Former VesselsValue director Adrian Economakis has made a switch to run UK shipping trainer Intelligent Seas Group (ISG).
The new chief executive brings with him extensive experience in leading the development and commercialisation of innovative and market-leading products and services for the maritime and energy industries, ISG said.
He was chief strategy officer, board member and shareholder in Richard Rivlin-founded valuation platform VesselsValue until its takeover by US giant Veson Nautical in 2023.
Economakis is joining ISG’s executive team alongside the two co-founders, directors Martin White and Tim Love, and chief operating officer Steven Matthew.
White founded physical training company Stream Marine Training in 2014. He remains its CEO.
Economakis said: “This is a company at the forefront of using technology, innovation and expertise to provide market-leading virtual training to help our clients improve safety and regulatory compliance.”
He added that ISG has grown quickly over the past 18 months and works with oil majors and ship owners and operators across the US, UK, Canada, Middle East and Asia Pacific.
“I am very much looking forward to building on this to significantly scale up the business across the major maritime and energy markets,” he added.
White said the search for the right person had been long and detailed.
Critical recruit
“His experience in developing and commercialising market-leading products and services for the maritime and energy industries, as well as scaling up from a start-up to a highly successful business is critical to our ambitious plans,” White added.
ISG, formed in 2021, has staff in London, Aberdeen and throughout the UK.
Regulations have traditionally required that most operational training be performed in a physical classroom.
However, following Covid restrictions and increased adoption of remote technologies, increasing amounts of training can be provided virtually through phones, tablets and laptops, or as a blended virtual/physical solution, ISG explained.
Demand is being further driven by changing technologies, new vessel types, cargoes and fuels, as well as decarbonisation.
Economakis told TradeWinds that ISG’s courses cover safety, compliance, crew wellbeing and security.
