Zacharias Siokouros graduated from the National Technical University of Athens as a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer. Ηe is the CEO of the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, a center of excellence for marine and maritime research and innovation. Mr. Siokouros has experience of more than 25 years in the shipping industry. He worked as a Superintendent Engineer at a tanker operator, a Safety Manager/DPA and a Technical Director for a major Cruise Line and as a Maritime Safety & Security Lead Auditor, a Maritime Labor Inspector and a Trainer in major ship classification societies. He was a founding member and a member of the Board of Directors of the Maritime Institute of Eastern Mediterranean (MarInEM) and the Cyprus Foundation of the Sea (Cy-FOS), an organization established in July 2018 by the shipping industry and supported by the Government of Cyprus, as a Maritime Cluster organization that aims at promoting RTDI activities, environmental protection, training and education within and for the maritime industry in the Eastern Mediterranean region. He is also a member of the Council of the Oceanography Centre of the University of Cyprus, the Board of Governors of the Cyprus Maritime Academy and a member of various committees of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber. Mr. Siokouros was also the initiator of the innovative EU-funded Lynceus project of the European program FP7, which was completed in 2015 and was recognized internationally by receiving the Lloyds Award for Innovation in 2014. In 2016 he was selected by the European Commission 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