Thomas Kazakos, the Director General of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber for the past three decades, has been appointed to the prestigious position of Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping.
Kazakos takes the helm of the London-based ICS from April next year, replacing Guy Platten, who is stepping down in June at the international chamber’s annual congress in Athens.
The ICS is the principal international trade association for merchant shipowners and operators, representing all sectors and trades, and over 80% of the world’s merchant fleet.
Chamber Chairman Emanuele Grimaldi praised Kazakos, saying that “he brings a wealth of experience of the ICS community and the entire shipping industry. He is the ideal candidate to build on the great work that Guy has delivered over the past six plus years.”
“The coming decade will be pivotal for our industry, and it was important that we got the right person to lead ICS,” he added.
In an announcement, the CSC said “the selection of Mr. Kazakos amongst other internationally renowned candidates was made following a unanimous decision of the board of the organisation at a special meeting and constitutes a special honour for Cyprus shipping, and Cyprus in general, as this is the first time in the 100-plus years of the world’s foremost shipping association, that a Cypriot is taking the helm.”
The CSC added that Kazakos, “undertakes a big challenge at such a critical period for international shipping and looks forward to working closely with him, in his new capacity and position, to resolve the large number of issues facing the shipping industry.”
Kazakos is widely credited with transforming the Cyprus Shipping Chamber and its predecessor, the Cyprus Shipping Council, from an owners’ club to the leading lobby group and driving force of the Cyprus maritime industry.
In his first comments following the appointment, Thomas Kazakos said that in his role with the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, he had seen first-hand and contributed to the vital work that the ICS undertakes.
Significant change
“The coming years will be ones of significant change for our industry and members, and it is vital that we have a strong and resilient organisation to ably represent their views,” he said.
“The IMO’s decarbonisation agenda is obviously front and centre for our industry and I know the ICS is working closely with the IMO, governments and other stakeholders, to develop a credible system to support the transition. But there is so much more to do and I am excited to be given this opportunity to lead the amazing team at ICS and to work with our members as we address the many challenges that our industry encounters.”
Grimaldi explained that through Guy’s leadership, the ICS has been at the forefront of developments in the shipping industry, be that decarbonisation, energy transition, safety or seafarer welfare.
Guy Platten said that the last six-plus years, “have undoubtably been the most rewarding of my career and it has been a privilege to have been Secretary General. I am so proud in the way that the ICS team has stepped up to the many challenges thrown at us and the way that our industry has changed from one that too often just responded, to an industry that seeks to shape its future.
“I know that Thomas will have a great team around him when he takes over the reins and I wish him and them fair winds and following seas,” Platten concluded.
The recruitment process was undertaken by the international search firm Odgers Berndtson with members of the ICS board from across the world involved in the interview process.
Kazakos has a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LL.B) and a Master‘s in European and International Trade Law (LL.M) from the University of Leicester. He began his professional career at the Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) prior to joining the Cyprus Shipping Chamber. Internationally, Kazakos has represented Cyprus on the boards of the ICS and the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA), in addition to being an Administrative Board member of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
Kazakos is the third Cypriot to reach such a high position in the world shipping community, after Philippos Philis, a past president of ECSA and Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, former president of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA).
