Sekimizu new IMO secretary general
Koji Sekimizu of Japan was elected secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization last week. His four-year term will begin Jan. 1, 2012.
Sekimizu, 58, is director of IMO's Maritime Safety Division. He studied marine engineering and naval architecture and joined the Ministry of Transport of Japan in 1977, working initially as a ship inspector and moving on to senior positions in both maritime safety and environment related positions within the ministry. He began attending IMO meetings as part of the Japanese delegation in 1980 and joined the IMO Secretariat in 1989, holding various positions before moving to his current position in 2004.
He will replace IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, who will have served as head of the U.N. agency for eight years.
Sekimizu new IMO secretary general
