A Cypriot shipping leader has been singled out as one of the most influential figures in global maritime affairs, with Thomas Kazakos ranked 36th in Lloyd’s List’s annual “One Hundred People” edition for 2025.

The listing is a notable moment for Cyprus’s shipping ecosystem: Kazakos is not being recognised for fleet size or a blockbuster commercial deal, but for occupying one of the most consequential policy seats in world shipping. As secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) — widely regarded as the main collective voice of shipowners in front of governments and regulators — he now sits at the centre of negotiations that will shape how global trade moves, how fast the industry decarbonises, and how the people who crew ships are protected. 

Lloyd’s List’s profile on Kazakos points to three priorities that the ICS has elevated for 2026: trade tensions, decarbonisation, and seafarer welfare. 

Those themes are a snapshot of where shipping’s influence is increasingly being exercised — less in the traditional arena of freight markets alone, and more in the politics of sanctions, carbon pricing mechanisms, fuel availability, and the regulatory disputes playing out at the International Maritime Organization.

Kazakos’s presence on the list also underscores Cyprus’s “institutional footprint” in shipping at a time when the sector’s rulebook is being rewritten. The ICS is lobbying on issues ranging from safety and security to alternative fuels and seafarer wellbeing, with Lloyd’s List explicitly naming Kazakos alongside ICS chairman Emanuele Grimaldi among key figures in regulation debates this year. 

From a Cyprus angle, his elevation to the ICS role has long been viewed as a culmination of decades of industry representation from within the island’s shipping cluster. The ICS announced in December 2024 that its board unanimously appointed Kazakos as its next secretary-general, succeeding Guy Platten, with the handover taking place around the organisation’s June 2025 AGM in Athens.  

The broader Lloyd’s List “One Hundred People” list for 2025 reflects how much politics now shapes shipping outcomes. The publication’s top-ranked figure this year is US President Donald Trump, citing the disruptive effect of tariffs and trade-policy decisions on global trade flows. 

In that environment, the ICS role becomes even more central: when trade corridors are reshaped by sanctions, wars, or sudden shifts in tariff regimes, shipping is forced to adapt quickly — and the industry’s top representative bodies are pulled deeper into governmental decision-making.

The next test, as Lloyd’s List frames it, is whether the industry can navigate a decarbonisation pathway that is both ambitious and workable, without splintering into competing regional systems — and without losing focus on the human side of maritime work.