Onassis Prizes awarded at Guildhall in London

Prof. Costas Grammenos at the podium

The 2012 Onassis Laureates were formally honoured at an awards banquet in London’s historic Guildhall. Renowned US economists, Professors Stephen Ross and Elhanan Helpman, and emeritus maritime academics, Professors Ernst Frankel, Richard Goss and Arnljot Stromme Svendesn, were awarded the Onassis Prizes at a prestigious ceremony last night. Guest of honour, Chairman of Lloyds Banking Group, Sir Winfried Bischoff, awarded the prizes in front of more than 400 dignitaries including FTSE chairmen, Nobel Laureates, City financiers, industrialists, ship-owners, academics and foreign ambassadors. The Onassis Prizes, each worth $200, 000, are sponsored by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation and awarded every three years by Cass Business School, part of City University London. Judged by a panel of distinguished academics, including two Nobel Laureates, the prizes recognise the contribution of world leading academics to the fields of finance, international trade and shipping.

Onassis Prize for Finance

The 2012 Onassis Prize for Finance was awarded to Professor Stephen Ross from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Professor Ross is best known for having invented ‘arbitrage pricing theory’ and the ‘theory of agency’. He is also celebrated as the co-discoverer of ‘risk neutral pricing’ and of the ‘binomial model’ for pricing derivatives. Onassis Prize for International Trade Professor Elhanan Helpman of Harvard University scooped the 2012 Onassis Prize for International Trade. Professor Helpman is widely acclaimed for his role in founding the ‘new trade’ and ‘new growth’ theories, which emphasise the roles of economies of scale and imperfect competition, and for his work on special interest politics. Onassis Prize for Shipping

Three emeritus academics – Professors Ernst Frankel, Richard Goss and Arnljot Stromme Svendsen – shared the 2012 Onassis Prize for Shipping. Each received the prize for the profound impact they have had on shaping the field of maritime economics. Ernst Frankel, Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been a prominent figure in both shipping and academia during a career spanning almost 70 years. He is credited with introducing systems analysis, operational research and project management in the maritime industry. Professor Richard Goss of Cardiff University has conducted extensive research in the field of shipping competition and port governance since the 1960s, much of which is still widely influential today. He was instrumental in establishing the international Association of Maritime Economists in 1992. And Professor Arnljot Stromme Svendsen of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration is feted for a seminal treatise published in 1956 in which he performed an analysis of price information in shipping markets and discussed the theory of lay up of vessels. Dr Anthony Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation and Chairman of the panel of prize judges, said: “Onassis became famous in his lifetime, and after, for his mastery of the science and art of Shipping, Trade and Finance. “The Onassis Foundation is proud to associate once more the name of its Founder with the Corporation of the City of London and the Costas Grammenos Center for Shipping Trade and Finance (City University) which respectively are world centers of the practice and academic study of these three entrepreneurship areas. This second edition of the Prizes is on an unparalleled level”. Commenting on the winners, Professor Costas Grammenos, who is the founder of Cass Business School’s International Centre for Shipping, Trade and Finance and was instrumental in launching the prizes, said: “The Onassis Prizes recognise the lifetime contribution of some of the world’s most highly respected academics in finance, international trade and shipping. I warmly congratulate the winners whose distinguished achievements have profoundly influenced their disciplines and continue to have an impact on academic thinking and business conduct worldwide.” The winners each gave a mini-lecture at Cass ahead of the evening banquet, sharing their expertise with a packed audience of more than 250 people. The Onassis Public Benefit Foundation is named in honour of Alexander Onassis, son of the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who died in 1975. The banquet was co-sponsored by Citi Private Bank.

World leading academics deliver 2012 Onassis Lectures

Five world leading academics took to the podium at Cass Business School today for the 2012 Onassis Lectures. Renowned US economists, Professors Stephen Ross and Elhanan Helpman, and emeritus shipping academics, Professors Ernst Frankel, Richard Goss and Arnljot Stromme Svendesn, delivered a series of mini-lectures in front of more than 250 people. The speakers, who have each won global acclaim for achievements in their fields, are in London to receive the 2012 Onassis Prizes. The $200, 000 prizes, judged by a panel including Nobel Laureates, are sponsored by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation and awarded every three years by Cass Business School. MIT Professor Stephen Ross, winner of the 2012 Onassis Prize for Finance, delivered a lecture on the causes of the financial crisis, in which he condemned the part played by accountants, regulators, bankers and derivatives. He was joined on stage by Harvard University Professor Elhanan Helpman, winner of the 2012 Onassis Prize for International Trade, who reviewed the history of international trade and its relationship with economic development. Emeritus professors Ernst Frankel, Richard Goss and Arnljot Stromme Svendsen, who between them have more than 120 years’ experience in shipping, each shared the 2012 Onassis Prize for Shipping. Professor Frankel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told the audience that the polar region may “trigger a new gold rush in human and economic terms” in his lecture on ‘The arctic – the new economic frontier and the challenges for shipping’. Cardiff University professor Richard Goss thanked Cass Business School and the Onassis Foundation for the “marvellous prize” and pledged to donate part to the Sea Cadets. And Professor Svendsen from the Norwegian School of Economics delivered an address titled, ‘On the way to new labyrinths and enigmas or to more science and wisdom?’ Chairing the event, Professor Costas Grammenos, who is the founder of Cass Business School’s International Centre for Shipping, Trade and Finance and who was instrumental in launching the Onassis Prizes, said: “We are extremely honoured to play host to such a distinguished panel of academics, each of whom is recognised and respected as a global leader in their field. “For more than 300-years, London has been hailed as a world-centre for international trade, shipping and finance so it is fitting that we should mark the lifetime achievements of the Onassis Laureates with lectures at our campus here in the heart of the City of London.” The lectures will be followed by an evening banquet at London’s Guildhall where the laureates are set to receive the Onassis Prizes in front of more than 400 dignitaries, including FTSE chairmen, Nobel Laureates, City financiers, industrialists, ship-owners, academics and foreign ambassadors. The Onassis Prize winners were first announced by the Lord Mayor London, Alderman David Wootton at Mansion House in May. The Onassis Public Benefit Foundation is named in honour of Alexander Onassis, son of the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who died in 1975.

The Onassis Prizes for Shipping, Trade and Finance 2012  

The achievements of leading academics from European and American Universities have been honoured by the 2012 Onassis Prizes for Shipping, Trade and Finance. The names of the winners were announced on May 8, 2012 at Mansion House in London. The prestigious prizes, each worth 200, 000 U.S. dollars, are sponsored by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation and awarded every three years by Cass Business School, part of City University London, jointly with the Onassis Foundation. The awards are judged by a panel of distinguished academics, including two Nobel Laureates.

The 2012 Onassis Prize for Finance has been awarded to Professor Stephen Ross from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Professor Ross is best known for having invented ‘arbitrage pricing theory’ and the ‘theory of agency’. He is also celebrated as the co-discoverer of ‘risk neutral pricing’ and of the ‘binomial model’ for pricing derivatives. Professor Elhanan Helpman of Harvard University has received the 2012 Onassis Prize for International Trade. Professor Helpman is widely acclaimed for his role in founding the ‘new trade’ and ‘new growth’ theories, which emphasise the roles of economies of scale and imperfect competition, and for his work on special interest politics.

Three emeritus academics – Professors Ernst Frankel, Richard Goss and Arnljot Stromme Svendesn – share the 2012 Onassis Prize for Shipping. Ernst Frankel, Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been a prominent figure in both shipping and academia during a career spanning almost 70 years. In that time he has published 23 books, hundreds of academic papers and served as President of the International Association of Maritime Economists. Professor Richard Goss of Cardiff University has conducted extensive research in the field of shipping competition and port governance, much of which is still widely influential today. In a survey of the seminal maritime thinkers of the last century, Professor Goss was found to be more prolific than any other researcher in the port field. He was also instrumental in setting up the International Association of Maritime Economists in 1992. Professor Arnljot Stromme Svendsen has been with the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration since he began his career there in 1948. He has built a name as one of the world’s most respected maritime academics and is an Honorary President of the International Association of Maritime Economists. Dr Anthony Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation and Chairman of the panel of prize judges, said: “Onassis became famous in his lifetime, and after, for his mastery of the science and art of Shipping, Trade and Finance. The Onassis Foundation is proud to associate once more the name of its Founder with the Corporation of the City of London and the Costas Grammenos Center for Shipping Trade and Finance (City University) which respectively are world centres of the practice and academic study of these three entrepreneurship areas. This second edition of the Prizes is on an unparalleled level”. Commenting on the winners, Professor Costas Grammenos, who is the founder of Cass Business School’s International Centre for Shipping, Trade and Finance and was instrumental in launching the prizes, said: “The Onassis Prizes recognize the lifetime contribution of some of the world’s most highly respected academics in finance, international trade and shipping. I warmly congratulate the winners whose distinguished achievements have profoundly influenced their disciplines and continue to have an impact on academic thinking and business conduct worldwide.”

The prizes were announced by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman David Wootton, at a ceremony in Mansion House. He said: “The Onassis Prizes celebrate the core values of the City of London, recognizing the efforts of individuals who have dedicated their careers to the advancement of their field, through perseverance, integrity and innovation. Congratulations to all the prize-winners – each one a world-leader in their sector. Their excellent, inspirational work has resonated throughout the business world and we are all beneficiaries of their success.” This is the first time the Onassis Prize has been split into separate categories for finance, trade and shipping. Previously the prize was awarded to a single academic from one field on a rotational basis. The five winners will each give a lecture at Cass Business School on Wednesday 12 September, following which they will be awarded the prizes at a banquet at London’s Guildhall for more than 700 international business leaders, top academics and senior government figures. The Onassis Prizes panel of judges consists of: Mr. Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President, Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation; Professor George Constantinides, Leo Melamed Professor of Finance, University of Chicago; Professor Charles Goodhart, Professor Emeritus, London School of Economics; Professor Costas Th. Grammenos, Head of the International Centre for Shipping, Trade and Finance, Cass Business School, London; Professor Robert Merton (Nobel Laureate) School of Management Distinguished Professor of Finance, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Professor Myron Scholes (Nobel Laureate) Frank E. Buck Professor of Finance, Emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Business.