ABS Chairman and CEO Named International Personality of the Year at the Greek Shipping Awards

ABS Chairman and Chief Executive Christopher J. Wiernicki was named International Personality of the Year at the Lloyds List Greek Shipping Awards, the second time he has received the honor.

The accolade followed ABS being named Number One Classification Society by Gross Tonnage in the annual Lloyds List ranking of the Top 10 Class Organizations.

“Over the years, I have felt a profound bond with Greece and its maritime community," said Wiernicki, who this week was also placed 72 in the Lloyds List ranking of the Top 100 People in Shipping. "I believed in its potential and invested significant resources to establish the Greek office as one of ABS’ flagship global locations. That decision was one of the most rewarding of my career.”

Wiernicki highlighted the industry’s challenges and outlined a formula for success in shipping through combining technology, innovation, change and people divided by risk.

“Looking ahead, we need to ensure that safety remains the mantra of this industry and that future regulations should be aligned with commercial gravity. Governments and industry need to find a new balance that results in realistic and achievable technology readiness timelines," he added. "The biggest challenge facing the industry will be workforce development, not technology readiness or digitalization and not decarbonization. AI should be viewed not just as a way to reduce costs but instead as an enabler to empower our people.”

Wiernicki retires from ABS on December 31 as the longest serving leader with a 15-year tenure but will remain active in the shipping industry.