Hellenic – American Chamber of Commerce

2014

Greetings from the President

As the newly-elected president of this prestigious organization, I am very happy to have the opportunity to share with you some of my thoughts as I begin my tenure. First of all, I want to thank you, the members of the Chamber, for your support. Since my election, I have been most fortunate to have received not only good wishes from so many of you but also your advice and guidance. I think of this as an exceptional

courtesy to me, especially when I consider the high level of your achievement in your lives and careers. I see your support as an energizing vote of confidence in me, and I feel especially honored and privileged for the opportunity to lead our organization for the next two years. I will try my best to serve you well. Of course, the success of any presidency is largely dependent upon the degree of cooperation and sharing of responsibilities afforded to the office. I will need your suggestions, your input, your assistance. I will depend upon your creativity and imagination, your daring and your foresight. I urge you to be at my side, ready to voice your ideas and suggestions. We share an interest in and a commitment to the Chamber. Let us work together to achieve our goals and bring our organization to even higher levels. We are members of the same team, and together we can benefit our Chamber as never before. Over the years we have established a number of events that our members have come to look forward to and that have increased the visibility of the Chamber. We will be continuing these efforts. Our annual film festival literally draws thousands of viewers into state-of-the-art venues to see the exciting and often provocative new films coming out of Greece. Our annual gala draws distinguished members of the business community who come from all over the world to honor the Person of the Year. Our honoree in October is the very distinguished Robert D. Somerville, a major figure in the shipping industry, a man who has achieved substantial success in his profession while earning the admiration and respect of colleagues all over the world. Our annual shipping conference, co-sponsored with the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce, attracts media attention and ranks as an important event for members of this major industry. Our Construction, Engineering and Design Committee events bring together major players from these industries and present them to capacity audiences. The same holds for our Insurance Committee as well as our Finance, Insurance and Investment Committee and our Fashion Committee events. Our Cultural and Education Committee is a vital part of our community outreach agenda, presenting a number of free lectures and special programs for all to enjoy. I will continue to depend on the hard-working people who serve on these committees to continue their good work under my presidency, but I also invite all of you to join and contribute (continued on page 2)

Robert D. Somerville Named Person of the Year 2014 Robert D. Somerville has been named HACC’s Person of the Year 2014 and will be honored at the annual dinner dance at the Pierre on Friday, October 17. Throughout his 43-year career with ABS, Robert D. Somerville held increasingly senior positions. He began as a field surveyor and steadily rose through the ranks as a senior surveyor, principal surveyor, Regional Manager for Western Europe, and President and Chief Operating Officer of ABS Europe Ltd. In 1993, he was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of ABS. In 2002, he was elected President and Chief Executive Officer, and in 2004, he was elected Chairman and CEO. In 2011, Somerville was elected Chairman until his retirement in 2013. Prior to joining ABS, he served as a seagoing engineer and gained shipyard experience at Newport News, at the time the largest shipbuilder in the world. Somerville holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering from Maine Maritime Academy. He received an honorary Doctorate of Science from Maine Maritime Academy, an honorary Doctorate of Commercial Science from the Webb Institute and an honorary Doctorate of Science from City University, London – Cass Business School. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and is a Fellow of SNAME. Somerville currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for GasLog Ltd; a member of the Board of Directors for Keppel Offshore and Marine, as well as for Knightsbridge Tankers, Ltd.; Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Maine Maritime Academy; a member of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Foundation Board of Trustees. He also served as Vice Chairman and Chairman of IACS.

Somerville is an active member of many professional associations and has received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to maritime safety. He was inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame at the United Nations in 2006. In 2007, the US Chamber of Shipping of America awarded him the Admiral Halert C. Shepheard Award. In 2009, he received both SNAME’s Vice Admiral “Jerry” Land Medal and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Foundation’s Captain Emery Rice Medal. In 2011, he received the United Seamen’s Service Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award. In 2012, Somerville was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Seatrade. In 2013, he was named International Personality of the Year at the Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards. That same year, he received the U.S. Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award. In 2014, he was recognized with Lloyd’s List North American Lifetime Achievement Award.

Clay Maitland Elected HACC Chairman Clay Maitland has been elected Chairman of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce. A long-time member and benefactor of the HACC, Mr. Maitland has worked in the shipping industry for the past 45 years. He is Managing Partner of International Registries, which administers the Marshall Islands Ship Registry, the third largest registry in the world. Beyond his business interests, Mr. Maitland serves as Director of the Coast Guard Foundation. He was awarded the U.S. Coast Guard’s Distinguished Public Service Award in 2010.

Greetings from the President (continued from page 1) to the effort. Who knows how much more we will be able to accomplish over the next two years. “We” is going to be the operative word during my tenure as president. We are in this together. We, members and friends of the Chamber, must channel our efforts to promote the Chamber, make sure the business community knows about our work, increase our audience base and draw in our young professionals, the wonderfully energetic young men and women who are making their way in the business community and who represent in a very real sense the future of our Chamber. One last point. Much has been said about the fact that I am the first woman to be elected president of the Chamber. Of course, I understand that there is a degree of excitement to be drawn from the new and the novel. However, my gender is really not the issue. What is important is that we have an organization that understands the importance of being all-inclusive and that recognizes that there is a record of achievement that we, men and women of the Chamber, not only must emulate but grow as well. We can do it.

Nancy Papaioannou, President

HACC Honors Robert G. Shaw, Person of the Year 2013 Friends and colleagues of Robert Shaw filled the Grand Ballroom of the Pierre Hotel last October to pay tribute to the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year. Shaw, a former president and chairman of the Chamber, is a pre-eminent leader of the New York Maritime and Hellenic communities. Born and raised in London to a Greek mother and a British father, Shaw is a graduate of St. John’s college, Oxford University. He began his career as a lawyer in London and for over twenty years was an associate and then a partner of Healy and Baillie in New York, a firm specializing in maritime and commercial law. In 2000 he joined Navios Corporation and was named president in 2005. He is currently managing director of Sea Trade Holdings, Inc., a holding corporation with investments in the dry bulk shipping sector.

An elegant evening honoring an elegant gentleman.

September 2013 Construction Committee Scores Success With Residential Development Panel A panel discussion entitled “New York City Residential, Development and Construction 2014: The Flight of Icarus” drew a capacity crowd at the Holy Trinity Cathedral Center last September. Featured speakers were Joseph Moinian, CEO of the Moinian Group; John Catsimatidis, Chairman and CEO of Red Apple Group; Jay Badami, President of Tishman Construction , Philip Wharton, SVP Development of Brookfield Properties and Randy Gerner AIA, Principal of Gerner, Kronick and Valcarel Architects , P.C.. The focus of the panel discussion made up of major industry players and moderated by Louis Katsos, the Committee Chairman, was on current large scale residential /mixed use projects. The panel members combined are currently involved in about 10 million square feet of construction and over 3 billion dollars worth of work. The title “The Flight of Icarus” related to the current massive amount of new ground up construction and the possibility that the industry is “flying too close to the sun” and heading for a “dive.” The program was presented by the Development, Design and Construction Committee of HACC.

October 2013 Festival Screening Benefits Jewish Museum of Greece The New York City Greek Film Festival donated $2,500 to the American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece. The amount represents the proceeds from the festival’s special benefit screening of the documentary KISSES TO THE CHILDREN at the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway last October. “The contribution is deeply appreciated,” said Solomon Asser, President of American Friends. “It helps us achieve our mission to preserve and protect the rich heritage of Jews in Greece and supports our museum.” KISSES TO THE CHILDREN, directed by Vassilis Loules, presents the eloquent testimonies of five Greek Jews who were saved by Greek families during the German Occupation. “I highly value our partnership with the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce in bringing quality films on the topic of Greek Jewry as part of the New York City Greek Film Festival,” Asser said.

Hellenic-/Norwegian-American Chambers Present 20th Annual Joint Shipping Conference On February 4, 2014, the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce and the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce held their Annual Joint Shipping Conference at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The conference was a great success with many major industry players as conference speakers and delegates. There were over 200 people in attendance! This was the 20th Joint Shipping Conference of the Chambers, a testament to the quality of the programs and cooperative hard work over the past two decades. The title of this year’s program was “Today’s Vision – Tomorrow’s Reality.” It was interesting to hear the many thoughts on the changing nature of the shipping industry and the positive views relating that change. There were insightful discussions about growth in emerging markets, technological advances as a result of not only regulation but also good business practices, and financial transparency. There was also a first time panel composed of speakers from intergenerational shipping families. Their candid and personal discussion provided unique insight into the important things the current generation of leaders have accomplished and hopes and aspirations of their children. The highlight of the day was, of course, when keynote speakers George Wells of Cargill Ocean Transport and Peter Georgiopoulos, 2004 Hellenic American Person of the Year Award Recipient, had a lively lunchtime conversation on better capitalized companies leading to more corporate transparency in the marketplace. We look forward to continued success at next year’s conference on February 11, 2015, as well as those to follow over the next twenty years.

October 2013 OXI Day Commemoration Features Speaker, Documentary The 8th Annual Demetrios Contos Memorial program commemorating OXI Day, when Greek forces delivered a resounding NO to the advancing Italian army in the early stages of WWII, featured Louis Katsos, Chairman of the Cultural and Education Committee, speaking on the influence of OXI Day on Hellenic Americans. Katsos showed how the unprecedented bravery of Greek soldiers fighting against a better equipped enemy changed the perception that most Americans had about Greeks, affording a new status to America’s Hellenes. The talk was followed by a screening of Lela Karagianni: Fragrance of a Heroine, a moving short documentary directed by Vassilis Loules, featuring one of the sons of Karagianni sharing his memories of his mother, a leader of the Greek underground who was executed by the Germans shortly before the end of the war. The annual event is held in honor of long-time HACC member Demetrios Contos and is sponsored by his widow Carol and their children, a son George and a daughter Nicole Liakeas.

March 2014 Film Festival Supports Showing of Iliou Documentary Maria Iliou’s new documentary FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AEGEAN had a successful commercial engagement at New York’s Quad Cinema in March. The screenings were presented with the support of the New York City Greek Film Festival. The film documents the “exchange of populations” that followed the destruction of Smyrna, a compulsory expulsion of 1.2 million Greek Orthodox and 400,000 Muslims from Turkey to Greece and Greece to Turkey respectively. Just as they did in their first collaboration SMYRNA:THE DESTRUCTION OF A COSMOPOLITAN CITY, 1900-1922, Iliou and historical consultant Alexander Kitroeff used rare archival material as background to individual testimonies and probing interviews. Originally scheduled for a two-week engagement at the Quad, the film’s run was extended a third week to accommodate public interest in the film.

March 2014 Academics Speak at March 25 program This year’s program commemorating Greek Independence Day – “Up From The Ashes: We Are All Greeks” – featured prominent academics in short presentations appropriate to the day. Dr. Vassillis W. Molos (NYU) spoke on the Orlov Revolt as a prequel to the Greek War of Independence. Dr. Angelo Repousis (Temple University and West Chester University) focused on American relief efforts during the Greek war. Dr. Katherine F. Fleming, Alexander S. Onassis professor of Hellenic Culture and Civilization at NYU spoke on Ali Pascha’s influence on the Greek war, revealing many interesting facts about him. A reception at the Greek Consulate preceded the program. The event was co-sponsored by the Education and Cultural Committee, the Hellenic-American Bankers Association, the Hellenic Lawyers Association and the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

April 2014 Residential Development, Design, and Construction in New York City- 2015: Daedalus’ Labyrinth A panel discussion in April entitled “Residential Development, Design, and Construction in New York City- 2015: Daedalus’ Labyrinth“ focused on Condominium/mixed use projects and featured panelists developing, designing, constructing and financing the current premier condominium projects and tallest residential structures in New York City. The panelists included Roy Chin, Regional Director of TD Bank, N.A.; James Davidson, AIA- Partner of SLCE Architects; David Dods SVP of Construction, Macklowe Properties; and David Rothstein, EVP Construction of Extell Development. The panel discussion was moderated by Louis Katsos and among many other issues dealt with project underwriting criteria, equity requirements, international buyer trends, latest zoning and design issues, constraints relating to the disciplines, systems and new technologies, etc. The event title “Daedalus’ Labyrinth” highlighted the complexities of navigating the complex condo maze, where certain skills and an Ariadne string are necessary for succeeding.

April 2014 Dr. Koutrelakos Discusses Research on Ethnic Identiy The Cultural and Education Committee presented a lecture by psychologist James Koutrelakos, Hunter College/retired, on “Ethnic Identity: Cultural Practices That Sustain Ethnic Identity,” on April 29 at the Cathedral Center. Published studies have found that ethnic identity is more important to Asian, Black and Hispanic groups than it is for Whites. In contrast, Dr. Koutrelakos examined specific white samples of Armenian, Greek and Jewish groups and found that they scored very high on a measure of ethnic identity and did not differ from one another. Dr. Koutrelakos explained that the highest scoring Whites were “more apt to have had the benefit of attending classes in the history and culture of their group, had a higher level of ethnic language competency and more often had attended religious services.” These findings, Dr. Koutrelakos explained, strongly indicate that “the formation of ethnic identity requires learning about your group and participating in the group’s cultural practices.” Dr. Koutrelakos believes that the findings have far reaching significance as they relate to Greek-American education and cultural involvement. Among the co-sponsors of the lecture were

the Chian Federation, Greek American Behavioral Scientists Institute, Greek American Writers Association, The Hellenic Link Inc., Hellenic American Educators Association/UFT, and the Consulate General of Greece in New York.

June 2014 New York Life’s Ted Mathas Honored at Yale Club Event Ted Mathas, CEO of New York Life Insurance Company, was honored at a Yale Club dinner on June 26 sponsored by the Finance, Investments and Insurance Committee. In addition to discussing the challenges of running the largest life insurance company in the United States in today’s political and economic environment, Mathas focused on the importance of strong ethics and personal responsibility in corporate America. “Companies don’t make decisions. People working in companies make decisions,” he said. Mathas, a Greek American, spoke about the importance of family, citing in particular the strong presence of his grandmother in his home while he was growing up. He credited his mother with teaching him the importance of effective communication in expressing his ideas and opinions and recalled his father setting high standards that his son was always expected to meet. Warm and gracious, Mathas proved himself most accessible as he met and spoke with guests during the pre-dinner cocktail hour and answered questions following his presentation.

Papaioannou Named Atlantic Bank President HACC President Nancy (Athanassia) Papaioannou has added another title to her name. She has been appointed president of the Atlantic Bank division of New York Commercial Bank, a subsidiary of New York Community Bancorp, Inc. Papaioannou replaces Spiros J. Voutsinas who served as president from 2006 until his

death last April.

8th Annual New York City Greek Film Festival Opens October 18 The eighth annual New York City Greek Film Festival will run from October 18 through 30, featuring the best of the current films from Greece. The Museum of the Moving Image will host the festival on Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, and on Wednesday, October 22. The festival will play Bowtie’s Manhassett Cinema on Monday and Tuesday, October 20 and 21. This year’s Manhattan Gala will be at the Ziegfeld Theater on Thursday, October 23. The festival then moves to the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway on Friday through Sunday, October 24-26. The last four evenings of screenings, Monday through Thursday, October 27 – 30, the festival will be at Cinema Village. Master filmmaker Pantelis Voulgaris and his wife, scenarist Ioanna Karystiani, will be honored at the Museum of the Moving Image on Wednesday, October 22. The evening will feature the tenth anniversary screening of their legendary film BRIDES (Nyfes). Following the screening, Scott Foundas, chief

film critic of Variety, will interview the couple. The special event is presented in association with the Onassis Foundation (USA) and the Museum of the Moving Image.The following evening, Voulgaris and Karystianni will present the NY premiere of LITTLE ENGLAND (Mikra Agglia) at the Ziegfeld Theater. The film, the

story of shipping families on the island of Andros during the 1930s and 40s, was a major box office hit in Greece, and last month won top honors at the Shanghai International Film Festival, winning the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. The film won six Hellenic Film Academy Awards this year. Among the films this year will be THE ENEMY WITHIN (O Ehthros Mou), a riveting drama about the consequences of vigilante justice, directed by Giorgos Tsemberopoulos; COMMITTED, an English-language romantic comedy from

Cyprus, directed by Stelana Kliris; SEPTEMBER, a fascinating drama of a complex relationship between urban neighbors, directed by Penny Panayiotopoulou; the witty new comedy COMMON DENOMINATOR (Koinos Paronomastis), directed by Sotiris Tsafoulias, presented in its world premiere; and THE WINTER (O Heimonas), directed by Konstnatinos Koutsoliotas, the story of a failed writer who seeks refuge in his abandoned childhood home, only to be haunted by memories of the past; and XENIA, the new film by Panos Koutras that won major acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival last May. The particularly rich slate of documentaries will include: KALAVRYTA: PEOPLE AND SHADOWS, directed by Elias Giannakakis; LOVE IN THE TIME OF CRISIS, directed by Theopi Skarlatos; PALIKARI: LOUIS TIKAS AND THE LUDLOW MASSACRE, directed by Nikos Ventouras; and LOST IN THE BEWILDERNESS, directed by Alexandra Anthony, about a young Greek boy who is kidnapped and taken out of Greece, only to return eleven years later, a stranger to everything Greek. The full list of films, screening schedule and ticket purchase opportunity will be available later this month on line at: www.nycgreekfilmfestival.com

Film Festival Hits the Road Following its run in New York City, the film festival travels to Boston and Atlanta this year, presenting “The Best of the New York City Greek Film Festival” in both cities. The festival will be at the famous Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, MA, on Wednesday and Thursday, November 5 and 6. It will play the Woodruff Arts Center, part of the High Museum complex on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, on Saturday and Sunday, November 8 and 9. “We are very excited about this expansion,” said festival manager Stamatis Ghikas. “Over the years we have gotten many requests to show Greek films in cities other than New York, where audiences have little if any access to Greek cinema. Finally, this year we will take the major first step in getting these wonderful films to more people who want to see them.”

HACC Elects Two New Board Members At last May’s election two young professionals were elected to the Board of Directors. They are shipping industry professional Hara Gisholt and architect Nick Sellas.

The following firms and individuals have joined the HACC. Welcome to all. CORPORATE MEMBERS Studio3 Angela Giannopoulos Voce Di Giorgio Stefano Maroulis Astoria Bank George Galanis INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS Nicholas Chivily Mayo Crowe LLC Thomas G. Economou Electromagnetic Technologies Industries, Inc. Kleon Diamantopoulos Jacq. Pierot Jr. & Sons, Inc. John Lagoudis Realty Executives of New York Paul G. Barnes Crystal & Company Kalli Livanos Kyla Shipping John Delaportas Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Dr. Grigorios Koutsogiannis Lockheed Martin Steve Leunes Law Offices of Steve Leunes, PLLC George Kanakis BTM Group, LLC Fotis Giannakoulis Morgan Stanley Spyridon Vangelatos Alma Bank