Zacharias Siokouros graduated from the National Technical University of Athens as a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer. He is the CEO of the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute. Mr. Siokouros has more than 30 years of experience in the shipping industry. He has worked as an onboard engineering officer and then Technical Superintendent at a tanker operator, a Safety Manager/DPA and a Technical Director for a major Cruise Line and as a Maritime Safety and Security Lead Auditor, a Maritime Labour Inspector and a Trainer in major ship classification societies. He also served for a year as a Deputy Secretary General of the Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association (CYMEPA). Furthermore, Mr. Siokouros has been the President of the Cyprus Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Association (CyNAMEA) for over 15 years. He was among the founding members of the Maritime Institute of Eastern Mediterranean (MarInEM), a not-for-profit organisation aiming to promote Research, Innovation, Training and Education for the maritime industry as well as cooperation and dialogue in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Mr. Siokouros was the initiator of the innovative EU-funded Lynceus project and the Mentor and “Sea of Experience” projects. In 2014 the “Lynceus” project received the prestigious Global Innovation Award of Lloyds, while the “Mentor” led to the establishment of the “Blue Career Center of Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea”. Moreover, he is a member of the Board of Governors of the Cyprus Maritime Academy of the University of Nicosia and served as a member of the Expert Group on Skills and Career Development in the Blue Economy of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and the Advisory Council of the Oceanography Centre of the University of Cyprus. He is also a Founding Member and member of the Executive Committee of the Cyprus Foundation of the Sea (CyFoS), an institution established by the Shipping industry and supported by the Government of Cyprus, as the Marine and Maritime Cluster organisation for Cyprus, and a member of various committees of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber.