Capt. Panagiotis Tsakos

Captain Panagiotis Tsakos trained at the Merchant Marine Academy of Cardamyla, Chios, and went to sea, rising to ship's captain before founding what became the Tsakos Group of Companies in the early 1970s. The group grew to encompass tanker, container and bulk carrier operations, and he went on to establish Tsakos Energy Navigation, listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

His honours include the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan (2009), the Commander's Cross of the Order of the Phoenix from the President of Greece (2014), and the Seatrade Lifetime Achievement Award (2015).

He spoke at Mare Forum's 1st Blue Shipping Summit in 2011 and the 3rd Iron Ore & Coal World Shipping Summit in 2011.