West P&I hires shipping industry vet to drive ESG strategy

Marine insurer West P&I has appointed a shipping industry lawyer and strategist as the club’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) manager.

Gina Panayiotou will be responsible for reviewing the P&I Club’s approach to sustainability, people and governance, and for developing and implementing its ESG strategy.

The maritime lawyer and industry strategist has held senior roles ranging from legal manager at a leading shipowner to global head of shipping and energy for a multijurisdictional law firm and in-house legal counsel of an international cruise line. She focuses mainly on strategy and policy.

After mainly working at shipowners for several years, where she focused on legal strategy and policy, Gina founded Ocean Arena in 2021. The consultancy provides and supports industry stakeholders with practical ESG strategies, covering the whole scope of formulation, implementation, compliance and brand positioning.

Throughout her career, Gina has formulated internal ESG policies and practices in the workplace, and run in-house awareness briefings, covering issues such as diversity, sustainability, safety and transparency. She has also advised companies on ESG compliance for external affairs, adopting practices that align with the organisation’s environmental, social and governance initiatives and their brand positioning in relation to their sustainable development goals.

Commenting on the appointment, Tony Paulson, corporate director at West P&I, said: “We are delighted to welcome Gina, a very experienced and highly respected figure in shipping, to the Club. At West, we are committed to enhancing and improving our ESG practices and the support that we offer to our Members, and Gina is perfectly placed to drive this strategy.”

Panayiotou commented: “ESG is an amazing opportunity to create a better future for our industry. Within maritime, diversity, crew welfare, mental wellbeing and decarbonisation are top of the agenda, and I could not be more excited to embark on this new journey with West P&I, an organisation that has embraced ESG initiatives for many years.

“I’m confident we will go above and beyond in delivering tangible results and leading positive change in this respect for the organisation, our members and the industry as a whole.”

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