AIAC AT MONACO OCEAN WEEK 2024
For Immediate Release
The Principality of Monaco, March 18-22, 2024 – L. M. Levie, Chairman of AIAC and the AIAC Foundation, participated as part of the Explorers Club delegation to the 7th Monaco Ocean Week. This premier international gathering, hosted by HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco, was supported by the Prince Albert II Foundation, the Monaco Government, the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, the Monaco Scientific Centre, and the Yacht Club de Monaco. Monaco Ocean Week attracts global leaders in marine conservation, exploration, transportation, and technology. UBS and Barclays participated from the commercial and investment banking industry.
Leonard M. Levie, member of the Board of Trustees of the Explorer's Club, joined with other members, directors and officers of the club from its chapters on five continents. Ocean Week events included receptions, lectures, panel discussions, workshops, demonstrations, and sailing. It culminated with a black tie concert, award ceremony led by Prince Albert II, and a gala in the Ballroom and outside deck of the Yacht Club de Monaco.
Monaco Ocean Week has emerged as the leading global forum for addressing critical issues related to the protection and sustainable management of the oceans. Discussions throughout the week touched on vital topics such as the impact of shipping on marine ecosystems, strategies for coral reef protection, technological advancements in marine CO2 removal, marine noise pollution mitigation, plastic refuse reduction, and the development of renewable energy sources, all within the context of the burgeoning “Blue Economy.”
Prominent attendees for Monaco Ocean Week were:
His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco
Olivier Wenden, CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
Richard Garriott de Cayeux, Astronaut and President of the Explorers Club
Richard Wiese, Polar explorer, archeologist, geologist, and microbiologist, past President of the Explorers Club
Faanya Lydia Rose, Past President of the Explorers Club
Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan, first woman to walk in space and dive to the Mariana Trench
Bertrand Piccard, Swiss explorer, pilot, and environmentalist, first to circumnavigate the world in a balloon and in a solar powered plane
Victor Vescovo, Private equity investor, space and oceanographic explorer
Tommy “Mbogo” Allen, Founder and CEO of Five Oceans Global Solutions, African explorer
Barry Clifford, underwater archeological explorer
Dr. Nina Lanza, Team Lead for Space and Planetary Exploration in Space and Remote Sensing at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Dr. Rachel T. Graham, Marine Conservation Scientist, Founder and Director of MarAlliance
Rupert McCowan, Director, Royal Geographical Society – Hong Kong
Jonathan Hofeller, Vice President, SpaceX
Jan Pachner, General Secretary, One Ocean Foundation
Julia Manning, Senior Environmental Advisor, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
At the Blue Economy Roundtable on the Ocean Shipping Industry, Mr. Levie presented his plan for commercial banks, bond holders, and insurance companies to contractually mandate best environmental practices for shipping industry firms. He noted, “Multinational banks, equity and bond investors, and insurance companies are the pillars of the global shipping sector. If they include environmental compliance provisions in their loan covenants, ESG scoring, and insurance policy requirements, environmental compliance by the shipping industry will swiftly follow. Directors of banks, money managers, and insurance companies have a fiduciary and moral duty to guide their management teams and law firms to adopt such necessary contractual provisions.”
At a session on new technologies in marine transportation, Mr. Levie weighed in on rapid advances in structural materials, batteries, and electrical motor technologies to the ship building industry, triggered by environmental concerns. He commented, “Design constraints such as size, weight, corrosion resistance, range, and efficient energy conversion are stimulating rapid technology transfer from the aviation, space, automobiles and truck sectors, to shipbuilding for commercial and recreational markets. We are now engaged in a full scale revolution in marine design and manufacturing.”
Reflecting on the significance of Monaco Ocean Week, Mr. Levie stated, "It was an honor to join in this week’s events with my fellow Explorers Club Trustee, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, and to witness first hand his inspiring leadership and dedication to exploring and preserving our oceans for future generations.” Mr. Levie added, “The ideas and initiatives presented throughout Ocean Week have highlighted the critical importance and urgency of global public and private collaboration in effectively tackling serious environmental challenges. AIAC's active involvement stems from our company’s mission to promote environmental stewardship and oceanographic research.”
About AIAC
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. AIAC companies manufacture materials, components, assemblies, packaging, equipment, and finished products. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. AIAC also is a distributor of electrical products throughout France.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005, and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades and blisks for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell. AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chysler- Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary.
AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for world-wide oceanographic research.
About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, and exploration. The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
In recent months, AIAC Companies have proudly served as a corporate sponsor of Hubert Sagniere’s historic circumnavigation of the earth in a single engine plane (www.flightaroundtheglobe.com). A Fellow of the Explorers Club, Mr. Sagnieres is also a noted international business leader and philanthropist.
AIAC’s other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, and the Trilateral Commission.
For further information, see:
https://www.aiac.com/our-values
About Monaco Ocean Week
Monaco Ocean Week is an annual event hosted in the Principality of Monaco, dedicated to the global challenge of ocean conservation. Bringing together world leaders, environmentalists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and innovators, the event fosters discussions, presentations, and collaborative efforts aimed at addressing critical marine and environmental issues. With a focus on topics such as marine ecosystem protection, sustainable development, and innovative technologies for ocean preservation, Monaco Ocean Week seeks to highlight and promote synergies between the protection of marine environments and the sustainable development of the Blue Economy. Organized by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in collaboration with various international and local partners, the event underscores the Principality of Monaco's long-standing commitment to the oceans and its role as a center for marine conservation dialogue and action.
For further information please see:
https://yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/ycmevents/monaco-ocean-week/
https://webtv.monacocapitalyachting.com/monaco-capital-of-yachting-rendezvous/a-day-of-exploration/
About the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
Established in 2006, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is a leading charitable organization dedicated to the environmental protection and promotion of sustainable development on a global scale. With a mission rooted deeply in the legacy of Prince Albert I, a pioneer in oceanography, the Foundation continues the Principality's long-standing tradition of environmental stewardship.
Focusing on three main areas—environmental protection, climate change, and biodiversity—the Foundation actively supports projects aimed at renewable energy promotion, water resource management, and desertification control technologies. Its commitment extends to fostering partnerships that drive action in priority areas, raising public awareness about the impacts of human activities on the natural environment, and promoting innovative solutions through awards and grants.
As part of the Foundation’s Platform F20, a global network of philanthropic organizations, the Foundation plays a pivotal role in addressing environmental challenges across its three geographical areas of activity: the Mediterranean Basin, the Polar Regions, and the Least Developed Countries. In these areas, the Foundation works to preserve ecosystems, combat species extinction, address water scarcity, and support sustainable development efforts.
For further information please see:
About the Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an American-based, international, multidisciplinary professional society with the mission of promoting and supporting scientific exploration and field study on land, sea, and space. The club was founded in New York City in 1904 and has served as a meeting point for explorers and scientists worldwide. Members of the club have been the first to explore the North Pole, South Pole, Mount Everest, the Mariana Trench, and to walk on the Moon. The club's notable current members or honorees include Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Richard Branson, James Cameron, Ray Dalio, Wendy Schmidt, and Jane Goodall. In years past, prominent members have included President Theodore Roosevelt, Sir Edmund Hillary, Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Thor Heyerdahl, Walter Cronkite, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Explorers Club’s historic clubhouse, at 46 East 70th Street in New York City, is a museum and monument to the “Famous Firsts,” the greatest explorers and expeditions of all time.
For further information, see:
