Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore President 
Alex Gregg-Smith Elected Incoming IACS Council Chair 

Alex Gregg-Smith, President, Marine & Offshore, Bureau Veritas, has been elected Chair of the Council of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). He will assume the position on July 1, with a term running until December 31, 2027.

The appointment was made unanimously by the IACS Council. Alex becomes the third elected IACS Council Chair following governance changes introduced in 2020. Working in coordination with the IACS Council, the Secretary General, and the elected General Policy Group (GPG) Chair, he will support the continued delivery of the Association’s work program in line with its Strategic Plan. In line with the IACS Strategic Plan, the Chair has a key role in promoting the consistent application of high technical standards, supporting risk-based approaches to safety, and ensuring that technological and environmental developments are implemented without compromising safety across the global fleet.

Alex has more than twenty years’ experience with Bureau Veritas and has held senior leadership roles across the maritime sector, including positions in shipyards and shipowning companies. 

Alex said: “The maritime industry is at a crucial stage in its technical, digital and environmental evolution. The role of IACS in ensuring these far-reaching changes are implemented at pace, uniformly and with safety at the core, is fundamental. I am honored that the IACS Council has elected me to oversee the Association at this pivotal time.”

Robert Ashdown, IACS Secretary General, congratulated Alex: “The election of Alex by the IACS Council reflects the collective desire of our twelve Member Societies to ensure IACS engages at the highest level and continues to provide regulators and industry with the impartial, non-commercial, expert technical input necessary to support our shared goal of safer, cleaner shipping.”