The American University of Business and Social Sciences (AUBSS) is pleased to announce that, in collaboration with the International Association for Quality Assurance in Pre-Tertiary and Higher Education (QAHE), it has conferred the Doctor of Science in Maritime Safety and Leadership (Honoris Causa) upon Dr CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg.
The honour recognises a professional life spent at the intersection of maritime operations, safety leadership, and education. Dr Manjarres-Wahlberg began his career in the Royal Australian Navy, later serving in the Australian Army Reserve, before moving into safety, emergency management, and merchant maritime work across Australia, New Zealand, and the wider Indo-Pacific. That path gave him first-hand knowledge of high-risk environments at sea and ashore, and of the leadership required to protect crews, vessels, and communities.
His academic preparation includes postgraduate study in safety, environmental management, strategic leadership, and maritime and shipping management, together with a Doctor of Business Administration in maritime safety completed in 2024 at the Swiss School of Business and Management Geneva. He is a Chartered Risk Manager, an Associate Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation, and a professional member of safety and leadership bodies in New Zealand and internationally. He currently serves as HSE Manager and Designated Person Ashore (Australia) for Heron Group New Zealand and as an adjunct lecturer in leadership on the University of Wollongong occupational health and safety master’s programme.
Beyond paid employment, Dr Manjarres-Wahlberg chairs the Sea Heritage Foundation, a registered Australian charity. Under his leadership the Foundation has developed competency-based maritime training, including the “Get into Maritime” programme launched in 2022 and delivered in partnership with TAFE NSW and The King’s Trust Australia. The programme was designed to open practical pathways into the maritime industry for Indigenous Australians and has been reported as achieving completion rates far above the national vocational baseline. The Foundation is extending this work through a Maritime Training Academy model with registered-training and industry partners.
AUBSS confers honorary doctorates on individuals whose work has already shown distinction, influence, and public value. The title Doctor of Science in Maritime Safety and Leadership (Honoris Causa) acknowledges Dr Manjarres-Wahlberg’s contribution to safe maritime practice, to the formation of future seafarers, and to leadership that treats safety as both a technical system and a human responsibility. The award is honorary. It does not constitute a taught research degree and does not confer a statutory licence to practise.
AUBSS congratulates Dr CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg and thanks QAHE for joining in this recognition. Further information on honorary awards is available at www.aubss.edu.pl and www.qahe.org.
