Career Biography

Georgia Demetriou has dedicated 16 years to shipping and maritime law, combining academic specialisation with a career entirely focused on the maritime sector. A graduate of the University of Sheffield and Swansea University in Wales, she began her career with Montanios & Montanios LLC, one of Cyprus’s leading maritime law firms, advising on a wide range of shipping matters including admiralty court cases, charterparty disputes, and shipping finance. She later joined the legal office of the Cyprus Union of Shipowners, providing strategic legal advice to shipowners at both national and international levels.

These early experiences shaped Demetriou’s legal expertise and laid the foundation for her approach to complex shipping matters. The past decade at OSM Thome has further defined her professional identity, positioning her at the heart of one of the world’s fastest-growing ship management companies and giving her a central role in driving the legal, operational, and corporate strategy of the business.

Demetriou has been instrumental in OSM Thome’s most significant corporate developments, including the internal demerger that streamlined the crew management operations, the strategic investment by Oaktree Capital, the landmark merger between OSM and Thome, and, most recently, the investment by JP Morgan. These projects required meticulous due diligence, multi-jurisdictional coordination, and robust contractual frameworks. Her role has been pivotal in aligning legal considerations with commercial goals to enable these transformative deals.

The past year has been particularly dedicated to delivering the JP Morgan transaction, a process involving intense collaboration with OSM Thome’s highly skilled in-house legal team and leading external advisers. The transaction demanded navigation through complex legal, financial, and regulatory landscapes across multiple jurisdictions. As part of a highly qualified legal team, Demetriou played a central role in the due diligence and contractual structuring, ensuring that both compliance and commercial objectives were fully met. This experience deepened her expertise in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, strengthened her understanding of investor relations, and reinforced her role as a trusted legal adviser within the organisation.

At OSM Thome, Demetriou’s role extends beyond corporate transactions into the core of operational management. She leads the crew management and marine services functions, embedding legal strategy into day-to-day operations across the business. In crew management, she ensures compliance with international labour regulations, oversees crew recruitment, training, and welfare, and aligns the employment of seafarers with operational and commercial objectives. Her oversight of marine services covers procurement, marine insurance, green energy and environmental compliance, travel, and newbuild projects, ensuring that operational and regulatory requirements are fully integrated. By working closely with operational teams, she fosters a proactive approach to risk and compliance, enabling OSM Thome to maintain high standards, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving global shipping market.

In parallel with her corporate and operational work, Demetriou lectures at the University of Frederick’s Faculty of Business, Department of Maritime Studies, teaching modules in Shipping Law, Marine Insurance, Admiralty Law, and Public International Maritime Law. She also serves on the board of WISTA Cyprus as General Secretary, promoting equality and inclusion in the maritime industry.

Demetriou’s career reflects a consistent dedication to excellence, integrity, and strategic impact. Through her work at OSM Thome and her broader industry contributions, she continues to play a pivotal role in advancing both the organisation’s growth and the global shipping sector’s future.