The Board of Directors

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The Board of Directors

The Board consists of 19 members elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term.
They, in turn, elect their Chairman and Officers in accordance with the Articles of Association.

The BoD was elected and constituted into a Body on 30 November 2022, is as follows:

Chairperson:

Semiramis S. Paliou

Vice Chairmen:

George K. Karageorgiou

General Secretary:

Irene S. Daifas

Special Secretary:

George D. Kallianis

Treasurer:

Aristidis I. Pittas

Deputy Treasurer:

Kalli N. Livanos

Members:

Athanassios C. Beis
Michalis G. Dalacouras
Andreas D. Giakoumelos
Maria V. Hajioannou
Fragkiskos Kanellakis
Ioanna C. Martinou
Christos I. Ntegiannis
Milena P. Pappas
Eleni I. Polychronopoulou
Theodosis E. Stamatellos
Emmanouil K. Tsikalakis
John A. Xylas
Panagiotis S. Zachariadis

Advisors to the Board:

Legal: Gerassimou & Partners Law Offices
Scientific: Dr Michael Skoullos

Rapporteur to the Board:

Director General: Olga Stavropoulou

Historical Account of the Board

Till the election of the first Board of Directors, in September 1983, HELMEPA functioned in compliance with the Statutes, under an Executive Committee chaired by the late George P. Livanos with the following Members: John Goumas, Gregory Hadjielefteriadis, Dr. Matheos D. Los, Panagiotis N. Tsakos and Michael Zenzefilis, Secretary General of the Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation.

	1983 Election of the 1st Board chaired by George P. Livanos who, being re-elected, continued offering his services to the Association until 1991 when he resigned. During the term of the 1st Board, HELMEPA introduced for the first time in Greece voluntary environmental campaigns in the spirit of the “Greek philotimo” (personal pride), the first “weapon” which George Livanos never ceased projecting. He passed away on 1st June 1997.
	1991 Basil Ph. Papachristidis of Hellespont Shipping is elected as the 2nd Chairman of HELMEPA and with his colleagues in the Board give the Association the technocratic dimension dictated by the international maritime developments. The outcome of their efforts was the production of the “Ship’s Manual” of HELMEPA, a valuable aid for the implementation of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code onboard vessels.
	1994 John Chalas, Secretary General of the Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation, is elected as 3rd Chairman and introduces to the activities of HELMEPA the traditional seamanship, anxieties and dynamism of thousands seafarers he represented. This constitutes the motivation of the largest part of the human factor in the Greek shipping industry.
	1996 Captain Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos of Costamare Shipping is elected as 4th Chairman and besides his support to HELMEPA Junior (www.helmepajunior.gr), he personifies with his presence at the head of the Board the voluntary commitment “from shipowner to seafarer”. It is on this commitment that all activities of HELMEPA towards pollution prevention and enhancement of maritime safety rely.
	2000 Peter G. Livanos of Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises is elected as 5th Chairman and Captain Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos is awarded the title of Honorary Chairman. The new Chairman promotes the spreading of HELMEPA’s philosophy through the founding of AUSMEPA in Australia. During the same period, the ISM Code and the new requirements of the revised Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) siome into effect.
	2002 Nikolas P. Tsakos of Tsakos Energy Navigation is elected as 6th Chairman and supports the founding of the International Marine Environment Protection Association – INTERMEPA. During his term, children-members of HELMEPA Junior and TURMEPA clean together beaches at Chios and Cesme. The 20th Anniversary of HELMEPA is celebrated in June 2002 at the Athens Concert Hall, in the framework of the “Posidonia” Exhibition, with the participation of representatives of the International and Greek maritime communities.
	2006 Nicolas Pappadakis of A.G. Pappadakis and Co. Ltd. is elected as 7th Chairman during a period in which the international maritime community at IMO encourages the environmental awareness through the MEPA philosophy. On 6 June 2006 the statutes of INTERMEPA are signed by its founding members AUSMEPA, CYMEPA, HELMEPA and TURMEPA. The new Association has its headquarters in Greece and is served by Secretariat of HELMEPA. For more information visit www.intermepa.org
	2008 Captain Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos is elected as the 8th Chairman of the Board. A warm supporter of the program “HELMEPA Junior” right since its inception in 1993, does a lot so that the initiatives of the program embrace schoolchildren living in regions far away from Athens and the major cities. Unfortunately he passes away on 25 January 2011.
	2011 On 4 February 2011, the Board unanimously elects its Vice-Chairman, Dr John Coustas, as the 9th Chairman, who introduces the Social Media Networks to HELMEPA so that its messages engulf the youth society all over Greece and proposes the establishment of a Training Committee consisting of representatives from 11 Member managing companies.
	2012 Dr Coustas is reelected as Chairman of the Board and on his proposals an e-Learning training in English for multi-national officers is created, the voluntary refresher training of HELMEPA Members’ officers is upgraded, the number of children participating in the HELMEPA Junior program is increased, whilst the HELMEPA Corporate Member DNV GL donates a Full Mission Bridge Simulator to the association.
	2016 Dr George Gratsos, 11th Chairman, is dealing with the reduction of the membership fee of Euro 1,490, with the aim of registering all Greek-owned ships to HELMEPA, as well as with investigating the relationship between ship and climate change, and the correctness of the decision for sulfur reduction of ship emissions.
	2020 Semiramis Paliou of Diana Shipping Services SA is the first woman to be elected as Chairperson of the Board of Directors.