Emily Dérogée-van Roosmalen graduated in 1974 from the Faculty of Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam and built a career in Dutch maritime and transport law, working as a notary and as an attorney at NautaDutilh and AKD. She served as Director of the Dutch Legal Network for Shipping and Transport (DLNST) from 2008 to 2014 and is a board member of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Zee- en Vervoersrecht.
She was awarded the Johan van der Veekenpenning, a civic honour of the City of Rotterdam, for her contribution to promoting Dutch maritime law and arbitration.
She spoke as a panellist at four editions of Mare Forum Ship Finance between 2011 and 2014 (the 11th-14th).