Maritime lawyer Gina Panayiotou has joined the West of England to develop its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.

Panayiotou has worked in senior legal roles at shipping and law firms.

In 2021, she set up consultancy Ocean Arena to provide support to industry stakeholders in developing practical ESG policies.

Panayiotou has a background in ESG and is currently secretary of Wista UK and UK chair of the G100 Network on Sustainable Brand Creation.

West of England corporate director Tony Paulson said: “At West, we are committed to enhancing and improving our ESG practices and the support that we offer to our members, and Gina is perfectly placed to drive this strategy.”

The club has been working on formalising its ESG policies over recent years and has pledged its commitment to developing a sustainable maritime industry.

It has adopted the sustainable development goals of gender equality, decent work and economic growth, climate action, life below water, peace, justice and strong institutions.

“ESG is an amazing opportunity to create a better future for our industry. Within maritime, diversity, crew welfare, mental well-being and decarbonisation are top of the agenda,” said Panayiotou.

“I’m confident we will go above and beyond in delivering tangible results and leading positive change in this respect for the organisation, our members and the industry as a whole.”