In our special column this month, we are glad to host an interview with Mr. Sotiris Raptis, Director – Maritime Safety & Environment at ECSA European Community Shipowners’ Associations, who notes that working from home during the pandemic has helped him find a new way of balancing professional and private life, acknowledging the value of technology. With regards to maritime industry, he would like to become a more self-confident and extroverted sector.
SAFETY4SEA: How did it come about that you joined shipping industry and your field of expertise specifically?
Sotiris Raptis: I took my first steps in the world of shipping as a policy advisor in the European Parliament back in 2010. The following year, I participated in the first expert group of the Commission on the inclusion of the sector in the EU ETS and coordinated the position of the Parliament at staff level on the proposal on the EU MRV Regulation. Some years later during my time at the NGO Transport & Environment, I set up and coordinated the campaign for the inclusion of shipping in the EU ETS. I also worked for the European Sea Ports Organisation where I strived to increase the transparency of the environmental footprint of the sector.
S4S: What about your current job/ role most excites you and why?
S.R.: What excites me the most in my current role is working for the industry at the core of the maritime cluster. Shipping is the backbone of the global economy and has laid the foundations for the last wave of globalisation that has revolutionised the way we trade, the way we communicate, the way we think and ultimately the way we live. On the other hand, the climate crisis is one of the greatest environmental and economic threats our societies have ever faced. Shipping is also at a crossroads – it is going through a massive transformation driven by climate imperatives. The sector will be part of the upcoming ‘Fit for 55’ climate package aiming to transform the European economy and make Europe carbon neutral by 2050. It is rewarding to deal with policy initiatives that address climate change while making them at the same time fit for purpose.
S4S: When you think of the word successful who’s the first person who comes to mind and why?
S.R.: What I aspire to is to become a better version of myself. A person that has managed to turn their work to a genuine passion and their daily tasks to a fulfilling exercise. Somebody who can show humbleness at a peak and resilience at a downturn.
S4S: Who is/was the most influential person/mentor to you & why ?
S.R.: I was raised in a big Greek family with a lot of people always around me. That had a defining influence on character but the figure that taught me most to show empathy and to be open and forward-looking was my uncle. We still have long conversations and are philosophising about life.
S4S: What is the best and what was the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given and why?
S.R.: The best piece of advice was also the worst at the same time. I was encouraged to go beyond my comfort zone and continue my studies and work abroad. Indeed, Brussels provides a really open working environment, full of opportunities to advance your career and get in touch with very talented people. Admittedly though, working in Brussels does have some risks, chief among which is the disconnect with people’s realities.
S4S: In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your business life?
S.R.: Working from home during the pandemic has been an eye-opening exercise about a new way of balancing professional and private life. Technology-enabled flexibility makes us more, not less productive. And it improves the quality of our lives as it drives back control into our own hands.
S4S: What would you like to change in the current maritime landscape and your area of expertise specifically and why?
S.R.: The perception of people that shipping is a “tired” and old industry is changing rapidly. Shipping can be cutting edge and innovative. I would like to contribute to making our sector more self-confident and extroverted. There are tectonic movements in the industry forcing shipping to reinvent itself in several ways.
S4S: What is your personal motto?
S.R.: It’s nice to see ideas born sometimes on a napkin to advance and turn to a good policy. But change doesn’t come by just preaching for change. It takes a lot of time and energy, it goes through lots of frustrating moments and endless back-and-forths. In the end, it might come bit by bit through small victories. But it’s worth it. Not giving up and fighting for change and finding inspiration in people who stand for what they believe. My personal motto is for the journey and the destination.
The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and do not necessarily those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
