Melinda Crane is Chief Political Correspondent at Deutsche Welle-TV and hosts the talk shows "Quadriga" and "People and Politics" She was Senior Producer of "Global Players" on CNBC. She has moderated a wide variety of podium discussions and conferences for public organisations and private sector clients. Among her areas of expertise are transatlantic politics; women, family education issues; climate and environment; business and economics; new media and the internet. Crane holds a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Doctoral Degree in political economy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Karla Peijs was appointed European Coordinator for the TEN-T Rhine-Danube Corridor on 12 March 2014. Ms Peijs has previously been European Coordinator responsible for Inland Waterways, in particular Priority Project 18 Rhine/Meuse-Main-Danube, and Priority Project 30 Seine-Scheldt, between September 2007 and December 2013.

François Davenne, a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications d’Evry in 1988 and of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 1999, has always promoted interdisciplinarity as a key factor for success. After experience in international satellite telecommunications, his first assignments were in the housing sector and required strong financial and legal skills. He was involved in policy and regulation of the sector, and managed key operational programmes, in particular for the city of Paris. After three years in the French Ministry of Transport working on railway safety and regulations, with the emphasis on European regulations, he was elected Secretary General of OTIF in 2012, where, since 1 January 2013, he has promoted interdisciplinarity and partnership building to expand the uniform regulations for international carriage by rail. He’s currently Deputy Director General of UIC, the International Union of Railways. He will become Director General of the organisation end of June 2019.

Director Hinojosa assumed her elected post in the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate of the World Customs Organization (WCO), effective January 1, 2016. She leads the directorate that is responsible assisting Members in implementing effective and efficient controls, ensuring fair and accurate revenue collection, and protecting society by intercepting and suppressing illicit and criminal activities. The directorate has the twin goal of securing and facilitating legitimate global supply chains through the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures. In order to accomplish this, the Directorate, working with WCO Members, develops international standards covering all aspects of trade processes. Prior to her election and transition to her current post, she served nearly 29 years with the United States Custom Service/Customs and Border Protection (CBP). She is fluent in English and Spanish, and is currently studying French.

An industry-known leader, Gene Seroka brings more than 29 years of experience in shipping, global logistics and executive management to the Port of Los Angeles. As executive director of the busiest container port in North America, he is responsible for managing more than a $1 billion budget, leading a team of more than 900 employees, advancing major capital projects, growing cargo volumes, and promoting innovative, sustainable practices that improve Southern California’s economy and quality of life. His duties involve interacting with a wide range of stakeholders, including Port customers worldwide, supply chain partners, labor, community members, and elected and appointed officials at all levels. He is a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group, U.S. Maritime Administration Marine Transportation System National Advisory Committee, and Federal Maritime Commission Supply Chain Innovation Team. He is an alumnus of the University of New Orleans, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Max is the global head of Strategy & Business Development of Siemens Mobility, a world market leader in sustainable transport technologies for rail and road. Earlier roles within the transport sector included Head of Digital Transformation of Siemens’ Intelligent Transport Systems, CEO of Siemens Mobility Australia and Global Head of Siemens’ Software Solutions for Railways. Earlier he worked seven years as a Management Consultant with strong focus on the Transport and Building Technology sectors. He started his career in a German “Mittelstands”-Champion. Max holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Technical University of Vienna, Austria, and a PhD in Logistics from University of Göttingen, Germany.