Former NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers to tackle growing threat of cyber security at Nor-Shipping Ocean Leadership Conference

Admiral Michael Rogers, the former director of the National Security Agency (NSA), will be taking centre stage at Nor-Shipping’s Ocean Leadership Conference on 4 June to address cyber security and the evolving threat landscape for commercial businesses.

Rogers, also formerly the chief of the US Central Security Service and Commander of US Cyber Command, is arguably the world’s leading authority on security, strategy and risk in the data age.

Rogers served under both Presidents Obama and Trump, leading the NSA between 2014 and 2018 – a tenure encompassing the ‘Snowden leaks’ and the alleged interference of Russia in the 2016 presidential election. He was responsible for the largest intelligence organisation in America, controlling a multi-billion dollar budget and a staff of tens of thousands of military and civilian personnel.

Critical insights

His arrival at Nor-Shipping is, according to Director Per Martin Tanggaard, a coup for both the event and the industry as a whole. It comes at a time of growing threats to maritime, with 2018 peppered with high profile cyber attacks on the likes of COSCO (at its Long Beach centre in the US), The Port of Barcelona, The Port of San Diego, and Australian defence ship specialist Austal (with attackers demanding a ‘ransom’ payment for the return of stolen data in October).

“There is no one that knows more about cyber security threats and how to approach, prepare for and mitigate them,” he notes. “Admiral Rogers has operated at the very highest political, military and civilian levels gaining insights into the latest global developments and how to optimise the defence of systems, networks, data and entire organisations.

“He is a genuine leader within a field that is becoming ever more critical for all businesses operating within the maritime and ocean environments. Increasing digital reliance can unlock huge efficiencies and operational benefits, but it also opens up a new risk reality. Admiral Rogers will help our delegates understand and navigate it. It is exceptional to have him on board.”

Convergence of competence

Rogers is the latest name to sign up to an event that has been rejuvenated for 2019, changing from its traditional opening conference format to a global gathering focused on analysing, defining and enabling ocean industry leadership. He joins already confirmed speakers of the calibre of Nobel Laureate (Economics) prize winner Paul M. Romer, IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim, and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, amongst others.

“The new format really allows delegates to access a range of world leaders, across a broad horizon of domains,” Tanggaard comments. “It’s an event where disciplines, technologies and expertise can converge on a single stage, delivering ‘big picture’ insights that help our audience tackle future challenge and opportunity.”

Bold ambitions

“It is, without doubt, ambitious in scale and objective, but then so is this industry. We need the best to achieve the best, and that’s what we’re trying to deliver at Nor-Shipping 2019, Your Arena for Ocean Solutions. The Ocean Leadership Conference embodies that drive and we can’t wait to welcome both our speakers and audience this June.”
The Ocean Leadership Conference will be held in the Thon Hotel Arena Lillestrøm, sitting adjacent to Nor-Shipping’s main 21,000m2 exhibition space.

Nor-Shipping 2019 takes place from 04 to 07 June 2019 across a series of venues in Oslo and Lillestrøm, Norway. In total over 30,000 key decision makers are expected to attend the international event week, with around 1000 exhibiting companies showcasing the very latest products, services and innovations.