Speaker — Neptune Forum 2026
Haakon Vatle
Expedition leader for the One Ocean Expedition and CEO for the tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl
CEO, Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation; Expedition Leader, One Ocean Expedition
One Ocean Expediton/foundation Statsraad Lehmkuhl
Haakon S. Vatle is CEO of the foundation operating the Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl and serves as Expedition Leader for the One Ocean Expedition. He began his career on board Statsraad Lehmkuhl as a deck apprentice in 1996 and sailed every season until 2005. During this period, he completed university studies in psychology and organizational psychology, as well as a teacher’s degree and a master’s degree in music, focusing on maritime songs and shanties. From 2005 to 2016, Vatle worked as organizer and project manager for major maritime and cultural events in Norway, including The Tall Ships Races in Bergen (2008, 2014) and Stavanger (2011), The International Hanseatic Days in Bergen (2016), and several large-scale coastal festivals like Stordfest (2007, 2010, 2013). Vatle started and operated the company organizing Stordfest. In 2016, he returned to Statsraad Lehmkuhl as CEO and initiated the planning of the One Ocean Expedition 2021–2023, a 20‑month circumnavigation of the globe and a recognized part of the UN Ocean Decade. The expedition became a global success, reshaping the mission and direction of the ship and leading to the establishment of One Ocean Week in Bergen in 2023. This work continued with the One Ocean Expedition 2025–2026, where ship and expedition continues to serve as a sail training and research vessel, and a floating ambassador for the UN Ocean Decade. In addition to his maritime work, Vatle is a professional musician and lead singer of Storm Weather Shanty Choir (est. 2000), which tours internationally. In short, Haakon S. Vatle lives by the ocean, was raised by the ocean, and now lives for the ocean.
