ICMA Centre’s Dr. Ioannis Oikonomou was amongst a small group of distinguished speakers who presented at the Northern European Shipping CSR Symposium held in Helsingor, Denmark.

The objective of this symposium was to present Corporate Social Responsibility as a business case in the maritime industry. Shipping companies are pioneering reporting systems and using innovative thinking to push the CSR concept further and far enough to both sustain the environment and save costs. The conference gave voice to these advancements and involved presentations and panel discussions from both an applied and a theoretical perspective, providing insights relevant for decision makers in the shipping industry. It included presentations and speeches by eminent personalities from different fields including Secretary General of International Maritime Organization Mr. Koji Sekimizu, President of The Carbon War Room and former President of Costa Rica, Mr. Jose Figueres, author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Mr. Edward Humes and key figures from energy giant Shell and leading container shipping conglomerate Maersk.

Dr. Oikonomou’s presentation focused on the empirical evidence concerning the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on firm financial performance, the role of the Socially Responsible Investing industry and the special case of CSR applications in shipping. “It was a brilliant event with leading personalities from many different backgrounds contributing their own views and expertise on Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable business practices. The shipping industry exemplifies how crucially important employee health and safety issues, energy and fuel efficiency, nature conservation and inclusive trade can be for a firm’s economic well-being” Dr Oikonomou commented.