Adrian Economakis has opened up on how tough it was to draw a veil over his VesselsValue career after 13 years.
The new chief executive of maritime trainer Intelligent Seas Group (ISG) was a founder employee of Richard Rivlin’s UK valuation platform in 2011.
The company was bought by US giant Veson Nautical in 2023.
Asked how difficult it was to take the plunge and leave, Economakis told TradeWinds: “Like all good things, hard but ultimately rewarding.
“I believe life is about building things and hopefully improving the world around us, even just a little. I think we did this at VesselsValue, and will continue to be done under the excellent capabilities of new owners Veson.
“Of course, saying goodbye to my colleagues was emotional. Many of us essentially grew into professionals together, built great products, had many late nights, lots of fun, and a good number are close personal friends.
“However, I am proud to see VesselsValue in good hands and continuing to grow and benefit from the outstanding ecosystem Veson has built and the great people there.”
Economakis started as an analyst before progressing through senior product development, commercial and leadership positions as VesselsValue grew from a start-up to the market leader, with more than 200 people across seven international offices.
Before this, he spent three years as a supply chain consultant at Accenture, developing and implementing forecasting solutions for BP’s refined products business throughout Europe.
Shipping unicorn
“Remember that Veson is a great and hugely successful company, one of the few digital maritime unicorns,” Economakis told TradeWinds.
“I can’t think of a better shepherd to guide VesselsValue through its next stage of growth and the different opportunities and challenges that go with it.
“No doubt, the departure at acquisition of myself, ex-CEO and founder Richard Rivlin and ex-chief technological officer Ben Durber has resulted in changes at VesselsValue.
“However, as someone focused on building new things, I believe in change and progress. In the case of VesselsValue’s acquisition, this change is great for the business and its clients due to the significant opportunities and capabilities Veson brings with it.”
Taking time to decide
After leaving VesselsValue and considering his next move, Economakis spent a long time looking at different businesses.
“ISG was a clear winner with fantastic products, great team culture, and ready for scale. It also has the potential to have a major positive impact on the world,” he told TradeWinds.
The task now is to grow this business with significant recruitment of development and commercial staff expected in the next years.
Expanding the team
“We will be looking to scale our product and commercial capabilities, initially in the UK and then the major maritime centres such as Athens, Tokyo, Singapore, China, Middle East and North America.”
ISG has built a thriving and profitable business with no dedicated sales and marketing people, the new CEO said.
Targets include “leveraging AI, ongoing skills assessments, engagement metrics and gamification”.
“To do this, we will need more great product people,” he said.
“My focus on recruitment is always on finding people of exceptional character. Skills and knowledge can be developed, while personality and morality are built in. As we expand our team for the long term, our priority is to seek individuals with exceptional character to grow alongside us.
“It will be a challenge — good people are hard to find. However, I’ve done it before and look forward to doing it again.”
