This year, I had the honor of participating in the THE CONFERENCE 2025 – ESG Shipping Awards, an event that brings together senior leaders committed to shaping a more sustainable maritime sector. The conference highlighted one message: shipping can only achieve real progress when all key stakeholders work together.

I joined the multi-stakeholder panel titled “Shaping Together the Future of Sustainable Shipping”, representing my dual role as President of the Center for Sustainability & Excellence (CSE) and Vice President of the Corporate Responsibility Institute (CRI).

The panel featured high-level voices from across the maritime ecosystem:

• H.E. Matthew Lodge, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic

• Konstantinos Tsigaras, Managing Director, Coral Marine

• Christopher Rex, Head of Sustainability & Research, Danish Ship Finance

• Nektarios Demenopoulos, Public & Investor Relations Chief Deputy Manager, Piraeus Port Authority S.A. / COSCO SHIPPING

• Moderated by Helena Athoussaki, Conference Chair

CSE also served as a Carbon Partner of the conference, reinforcing our ongoing commitment to credible climate action and decarbonization in shipping.

What We Discussed at the ESG Shipping Awards 2025

Our conversation focused on the practical challenges and opportunities shaping the future of maritime sustainability. We explored:

• The growing need for strong ESG reporting, transparency, and verification

• How banks and financial institutions assess sustainability and climate risks

• Why credible, science-based decarbonization plans aligned with IMO goals matter

• The role of ports and infrastructure in supporting the green transition

These insights made one thing clear: the sector needs aligned standards, shared data, and real collaboration to accelerate change.

CSE’s Role in Advancing Maritime Sustainability

At CSE, we support shipping companies in Greece and internationally. Today, we are recognized as one of the leading ESG consulting and training firms for the maritime industry.

Our work includes:

• ESG Reporting (GRI, ESRS, ISSB, SASB, IMO, Poseidon Principles)

• External ESG assurance, verification, and gap analysis

• Decarbonization strategies and Net Zero planning

• Executive ESG training for Boards and senior leaders

• ESG financing readiness and lender expectations

• Materiality and double materiality assessments tailored to shipping

Our goal is simple: help companies move from compliance to strategic ESG leadership.