After obtaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, Angeliki Frangou started her career as a Wall Street analyst. Despite finding success on the trading floor for Republic National Bank, Frangou decided to take a giant leap into a trade that is deeply rooted in her family tree.

In 1990, at just 25 years of age, Frangou accepted a loan from her father and purchased an ailing 14,000-tonne freighter in Rio de Janeiro, marking her entry into the male-dominated world of shipping.

By 2004, Frangou had raised more than $200m (€170m) to purchase Navios Maritime Holdings, and thus became a serious player in the international shipping business. Under Frangou’s direction, Navios became one of the first dry bulk shipping enterprises to be listed on a stock exchange.

Following its success, Frangou floated two more of Navios’ subsidiaries on the NYSE, while the fourth – Navios South American Logistics – can be expected to follow suit in the future.

Fast-forward to 2017, and the subsidiary Navios Maritime Partners continues to be a frontrunner in the dry bulk shipping industry, with around $700m (€593m) in contracted revenue. As a result, Navios is currently in the process of expanding its fleet – a considerable achievement given that the market sunk to its worst year on record in 2016.

Today, Frangou’s global consortium controls more than 170 vessels, including dry bulkers, container ships and tankers. Navios also owns and controls the biggest independent dry port in the Hidrovia river system of South America, in addition to one of the leading independent liquid ports in Paraguay. In a relatively short period of time, Frangou, a fifth-generation ship owner, has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative figures in the business. With an incredible passion for the industry, together with an unwavering commitment to her group and its 3,000-strong staff, Frangou continues to triumph as a business leader and bona fide shipping magnate.