Our Team

Constantin Varouxakis

Founder & Director (NAVAR)

NAVAR director with 20 years’ experience across a variety of shipping assets. Founded NAVAR in 2006 using strategic approach with a high degree of initiative, rooted in the world’s largest maritime hub of Greece enabled to forge connections with industry giants & gain unparalleled insights. Managed to grow NAVAR with value growth & profitability maximization via adaptability to perform in various environments utilizing available resources, bringing unparalleled expertise in developing new clients & markets, negotiation mastery, exceptional people skills & delivering financial results in challenging markets. MSc Banking & Finance (Sorbonne–Paris 1), MSc & BSc Investment Management (Bayes/Cass, London). Tri-lingual (EN/FR/GR).

Focus areas: commercial strategy, market development and partnerships, defense-integration programs for merchant fleets, stakeholder management

Prof. Dimitrios V. Lyridis

Academic Lead, Technical Advisor (NTUA) & Board Member

Professor of Maritime Transport at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Director of the Laboratory for Maritime Transport (LMT). Degrees from NTUA and the University of Michigan (NA&ME; IOE). Research: maritime economics, shipping finance, supply chain, energy & environment. For NAVAR, Prof. Lyridis will coordinate an NTUA research team to support technical adaptation, validation, and integration paths drawing on prior Hellenic Navy–related projects. (martrans.org)

Focus areas: Maritime economics, Ops research, Tech evaluation, Integration methodology

Admiral (ret.) Dimitrios Elefsiniotis

Senior Advisor, Naval Security & Policy

Former Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff 2010–2011 and later Deputy Minister of National Defence (2012–2013). Brings command-level insight on naval operations, inter-agency coordination, and lawful use frameworks relevant to merchant-fleet protection in high-threat lanes. Education includes advanced defense studies (e.g., Naval Postgraduate School). (hellenicnavy.gr)

Focus areas: Threat doctrine, Rules/authorities, Liaison with competent authorities, Crew safety

Marika Petrakis

Partnerships & Institutional Development

Greek-born, US-raised; educated across Stanford (BA, International Relations; minors in Modern Greek & French) and King’s College London (MA, Middle East & Mediterranean Studies). Leads partner outreach and program design between Greek, European, and US markets. Core strengths: fundraising (institutions/corporates), audience research, persuasive copy, stakeholder management, and strategy execution. Cross-cultural operator focused on momentum, ownership, and measurable outcomes.

Focus areas: OEM/Integrator relations, Grants & corporate partnerships, Communications

Aubert Issachar

CFO & Board Member

London-born, Athens-raised; educated across Brown University (BA), LSE (MSc) & INSEAD (MBA). Started in investment banking & private wealth management in London after early years in NYC; then moved to Sao Paulo to help build several startups in the early Brazilian tech scene. Combines capital-markets & corporate-finance rigor with hands-on entrepreneurship & cross-cultural execution (EN/FR/GR). Focused on building resilient finance functions & investor-ready reporting from day one

Focus areas: Corporate finance & FP&A, Fundraising & IR, Controls, risk & governance, Treasury & banking, Cross-border growth

Loukia Sivena

Capital & Risk Structuring (London)

Imperial College (MEng Chemical Engineering; MSc Finance). 10+ years across BNP Paribas, J.P. Morgan & Mizuho covering FTSE100/250 and large-cap corporates. Executed bilateral/club/syndicated loans (RCFs, term/bridge), DCM workstreams, and complex workouts including debt-for-equity swaps and accelerated asset disposals. Applies rigorous credit analysis, due diligence, and risk management to capital-structure advisory and ESG-linked financing across cross-border, multi-stakeholder environments. Trilingual (EN/FR/GR).