General Assembly, Elections, and new Board of Directors
The regular General Assembly and the elections for the nomination of the new Board of Directors of the Association of Banking & Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping were held successfully. The Association has more than 200 members being executives of the Greek shipping industry from the banking and shipping finance sector. The Association was founded in 2003 by Bank executives of Hellenic Shipping, while it was further strengthened by executives of shipping companies and international financial organizations that support Greek shipping.
The General Assembly was held at the Association’s offices in Akti Miaouli, and it was an excellent opportunity for its members to exchange views on the current conditions of the shipping market and especially the developments in the critical sector of Greek shipping finance.
Following the proposal of the outgoing Board of Directors, the General Assembly unanimously approved the nomination of the outgoing President Mr. Nikolaos Vouyoukas as Honorary President of the Association, for his long-lasting services.
Following the General Assembly and the elections, the new members of the Board of Directors were elected.
The new Board of Directors consists of the following persons:
George Xiradakis, (XRTC Business Consultants) – President
Vasilis Mantzavinos, (Costamare Shipping Company S.A.) – First Vice President
George Laios (Intermodal Shipbrokers) – Second Vice President
Konstantinos Economou (Piraeus Bank) – Secretary
Katerina Fitsiou (XRTC Business Consultants) – Treasurer
Konstantinos Ioannou (National Bank of Greece) – Vice Secretary
Crystallia Markaki (Financial Consultant) – Member
The Alternate members elected are Elias Deftereos (Neptune Maritime Leasing) and Marina Tzoutzouraki (Eshipfinance Maritime Platform).
During the Board of Directors meeting, the new trends of the world economy and the geopolitical effects on shipping were discussed. Mr. G.Xiradakis emphasized that “despite the fact that the challenges for the shipping industry are big, the social recognition of its contribution to global society has increased since it serves the largest percentage of goods transport. Undoubtedly, Greek shipping contributes to a large extent in this direction, owning 20-25% of the world fleet depending on the type of ship. The risk assessment ability of the Greek shipowners, is supported and enhanced mainly by bank finance that provide a stable and high flow of capital, also complemented by other sources of capital funding. The reduction in the number of foreign banks that finance the sector, during the last 15 years, contributes to the consolidation of the shipping companies and the unemployment of banking executives. New forms of financing that have appeared in the sector, such as leasing companies, private and public funds, as well as the stock exchanges, including the ASE, are trying to cover the gap. It is a great pleasure that representatives of all these companies or institutions are members of our Association, creating the necessary dynamics to further support the sector. For this purpose, many meetings will be held in the next period with institutions and organizations of the Greek maritime cluster”. The new Secretary, Mr. K. Economou, in turn welcomed the new Board of Directors, and referred to the necessity of attracting new members and renewing the Association. “Members’ engagement in the current era is imperative, while the visibility of the shipping financier can be a springboard for young people aiming to join shipping industry. The goal of the new Board of Directors of the Association is the development and the promotion of its purposes, as well as its recognisability” emphasized Mr. Economou, adding that ” representatives of various institutions involved in shipping finance constitute the new Board of Directors of our Association, creating an excellent body able to interact with other sectors of the Greek economy. The internationalization of the Greek shipping executives remains one of the main efforts of the Associations’ new Board of Directors” emphasized Mr. Economou.
