US Outlook 2025: Rough Seas Ahead, Navigating Geopolitical Uncertainty & Regulatory Risk

Manuel Levitt
International Trade Attorney, Holland & Knight

Manny Levitt is a trade attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office and a member of the International Trade Group. Mr. Levitt helps clients in a range of industries navigate complex international trade laws and regulations related to economic sanctions, export controls, customs and foreign investment. The clients he has worked with operate in diverse industries and geographies, including maritime shipping, oil and gas, aviation, logistics medical technology, defense, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial machinery, finance, chemicals, construction, consumer electronics, e-commerce, software, automotive, clothing and apparel, higher education, mining, semiconductors, manufacturing and robotics.

Eric Orsini
Global Head of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Lloyd's List Intelligence

Eric Orsini is a seasoned compliance executive with over a decade of experience in banking, finance, and regulatory affairs, specializing in sanctions compliance and financial crime risk management. He began his career at Société Générale, where he played a pivotal role in strengthening sanctions controls during a period of heightened regulatory scrutiny under a deferred prosecution agreement. His work there laid the foundation for robust compliance frameworks that balanced enhanced due diligence with operational efficiency. Eric later joined Barclays as the Americas Head of Sanctions, where he led the bank’s sanctions risk program across the region. His responsibilities included managing regulatory reporting, overseeing internal and external examinations, developing policies and procedures, and advising on complex investigations. He also championed the use of data analytics to reduce false positives and surface meaningful risk. Throughout his career, Eric has collaborated with major financial institutions, regulators, and global entities to design and implement effective controls addressing sanctions evasion, export controls, trade-based money laundering, and circumvention tactics. His advisory work has focused on high-risk jurisdictions including Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Venezuela. Eric holds a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Farmingdale State College.

Tomer Raanan
Maritime Risk Analyst, Lloyd’s List

Tomer Raanan is a maritime risk analyst at Lloyd’s List, where his reporting explores how geopolitics and regulation shape seaborne commerce, and how deceptive and high-risk practices are used to evade sanctions and facilitate illicit trade.

In 2024, Tomer was named ‘Multimedia Journalist of the Year’ by the Seahorse Freight Association for uncovering a sanctions-skirting LPG shipping network tied to the owner of a London café.

Before joining Lloyd’s List in 2022 as senior reporter, he worked for a decade in private security.

Claire Grunewald
Sanctions Expert

Claire Grunewald is an innovative and proactive sanctions expert with experience providing guidance to the insurance, reinsurance, maritime shipping, and energy industries on complex sanctions compliance issues, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies. Claire most recently served as a Sanctions Compliance Officer with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, where she led key industry engagements and oversaw the publication of novel guidance for the shipping and insurance sectors to aid in designing compliance programs, risk assessments, training, and commercial contractual clauses. She has previous experience with OFAC blocking and reporting requirements, supply chain investigations, and product development.

Alice Rojas
Americas Head of Sanctions, Societe Generale

Alice Rojas is a Managing Director and Head of Sanctions Compliance for the Americas at Societe Generale (New York, NY) where she is responsible for managing a team of sanctions compliance professionals working on sanctions-related investigations, advisory, policy and procedures, training, and screening. In addition, Ms. Rojas served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Michigan and worked for 10 years in the federal government on sanctions and export control related issues at the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Department of State, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Ms. Rojas holds a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan, an MA in International Affairs from George Washington University, and a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Matthew Thomas
Partner, Blank Rome

Matthew J. Thomas is a Partner at Blank Rome LLP with more than 30 years of experience in international trade, transport, and maritime regulation. He advises leading energy and commodities companies, shipowners, governments, and financial institutions on sanctions, export controls, compliance, and complex maritime matters. A former Assistant General Counsel for International Affairs at the Federal Maritime Commission, Matt has played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. maritime policy, representing clients before key federal agencies and multilateral bodies. Recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, and The Legal 500, he brings deep expertise at the intersection of law, regulation, and government affairs.

Andrew Fierman
Head of National Security Intelligence, Chainalysis

Andrew Fierman is currently the Head of National Security Intelligence for Chainalysis. Prior to joining the crypto ecosystem, Andrew spent almost a decade developing proactive sanctions investigations programs for global financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Societe Generale and most recently, as the Head of Americas Sanctions at Barclays.

Evanthia Coffee
Senior Lawyer, Gard 

Evanthia Coffee was born in Norway and educated in the US, where she attended Columbia University in NYC and received her law degree from Catholic University in DC. She worked at a maritime firm in New York for six years before moving to Norway, where she continued a maritime practice with a large Oslo-based firm and taught Legal English at the University of Oslo’s school of law.

Eve joined Gard (North America) Inc. in September 2005 from her most recent post with the Court of Justice of the European Free Trade Association in Luxembourg. She has handled an array of charterparty disputes and cargo claims involving litigation or arbitration, drafted all manner of documents related to the sale and purchase of vessels, and has attended numerous vessel, cargo and draft surveys. She primarily focuses on Defence and Sanctions.

Eve is a founding member of WISTA USA and is a member of the Propeller Club of NY & NJ. She is fluent in Norwegian, English, speaks Swedish, and some French and Greek