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Your grandfather was a frequent contributor to Naftika Chronika. How has his intellectual legacy influenced your own approach to shipping and leadership at Hellespont?Although I never met my grandfather, his presence has always been part of the environment I grew up in. People who worked with him described a man who deeply respected seafarers, valued perseverance, and saw shipping as a cultural continuum rather than a transactional business. Those stories shaped my understanding of what leadership in this industry should look like.At the same time, his business model was very different from what Hellespont is today. He operated in an era in which one man made the decisions, and the organisation followed. We have evolved into something fundamentally more collaborative. Today, every colleague %u2014 ashore and on board %u2014 is expected to have a voice. We believe that safe, reliable, and efficient operations come from empowered people who feel safe, valued, and trusted to speak up. In that sense, the legacy I inherited is not a blueprint but a reminder: respect for people is timeless, even as the structures around them evolve.Do you see continuity between the values of traditional Greek shipowning families and the demands of today%u2019s highly institutionalised shipping environment?There is a strong continuity, even if the context has changed. Traditional Greek shipping was built on resilience, calculated opportunism, and a flat organisational structure in which people had direct access to decision-makers. Those qualities remain essential today, especially in a world where agility and clarity matter more than ever.What has changed is the profile of the people entering the industry. Over the last couple of generations, younger family members have come in with strong academic backgrounds %u2014 often with degrees tailored specifically to shipping, finance, engineering, or law. The only %u201cunicorn%u201d, as my cousin jokingly put it, is the person who combines a master mariner or chief engineer background with an MBA; a rare combination that is not likely to be seen again and one that reflects the direction in which the industry has moved. My other cousin%u2019s rise to master mariner in our fleet and his taking command of our vessels were inspirational.People are our most important assetPhrixos Papachristidis, Chief Executive Officer of the Hellespont Group, interviewed by Spilios VarelasIn his exclusive interview, Phrixos Papachristidis discusses the evolution of shipping leadership through the lens of heritage, empowerment, and operational excellence. Drawing inspiration from the intellectual legacy of his grandfather, a respected contributor to Naftika Chronika, he explores how traditional Greek shipping values have been transformed into a modern, collaborative corporate culture.As the industry navigates the contemporary challenge of crew shortage, the CEO of the Hellespont Group analyses the company's long-term commitment to crew retention. Finally, he outlines the advantages Athens and Hamburg offer as maritime centres and how the two ecosystems complement each other.Credit: Caroline BleickenMay 2026 63