Yiannis Pastellas
The Blue MBA appoints Yiannis Pastellas as its Mediterranean Ambassador
Yiannis Pastellas, a leading expert in the specialities of e-learning and workflow digitalisation, has been appointed as Ambassador to the Mediterranean countries for the Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics (the Blue MBA).
Cyprus-based Mr Pastellas, commercial development executive at maritime training services group Safebridge, will be responsible for bolstering links with the degree course throughout a region that is second to none in its historic and ongoing links with commercial shipping.
He joins a Blue MBA ambassadorial team in which each person focuses on a major region or speciality. These ambassadors serve as leaders and liaison contacts for all those associated in the past, present and future of the programme.
Under the aegis of Copenhagen Business School, the largest institution of its kind in northern Europe and with accreditations from top educational bodies, the Blue MBA is an integral part of the global shipping industry and its supporting infrastructure. Its candidates from many professional backgrounds and nationalities hold senior positions in their companies and organisations.
Mr Pastellas is set to help bring the renowned educational venture to further prominence within activity radiating from the Mediterranean sphere – a traditional wellspring of shipping initiative and skills.
He will bring to bear his communications strengths which have been honed through extensive marketing, customer relations, public speaking, and negotiating experience.
Yiannis Pastellas talking to another Blue MBA graduate Martina Meinders Michael
Mr Pastellas has been with his current company since September 2016. Safebridge provides a complete digital crew competence management solutions that assess train and digitally certify seafarers, with a strong focus on innovation and digitalisation of traditional workflows with three product lines SafeLearn, SafeMetrix and myCert.
Examples of new offerings are two courses under the SafeLearn brand: Mastering Daily Navigation, and Yacht Chef: The Essentials. The first of these is “a refresher tool for the primary navigation-related knowledge the officer needs to know when onboard a vessel.” Both courses enrich “the selection of maritime-specific e-learning material and [offer] high-quality comprehensive knowledge to our seafarers.”
A prime aim of Safebridge is to help seafarers around the globe to get trained on specific equipment or assess themselves on maritime specific soft skills and finally acquire a digital certification based on the training.
In his current role, held since January 2020, Mr Pastellas oversees product development, identifies new market opportunities, seeks to balance profitable pricing with client satisfaction and directs marketing operations. He has a track record of driving sales growth and generating key accounts yielding impressive revenue.
In an earlier position at Safebridge as business development manager, he was involved in meetings with flag states and administrations, port state control, the European Maritime Safety Agency and the International Maritime Organization. Joining the company at the end of 2016 as senior sales manager, he was responsible for southern Europe, the Middle East, China, Japan, and South Korea on business-to-business accounts.
A previous appointment as deputy sales manager for OneTech/OneNet Services, a marine electro-mechanical service company, saw him achieve close ties with superintendents, fleet managers, technical directors, and purchasing managers in the Cyprus and wider shipping industry. He was project manager for ballast water management systems and bridge equipment deals.
Mr Pastellas comes to his ambassadorial role after graduating from the Blue MBA in 2019.
Irene Rosberg
Irene Rosberg, programme director for the Blue MBA, said: “With extensive knowledge of operations and many contacts in the Mediterranean region, Yiannis will continue to be a splendid advocate of the values of the Blue MBA – which is instrumental in taking management education to the highest levels – and of the global network of knowledge-sharing and mutual support represented by our alumni and our present students.”
Professional bodies in which Mr Pastellas is involved include Copenhagen Business School Alumni, Youngship Cyprus (former board member), committee member of Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC) Manning and training and CSC E-Navigation committee, and the Intertanko human element in shipping committee.
The Blue MBA comprises eight modules sat mainly in Copenhagen, with one each in London and Hamburg. The part-time structure enables participants to fulfil their normal duties in addition to the challenging coursework. They graduate after completing the modules and a final master thesis known as the integrated strategy project in which they apply what they have learned to devising a comprehensive solution to a major challenge faced by their own company.
Diversity is an important feature: since 2001, the Blue MBA has graduated 274 students from more than 45 countries. For the current Class, 44 professionals (including nine women) of 21 nationalities signed up to what has been referred to by industry leaders and top academics as “probably the best shipping MBA in the world.”
