Dan McGreer is a Principal Naval Architect at Vard Marine Inc. (VARD) and has worked there for over 28 years.  Dan has been involved in all aspects of ship design including; preliminary concept development, contract design, ship performance assessment, computational fluid dynamics, marine system design and ship model testing and trials. Dan graduated in 1983 from the University of British Columbia in Mechanical Engineering with a Naval Architecture Option.  Dan has worked on numerous ship design projects while at VARD including managing the design of the Canadian Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker, Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship, the NZ Offshore Patrol Vessels and the USCG Great Lakes Icebreaker. Dan is a Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia.

Scott Beatty is founder and CEO of MarineLabs Data Systems Inc. He holds a PhD in Ocean Engineering from University of Victoria. Over his 16 years as ocean engineer, researcher, and technology development leader, he has guided research programs analyzing, optimizing, and testing marine technologies in oceans and wave tanks. He’s convened IEC standards committees,  consulted for International governments on marine tech investments and served as judge for US Dept. of Energy’s prize competitions. Dr. Beatty is leading MarineLabs in the execution of their vision toward a connected ocean.

Gary Hamata, VP Construction at JJM Construction Ltd., has worked in the marine construction, heavy construction, and deep foundations industries for over 35 years.  Gary has developed and directed teams of skilled professionals to deliver complex and challenging projects including:  road and rail bridges, marine terminals, floating concrete structures, marine pipelines, outfalls and utilities installations, projects requiring hydraulic and/or clamshell dredging, foreshore stabilization, soil densification and improvement, site remediation, marine habitat creation, and land and/or marine piling.  Former appointments include VP/General Manager at Vancouver Pile Driving Ltd., Regional Manager of the BC Division of North American Pile Driving Inc. and President of Griffiths Pile Driving Inc.  He is a founding member of the BC Marine & Pile Driving Contractors Safety Council and a Past President of the BC Marine and Pile Driving Contractors Association.  Gary is presently a Director of the BC Association of Crane Safety.

Vitorio Stana is the President of Westland Quality Connections Inc., a consulting firm in BC. He is a results-oriented professional and leader, with over 35 years combined experience in business systems and process integration in a number of fields – including manufacturing, research, engineering, and testing. Through his work he has proven his ability to develop, implement, maintain and improve modern business systems, processes (operational, infrastructural, critical) and audit programs.

Vitorio proactively evaluates his clients’ business systems, operations, processes and products, manages their projects, and identifies risks and opportunities to continually maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes, while maintaining conformity and improving customer satisfaction.

Vitorio develops, trains, coaches and teaches personnel in aviation, defense, marine and automotive sectors and performs systems and critical process audits globally. He played a key role in the development, implementation and integration of new systems, programs, and standards to support multimillion-dollar business development and management (e.g. Boeing Commercial and Defense, Cessna, BAE, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier, Honda Aircraft Co.). He also promotes safety via best industry practices (2010 Transport Canada National Aviation Safety Award winner) and played a leading role in achieving the ASQ 2014 Quality and Business Excellence Award, among other awards and recognitions.

In his Professor (Adj.) role, Vitorio teaches Project, Quality and Risk Management at UBC (University of British Columbia), as part of the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Program in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

Vitorio is a Professional Engineer in Canada, but is also recognized in Europe and the USA. He is a senior Member of SAE AMS advisory group and the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and has built productive relationships with customers and other stakeholders globally. He is recognized for his leadership, proactive approach, performance orientation, dedication to total customer satisfaction, care and an unyielding commitment to excellence.

Since graduating with honours from the University of Glasgow with a B.Sc. in Naval Architecture in 1971, Robert Allan has been designing high-performance commercial workboats of all types, most notably high-performance tugboats for tanker escort and offshore terminal operations. In 1981, he succeeded his father as President of Robert Allan Ltd. and has led the company to a position of international prominence in the field. He is internationally recognized as a leading authority on the subject of tug and workboat design and has received major peer awards for this work.  He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the Province of BC, and a Fellow of both SNAME and RINA.  Mr. Allan has authored numerous papers and several text book chapters on the subject of workboat design.  Since selling the company to senior employees in 2008 Mr. Allan has focussed on special projects and on mentoring the next generation of designers within the Company.

Keith Cunnane BEng, MSc, MA, CEng, MIET.

Keith served in the Royal Navy as a Weapon Engineer Submariner for 21 years, where he served in several attack submarines, deploying on operations around the world, and undertook shore postings in the Defence Procurement Agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Leadership and Management Centre. His final posting was as the Combat System Sustainment Manager for the Collins Class of submarines on exchange with the Royal Australian Navy. On retiring from the Royal Navy as a Commander in 2011, Keith moved to Canada and joined BMT, where he had a succession of roles, including Submarine Business Area Lead, Vice President of Marine Engineering and Design and Vice President of Operations. He joined Babcock as the Vice President for Marine in April 2022.

Keith holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from the University of Plymouth, a Master of Science in the Design of Information Systems from Cranfield University, a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from Kings College London and certification in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors. He has dual British and Canadian nationality and lives in the outskirts of Ottawa.

Lee Grace is a Business Development Manager at Vancouver, BC headquartered Naval Architect and Marine Engineering consultancy, Vard Marine Inc. Lee graduated as a Naval Architect from the University of Plymouth in the UK and has held various technical, engineering and design roles during his career. As an experienced project manager he has been involved in a wide range of global ship design and ship building programs both commercial and government. He is an overseas member of RINA and SNAME.

Jason is a senior business lawyer and partner at Vancouver-based Bernard LLP, British Columbia’s leading maritime law firm.  Jason advises clients in Western Canada and the Arctic on a wide range of business law matters, including the development and construction of maritime and transportation infrastructure, vessel design, construction and repair, procurement matters, and various marine business contracts such as charterparties and terminal service agreements.  Prior to joining Bernard LLP, Jason was in-house counsel for more than a decade, first at the Vancouver International Airport Authority, then SNC-Lavalin, and most recently at Pacific NorthWest LNG.

Ed Hooper joined BC Ferries in 2019. As the oversight Executive Director, Shipbuilding, he provides strategic leadership and operational for all activities related to the acquisition of new and replacement vessels for BC Ferries. Previously, Ed served as an Officer with the Royal Canadian Navy, ending his Navy career as Commanding Officer of Fleet Maintenance Facility “Cape Breton” - the most versatile ship repair facility in Canada. Ed has a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary, and a Master of Arts in Political Sciences from the Royal Military Academy of Belgium.

Raman Kapil is a management accountant (CPA, CMA) with over 30 years of business experience. In addition, his business education includes an MBA and Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation. From his business experience, Raman has developed the expertise in strategic management, partnerships, contract negotiations, financial management, and corporate governance. In addition, Raman has actively participated in not-for-profit boards since 2012. 

Stuart McVitty is the COO at Bryton Marine Group. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Stuart brings decades of marine industry expertise to his role. In 2021, he was appointed as a Board Member of the South African Boat Builder Expert Council. Previously, he served as the CEO of a South African company specializing in the construction of highly specialized commercial vessels. Stuart is also an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School.

Inja Ma is co-founder, owner, and CEO of SEAMOR Marine Ltd, one of very few subsea ROV companies in Canada, serving global markets. Born and raised in Korea, Inja is an immigrant entrepreneur, arriving in Canada in 1999 and making her home and founding SEAMOR Marinein Nanaimo, BC in 2006.  Her natural curiosity and leadership skills equipped her well for the challenges of working in the male-dominated high-tech ROV industry.

As CEO, Inja is responsible for all company operations, with an emphasis on leadership, management, strategic planning, financial analysis and planning, corporate culture, and marketing.  She is committed not only to the company’s success, but also to her team and their professional growth – supporting each individual to be their best.  Inja uses her experience and expertise to build a healthy and positive workplace, with a focus on quality, collaboration, and innovation.  Her priorities include advancing effective business systems and tools, strengthening marketing and brand awareness, and building collaborative partnerships – locally and globally.