Thomas A. Kazakos replaces Guy Platten as Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).
At an extraordinary board meeting held online, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) unanimously appointed Thomas A. Kazakos as its next Secretary General. Kazakos will replace Guy Platten, who will step down in June 2025. Kazakos has been Director General of the Cyprus Chamber of Shipping since 1995.
Emanuele Grimaldi, Chairman of the organization, said: “The coming decade will be crucial for our industry. Thomas is the ideal candidate to build on the great work Guy has done over the last six-plus years.”
ICS had conducted an international search
The selection process had been conducted by international recruitment consultancy Odgers Berndtson, with members of the board from around the world involved in the interview process.
Thomas Kazakos said: “The IMO’s decarbonisation agenda is clearly central to our industry and I know that the ICS is working closely with the IMO, governments and other stakeholders to develop a system to support the transition.”
Kazakos studied at the University of Leicester in England and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law (LL.B) and a Master’s degree in European and International Commercial Law (LL.M). He started his professional career at the Cyprus Employers and Industries Association before joining the Cyprus Chamber of Shipping.
Internationally, Kazakos has represented Cyprus on the Board of the ICS and the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) and is also a member of the Board of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
