Executive Interview: Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General, IMO

There are challenges galore, but that doesn't faze him. The charismatic leader of the IMO sees challenges as temporary obstacles – bumps in the road that need to be fixed or avoided – not as permanent roadblocks. His goal is to find solutions, not assign blame: "I prefer to always look at where we're making progress, where we can do something that brings important changes to the sector, particularly those that would allow us to be safer, more transparent, more secure, more inclusive and more diverse."

Learn more about the IMO chief – what drives him and what his vision is for the IMO and maritime itself – in our exclusive interview.

Welcome, Arsenio, and thanks for joining us! We're honored to have you on our cover. Tell our readers a bit about yourself – your background and education – and what attracted you to the maritime business in the first place.

I'm from Panama and grew up very close to the Panama Canal, and that's one of the things that attracted me to shipping at an early age – just watching the vessels going in and out of the canal. It's also the reason I decided to study naval architecture. I went to the University of Veracruz in Mexico, graduated in 1995 and came back to Panama where I started working at a shipyard in Panama.

This story was originally published by The Maritime Executive. Read the full story at The Maritime Executive →