Gerardo Borromeo has been elected as President of InterManager for a second term and will serve as head of the global third party and in-house ship managers association until 2016.
The vote at InterManager's Annual General Meeting in Singapore was unanimous and it gives Borromeo the mandate he needs to see through important initiatives currently underway such as promoting an industry-wide mechanism for benchmarking shipmanagement operations; striving to drive more efficiency onboard and on shore while also keeping a keen eye on sustainability.
The AGM also elected five Vice Presidents. They are Ian MacLean from Hill Dickinson, responsible for legal issues; Rob Grool from Seaspan, looking after the Americas; George Hoyt in charge of Special Projects; Bjorn Jebsen from Abojeb who will look after European affairs and Capt Ajay Tripathi from MMS who will act as Treasurer.
Addressing the AGM, Borromeo said the challenge of change and of meeting the upcoming demand for shipping services "will be best summed up from the perspective of looking at our people, our global maritime professionals. Undoubtedly it is the human side of shipping that ensures, and will continue to ensure, that shipping services will be delivered as needed, when needed."
He added, "The youth of today is growing up in a highly digitised world, a world characterised by instant gratification and a wired society where the flow of information is instantaneous. Thinking ahead, in the context of life on shore, what kind of environment onboard will be necessary to attract and retain the kind of talent that will be needed to serve in a dynamic evolving global landscape?
"We at InterManager are challenged as an association to promote the continued development of a common platform, in order to project an image of an industry that moves the world. This platform, which I call the ’Human Side of Shipping’, must support efforts to tackle the ever pressing risks of greater administrative burdens being placed on our officers; ensure the right competencies are being developed; and find better ways to manage the overall wellness index of our crew members," he said.