Robin Yeman
Senior Solutions Architect
Leidos
Speaker Info
Robin Yeman is a seasoned leader with over twenty-eight years of experience in systems and software engineering, currently serving as a Senior Software Solution Architect at Leidos.
Speaker Full Info
Robin Yeman is a seasoned leader with over twenty-eight years of experience in
systems and software engineering, currently serving as a Senior Software
Solution Architect at Leidos. She drives technological innovation in government
space programs, focusing on integrating cutting-edge solutions to enhance
mission enterprise capabilities and foster contract growth. Previously, as Carnegie
Mellon's Space Domain Lead, she spearheaded advancements in software-intensive
systems, leveraging Generative AI, Cyber Security, and Digital Twins. Her strategic
- leadership also extended to her tenure as Chief Technical Officer at Catalyst Campus,
where
she bridged emerging technologies with critical mission needs, supporting small
businesses and facilitating
technology transfer.
Robin's expertise extends to leading transformative initiatives in large organizations.
At Lockheed Martin,
she served as a Senior Technical Fellow, driving Agile and DevSecOps transformations
across diverse
projects, from submarines to satellites. She established best practices, fostered
collaboration, and
embedded cybersecurity throughout the development lifecycle. Her commitment to education
is
demonstrated through her role as a Visiting Professor at the Defense Acquisition
University, where she
teaches DevSecOps for safety-critical systems.
Beyond her professional roles, Robin is an author, having published "Industrial DevOps:
Build Better
Systems Faster" in 2023, providing guidance on applying Agile and DevOps principles to
cyber-physical
systems. She actively contributes to the industry as co-chair of the Incose Agile
Systems Engineering and
NDIA ADAPT groups. A lifelong learner, she holds a Master's in Software Engineering from
Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute and is pursuing a PhD in Systems Engineering at Colorado State
University, focusing
on Agile and DevSecOps for large-scale, safety-critical solutions. Robin's extensive
certifications, including
SAFe Fellow and PMP, underscore her dedication to professional excellence.
David Newman
Professor David Newman - Consultant
Global Asset Management International
Speaker Info
Professor David Newman has in excess of 40 years national and international oil & gas project engineering and management expertise and experience within a range of organisations including Oil and Gas Operators, EPIC Contractors, and Consultancy teams for onshore, offshore and subsea projects with project values extending from $Mns to in excess of $Bns.
Speaker Full Info
Professor David Newman has in excess of 40 years national and international oil &
gas project
engineering and management expertise and experience within a range of organisations
including Oil and Gas Operators, EPIC Contractors, and Consultancy teams for onshore,
offshore
and subsea projects with project values extending from $Mns to in excess of $Bns.
Professor Newman has worked as an oil and gas advisor / consultant leading and managing
multi-disciplined and multi-cultural project teams. both nationally and internationally
on many
onshore, offshore and subsea major and global projects serving organisations such as
Shell, ENI,
ADNOC, ADCO, Aramco, BP, ChevronTexaco, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, KOC, NAM, Pemex,
Repsol, Saudi Aramco, SBM, and Total.
David’s principal interests and expertise lies within a number of specialist areas,
namely: Oil
and Gas Project Engineering and Management, Oil and Gas Facilities Engineering and
Management, Oil & Gas Field Development, Oil & Gas Regulatory and Compliance,
Contract Risk
Management, Onshore and Subsea Pipelines Engineering, Risk-Based Asset Integrity
Management, Pipeline Integrity Management, Inspection, Maintenance and Repair, Risk
&
Reliability Engineering, Materials and Corrosion Engineering, Technical and Process
Safety
Management, Ageing Assets, Oil and Gas Occupational Health and Safety.
In addition to his professional working life, David takes an extremely keen interest in
oil and gas
education and training, having provided this both academically – having undertaken
lecturing
and project supervision at University in the UK to post-graduate students as well as the
training,
mentoring and supervision of multi-cultural and multi-disciplined engineers and managers
at
all levels at various global locations within the oil and gas industry and providing oil
and gas
training for commercial and charitable organisations.
David is a Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council of UK as well as a Chartered
European
Engineer. He holds Professional Membership of various Institutes.
Justin Hawkins
General Manager, Head of Subsea Cables Consultancy
Pelagian Limited
Speaker Info
Justin is a Hydrographic Surveyor with 35 years of technical and commercial experience in spatial planning, route design, survey and installation of submarine telecom and power cables. He has presented at numerous conferences on subsea cable engineering topics, from cable burial risk assessment to spatial planning.
Speaker Full Info
Justin is a Hydrographic Surveyor with 35 years of technical and commercial experience
in spatial planning, route design, survey and installation of submarine telecom and
power cables. He has presented at numerous conferences on subsea cable engineering
topics, from cable burial risk assessment to spatial planning.
Justin is General Manager and head of subsea cables consultancy at Pelagian Limited
providing expert consultancy in cable route engineering and burial assessment and
cable route studies including geographical data management for a variety of submarine
cable projects in telecoms, oil/gas and offshore power sectors.
After graduating from the University of East London with a BSc (Hons) in Surveying and
Mapping Sciences in 1990, Justin worked offshore as a Hydrographic Surveyor on
geophysical and geotechnical surveys for oil and gas, interconnector and telecom cable
projects; specialising in multibeam bathymetry acquisition, digital terrain modelling
and
seabed hazard mapping; later joining Alcatel Submarine Networks as a cable route
engineer supporting global telecom cable survey and installation projects.
In recent years with Pelagian, Justin has specialised in the spatial planning, design
and
engineering of offshore windfarms and long-distance power interconnectors. In Offshore
wind this includes WTG positioning, export cable and inter-array cable layouts, from
initial design through to management of construction data. He has contributed to the
design and installation of numerous European windfarms including London Array, Gwynt
Y Mor and Dogger Bank and working on export power cable projects in the North Sea
and international next generation power interconnector projects such as Xlinks and Sun
Cable.
Rupert Raymond
Managing Director / Naval Architect
Tadek Ocean Engineering
Speaker Info
Rupert Raymond is the Managing Director of Tadek Ocean Engineering, a UK-based consultancy delivering advanced offshore and subsea engineering solutions. A Chartered Naval Architect and Fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects, Rupert brings 20 years of international experience across marine renewables, oil and gas, and floating systems.
Speaker Full Info
Rupert Raymond is the Managing Director of Tadek Ocean Engineering, a UK-based
consultancy delivering advanced offshore
and subsea engineering solutions. A Chartered Naval Architect and Fellow of the Royal
Institute of Naval Architects,
Rupert brings 20 years of international experience across marine renewables, oil and
gas, and floating systems.
His career spans roles at leading global contractors including Saipem, KBR, and Ceona,
where he contributed to major
offshore developments in the North Sea, Brazil, West Africa, and the Caspian. Since
2010, he leads Tadek’s work across
Europe, the UK, and emerging markets, with a focus on floating offshore wind, mooring
systems, and subsea installation.
Nitesh Ranvah
Founder & CEO
21 Knots
Speaker Info
Nitesh Ranvah is a naval architect and entrepreneur leading innovation at the intersection of maritime engineering and digital transformation. As the Founder and CEO of 21 Knots Group, he has spearheaded complex ship design, offshore engineering, surveys, and drydocking projects across global fleets
Speaker Full Info
Nitesh Ranvah is a naval architect and entrepreneur leading innovation at the
intersection of maritime engineering and digital transformation. As the Founder
and CEO of 21 Knots Group, he has spearheaded complex ship design, offshore
engineering, surveys, and drydocking projects across global fleets. Nitesh also
founded Zeroqu, a next-generation compliance and performance management
platform helping shipowners and operators navigate the future of
decarbonization and ESG mandates.
With over 15 years of technical and commercial experience, Nitesh brings a unique
blend of engineering depth and business strategy. He is passionate about enabling the
maritime industry to transition toward greener, smarter operations through practical
technology and
design-first thinking.
Dr. Anthony Tzes
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Program Head of Electrical Engineering, The Alan Howard Distinguished Professor in AI Director, New York University Abu Dhabi
Speaker Info
Dr. Anthony Tzes is the Alan Howard Distinguished Professor in AI and Program Head of the Electrical Engineering (EE) program at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD).
Speaker Full Info
Dr. Anthony Tzes is the Alan Howard Distinguished Professor in AI and Program
Head of the Electrical Engineering (EE) program at New York University Abu
Dhabi (NYUAD). He is also the Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and
Robotics, a Global Network Professor of the NYU's Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering, and an Affiliated Faculty to the NYU-KAIST Global
Innovation and Research Institute. Prior to this, he was a member of the Governing
Council of University of Patras (UPAT) in Greece and Professor and Head of the
Electrical and Computer Engineering at UPAT. He was the director of UPAT's graduate
program in Biomedical Engineering (2015-7). He is a graduate of UPAT (1985) and has
received his doctorate from the Ohio State University in 1990. From 1990 till 1999 he
was (tenured
associate
professor) with NYU's Tandon School of Engineering.
He has been the national representative (2006-9) to EU's FP7's thematic area "Regions of
Knowledge,
Research Potential and Coherent Development of Policies". He has served in various
positions (Program
Chairman (MIM '00), Organizing Committee Chairman (ECC'07), General Chairman (MED2011
and
ICUAS2020), Program Chairman (MED2015)), and as IPC-member at several international
conferences.
His research interests include Cooperative Control of Networked UAVs, Surgical Robots,
Mechatronics, and
Control engineering applications. Prof. Tzes has received research funding from various
organizations
including NASA, the National (U.S.) Science Foundation, the European Union
(Horizon2020), and the
European Space Agency (ESA).
He has authored more than 100(300) papers published in international
journals(conferences). He has
received various awards as co-author of published articles including the best paper
published in 2014 in
IET
Control, Theory & Applications and the ECC 2003 IST Prize Award. He has served in the
editorial board of
several journals (e.g. IEEE Control Systems Magazine, Circuits Systems and Computers,
Journal of
Intelligent and Robotic Systems, Frontiers in AI and Robotics).
Sudhir Prajapati
Technical Director
21 Knots Design & Consulting
Speaker Info
Sudhir Prajapati is a seasoned naval architect and marine engineering expert with over two decades of experience in ship design, construction, and project execution.
Speaker Full Info
Sudhir Prajapati is a seasoned naval architect and marine engineering expert with over
two decades of experience in ship
design, construction, and project execution. As Technical Director at 21 Knots Design &
Consulting Pvt. Ltd., he leads
multidisciplinary teams in delivering high-impact solutions across ship inspections,
retrofitting, drydocking, and
compliance engineering for global maritime and oil & gas clients.
Throughout his career, Sudhir has been instrumental in pioneering innovative approaches
to shipbuilding and
retrofitting, ensuring that projects meet the highest standards of safety, efficiency,
and environmental compliance. His
expertise spans conceptual and basic ship design, design optimization, and project
execution. He has a proven track
record of aligning design intent with on-ground realities, making him a trusted advisor
to shipowners and operators
navigating technical and regulatory challenges.
Sudhir's leadership at 21 Knots ensures that every project is delivered with quality,
innovation, and purpose. He is
passionate about blending traditional naval architecture with modern tools and
techniques to create smarter,
future-ready ships
