London: On July 1, Alastair Fischbacher became the director at the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI), a coalition of companies from across the shipping industry focused on driving commercial growth through sustainable practices. Fischbacher had previously been with Rio Tinto for a number of years before retiring in May this year.
Beginning his career at sea as a qualified Master Mariner, Fischbacher’s experience spans from operational to board-level roles. Clearly, the man for the job at SSI, Fischbacher’s other roles have included being chairman of the conservation organization, the World Ocean Council as well as a director of vetting firm, Rightship.
The SSI’s long-term vision is to help create a truly sustainable shipping industry by 2040. “We are entering a new era that requires companies to reevaluate how they operate and shipping is no different. Sustainable practice is going to become integral to commercially successful and enduring business strategies,” Fischbacher tells Maritime CEO.
Shipping is an industry that has traditionally been slow to respond to change, Fischbacher admits. There is, however, more “proactivity” now, he says, as the consequences of not adopting sustainable practices are increasingly seen to have a detrimental effect on industry and business continuity.
“The key to change is to not only to highlight the negative impact of doing nothing, but equally to demonstrate the real commercial opportunities of embracing sustainability,” Fischbacher stresses. [09/07/14]
