.

She specializes in identifying, developing and implementing strategic programs that position SHIPPINGInsight as the most effective forum for shipowners and solution providers to advance optimization and innovation in the maritime sphere. In 2015, Ms. Lyden Walker was appointed a Goodwill Maritime Ambassador by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). She is a member of WISTA (Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association), the Connecticut Maritime Association, WIMAC (Women in Maritime Association, Caribbean) and is a Past-President of the Propeller Club Chapter of the Port of NY/NJ. She was also elected to the Board of the New Era Academy (Baltimore Harbor School). Ms. Lyden Walker is also CEO of Morgan Marketing & Communications, Co-Founder/CEO of NAMEPA, and Founder of both CARIBMEPA and the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage. In 2010 she was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the United States Coast Guard, and in 2014 a Public Service Commendation for her work on World Maritime Day and AMVER, respectively. In 2023, the USCG presented her with the Distinguished Service Medal.

His last corporate post was as Honeywell’s Global Vice President and Chief Security Officer (CSO). Prior to that, he held the role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Honeywell is a Fortune 100 conglomerate with a market cap exceeding $130B. Honeywell Global Security, a converged unit within Honeywell that provided cyber, physical, product, and classified security services, achieved a number 1 global ranking in the Industrial and Manufacturing sector during his tenure (Security Magazine, Security 500 Report). Rich now leads Critical Infrastructure LLC, a boutique Virginia-based consultancy, where he combines his unique experience, a Honeywell Operating System (HOS) and Six Sigma mindset, and a relentless focus on innovation, trust, and resilience as business enablers.

His visioneering approach enables startups, venture capital firms, corporate boards, and think tanks to challenge assumptions, positively disrupt markets and digitally transform the world. An engaging communicator, demonstrated practitioner and creative thinker, Rich is well-respected among his peers in the cyber, information, and physical security domains. He is vocal about how the practical application of theory should be present at all layers of an organization, and passionately challenges the idea of ‘tick box’ (vs actual) security. Mason is a is an active member of the George Mason University’s National Security Institute (NSI) Cyber and Technology Center, a contributor within a US maritime security accelerator coalition, a former member of the Secret Service’s New York Electronic Crimes Task Force, a graduate of the FBI’s Executive Academy, and a retired member of the FBI’s National Security Business Alliance Council (NSBAC) and Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC). An Alumni with honor from Michigan State University, Mason received his Criminal Justice bachelor’s degree with a specialization in Security Management.

Jonathan has held a number of diverse roles over his working life: From senior positions in large corporations, founding and running several small businesses, holding trusted roles in nationally accredited NFPs and NGOs, and providing technical services to the Australian Defense Force sector. When running Sydney-based Verifai, Jonathan developed deep experience in global supply-chains, including the implementation of unique security solutions – involving PhySec, CyberSec, IoT, biometrics, and a range of communication standards – to solve practical problems related to theft and cargo tampering, and to provide tracking services for product provenance.

Jonathan is well connected within the Australian and New Zealand business communities, has lectured in universities, and spoken at conferences across the world, and regularly contributes to industry advocacy efforts through the provision of unique insights, research and ideation. Jonathan now leads Source Consulting, an innovative strategic consultancy, based in New Zealand. He is passionate about solving global problems, loves to work alongside like-minded individuals, and is dedicated to building impactful solutions that positively transform the world.

He is currently co-founder and Managing Partner of The ExO Organization, a leading Silicon Valley technology and sustainability advisory firm. He has given keynote addresses to Governments, various United Nations agencies, the IUCN, World Bank and IMF, and has worked with some of the biggest technology companies on breakthrough innovations for the ocean. In 2017, he launched the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco to harness the power of technology to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems.

Since 2013, Nishan has chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Ocean, a group of leading ocean experts from around the world that meet at Davos each year. He sits on several boards, and was previously on the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Mauritius and helped establish the National Ocean Council for their newly created Ministry of Ocean Economy. Prior to this, Nishan worked at McKinsey and Company, the World Bank, the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit under Tony Blair, and as a broadcast journalist for the BBC.

Nishan holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge and a postgraduate degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in International Economic Development. He is the author of Soul of the Sea in the Age of the Algorithm (2017), on how exponential technologies can heal our oceans, and has won several international awards, such as being recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and winning the Economist’s Ocean Economy Innovation Prize.

He co-founded ESGPlus LLC, an international consulting firm focused on bringing sustainability, resiliency, efficiency, and independent board advisory to clients invested in a sustainable global maritime supply chain. Before his time at ESGPlus, Captain Chopra spent nearly a decade as a Vice President Americas of RightShip, negotiating high-level due diligence and compliance agreements in developing business across Americas. Prior to his time at RightShip, he served as the President of Anglo-Eastern Houston, with direct oversight of vessels visiting US ports, risk evaluation, and government relations.

Captain Chopra began his seafaring career as a deck cadet, working his way up to Captain. He has commanded large bulk carriers and tankers and holds a Commonwealth Extra Masters Certificate of Competency, Shipping Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India, and ACUE Certification. Captain Chopra currently serves as a Fellow of The Nautical Institute (Chairperson of the U.S. Gulf Branch), is on the Board of Directors at the Houston International Seafarers Center, Member of NOAA FACA HSRP, Advisory Board member of Houston Maritime center, and is an Adjunct Professor for the Supply Chain & Logistics Technology program at the University of Houston, where he has served as a lecturer and teacher for more than 32 years.