Women Offshore Conference 2021, Meet the Keynotes!

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, CEO, Celebrity Cruises

Hear Lisa Lutoff-Perlo speak at the upcoming Women Offshore Conference on November 5th! She will kick off the conference with an inspirational speech about leading Celebrity Cruises with resiliency!  

Taking the helm as President and CEO at Celebrity Cruises in 2014, Lisa Lutoff‐ Perlo is a recognized trailblazer in the global hospitality industry. She is the driving force behind transforming and re‐defining today’s new luxury cruise experience, with a bold, innovative approach to ship design and service. The line’s newest ships, Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex, have been hailed as game‐changing and recognized on TIME Magazine’s annual “One of the World’s Great Places” list.

A purpose‐driven leader, Lutoff‐Perlo has catalyzed cultural progress in the 200‐year‐old cruise industry by appointing the first American female Captain, the first West‐African woman to work on the bridge of a cruise ship and, ultimately, increasing Celebrity’s percentage of women on the bridge to 27%, where the industry average is 2%. She has also established industry‐leading partnerships with the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), the Ghana Maritime Academy and many others.

Irene Waage Basili, CEO, Shearwater GeoServices

Irene Waage Basili will speak on November 12th at the Women Offshore Conference. Be inspired by how she leads Shearwater Geoservices!

Before being part of establishing Shearwater GeoServices in 2016, Irene Waage Basili held the position as CEO in GC Rieber Shipping for six years. Prior to this Irene was VP of Marine Strategy with PGS, following PGS’ acquisition of Arrow Seismic in 2007 where Irene served as CEO. Irene has more than 25 years of experience from the maritime industry both within offshore service and conventional shipping.

Irene gained her degree in Business Administration from Boston University School of Management, and has several leadership courses from Solstrandprogrammet (Norway) and IMD (Switzerland).

She serves as Director of the Board for Pacific Basin Ltd. (Hong Kong Stock Exchange)

Laila Linaras, Program Manager at U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD)

Laila Linaras will close the 2021 Women Offshore Conference with a personal speech on resilience. Learn from her experiences and how she tackles challenges!

Laila attended the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, NY, where she graduated with a B.S. in Marine Engineering Systems (major) and Environmental Engineering (minor). She also earned a U.S. Coast Guard Third Assistant Engineers License and an officer commission into the U.S. Navy Reserve, where she still serves as a Lieutenant Commander (O-4). Following graduation from USMMA, she elected to sail across the globe aboard merchant marine ships with the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, the ocean transportation provider for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). As an Engineering Officer, she operated and maintained marine propulsion plants and associated systems, as well as supervised engineering department and technical support personnel work tasking(s).

Since transitioning from sea to shore-side in support of the DOD and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), she has been able to leverage her management, technical and military expertise to advise on matters related to the U.S. maritime industry, Program/Project Management, Strategic Planning, Lean Six Sigma, Acquisition, Contract Administration & Oversight, Vessel Design, Construction & Repair, and Product Lifecycle Management. She has gone on to earn a M.S. in Engineering Management from The George Washington University as well as numerous professional certifications, including Program Manager.

Today, she works for the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) as a Senior Program Manager and leads history in the making. As the first-ever purpose-built ships for training future merchant mariners, the National Security Multi-mission Vessel (NSMV) Program will help to sustain world-class, U.S. maritime training operations at the State Maritime Academies. In addition to being an educational platform, these vessels will be available to support federal government efforts in response to national and international disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. In a volunteer capacity, she continues to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers amongst young adults enrolled at Washington, D.C. high schools and colleges. She remains an active mentor for recent USMMA alumni and is a devoted Executive Committee member of Congresswoman Eleanor H. Norton’s (D-D.C.) Service Academy Selection Board.