Shipping’s Decarbonisation Debate Is Moving Into a More Practical Phase
A senior appointment reflects how experience from transport sustainability and policy is increasingly informing advisory work in shipping.
For much of the past decade, shipping’s decarbonisation discussion has focused on long-term ambition and future pathways. Increasingly, attention is shifting toward how those ambitions translate into decisions, governance, and execution under changing regulatory and market conditions.
It is within this broader industry context that VURDHAAN has announced the appointment of Julien Dufour as Senior Partner and Board Member.
Experience shaped by global transport sustainability
Dufour brings more than 25 years of international experience across environmental auditing, sustainability, and corporate strategy, with work spanning over 70 countries. His background has been closely linked to the aviation and maritime sectors, where emissions, regulation, and operational realities intersect.
He is best known as the founder of Normec Verifavia, an environmental auditing organisation specialising in greenhouse gas emissions verification for aviation and maritime operations. Under his leadership, the organisation expanded into a global platform serving clients in more than 120 countries, including over 1,000 ships worldwide.
During this period, his work involved the development and continuous improvement of verification tools, methodologies, and sustainability assessment frameworks, as well as engagement with a wide range of industry stakeholders.
In 2022, Dufour transitioned from executive management responsibilities while continuing to serve as a board member.
Convening dialogue across transport sectors
Dufour is also co-founder of Aviation Carbon, a global conference series on sustainability in aviation, hosted annually in London since 2012. Over time, the forum has brought together participants from more than 60 countries, including airlines, business jet operators, regulators, policymakers, and carbon market specialists.
While aviation-focused, the discussions have increasingly reflected cross-sector themes relevant to shipping, including policy alignment, market mechanisms, and the evolving sustainability landscape across transport.
Broader leadership beyond industry
More recently, Dufour has dedicated part of his leadership activity to humanitarian action and peacebuilding. He currently serves as President of Frontlines for Peace, an organisation supporting independent field missions and initiatives in conflict-affected regions.
Role at VURDHAAN
According to the announcement, Dufour’s appointment is intended to support VURDHAAN’s work across three areas: implementation-focused sustainability expertise, insight into regulatory and carbon market developments, and international engagement informed by global experience.
The appointment comes as shipping companies continue to navigate increasing complexity around sustainability expectations, regulatory frameworks, and long-term transition planning.
VURDHAAN stated that it looks forward to working with Dufour in his expanded role.
Contact Information
VURDHAAN
Email: connect@vurdhaan.com
Website: vurdhaan.com
LinkedIn: VURDHAAN
