Questions aimed at panellists like Angela Chao, the deputy chairman of Foremost Group, were followed by, in many cases, what a number of attendees described as “surprisingly candid responses” on the sidelines of Shipping 2015.

Chao, the daughter of the bulker owner’s founders, discussed the importance of personal and professional integrity, a theme that was revisited throughout the session.

During the same conversation Vassilis Kertsikoff, the chief executive of Eletson Gas, shared a valuable lesson that he learned from his father at an early age.

“Be