Seaborne supply chains & modern trade

Otto Schacht has over 40 years of international transportation and logistics experience. He
was appointed Executive Vice President of Global Sea Logistics at Kuehne + Nagel
International AG in September 2011 and has served as Member of its Management Board
since 2011. Mr. Schacht has global responsibility for the company’s Sea Logistics business
unit which provides innovative solutions to customers in 100 countries.
As a „climate advocate“, he is also personally strongly committed to sustainable businesses
and a driver of Kuehne+Nagel’s Net Zero Carbon initiatives, supporting the corporate culture
of sustainable behaviour within Kuehne+Nagel and at the same time the concept of
sustainability reflected in transport solutions, e.g. by using new digital platforms to emit
significantly less CO2.
Previous to his current role, Mr. Schacht was Senior Vice President of Global Sea Logistics at
Kuehne+Nagel Group from 1999 to 2011. He has a well-balanced perspective of the shipping
industry, having worked for Hapag-Lloyd cargo container shipping line in various positions
from 1978 to 1997, including three years as United States Posting and Trade Manager Far
East- Europe

Dr. Steffen Knodt is the Head of the Fraunhofer Centre for Sustainable Subsea Solutions at the Ocean Technology Campus in Rostock. With its background and PhD in engineering from RWTH Aachen, Steffen worked over his career in various senior management roles in applied research and industry at Hilti, Aker Solutions / MHWirth, Maersk and Wärtsilä. In his recent role as Director Digital Ventures at Wärtsilä, Steffen is focussed impact entrepreneurship as a venture client, since that time supporting the SEADEVCON as a co-organiser and moderator. Steffen as well serves in various boards and as a mentor for startups. Currently, he serves in the German Committee for the UN Ocean Decade of Science for Sustainable Development – as well he serves a member of the board in the German Association for Marine Technology GMT.