George A. Gratsos has been president of the Hellenic Marine Environment Association — Helmepa — since 2016. He was president of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping from 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 to February 2016. He is a past board member of the Union of Greek Shipowners, past chairman of the UGS Maritime Safety and Marine Environment Protection Committee and has served on many other industry boards and organisations. He holds a BSc in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from MIT and a PhD in Shipping Markets from the University of the Aegean.