Biography

Arsenio Antonio Domínguez Velasco, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Arsenio Antonio Domínguez Velasco

Mr. Dominguez assumed his role as tenth IMO Secretary-General on 1 January 2024, bringing with him more than three decades of experience serving the global maritime sector, across a spectrum of leadership roles of increasing scope and responsibility.

Initially representing his native Panama, first within the Panama Maritime Authority and in his lattermost appointment as Ambassador of Panama to IMO, his affinity for building consensus saw him elected by his peers as Chair of several flagship IMO intergovernmental meetings, including: the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), the Technical Committee of the 29th Assembly, and the Maritime Security, Piracy and Armed Robbery Group, as well as a number of Vice-Chair and Board member roles.

A naval architect at heart and by training, Mr. Dominguez gained his first degree at Veracruzana University, Mexico. Recognising from the outset of his career the importance of a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectorial approach to the maritime sector, Mr. Dominguez later went on to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Hull, as well as an executive qualification in International Law and European Politics at Birkbeck University, both in the United Kingdom.

This agile approach served him well in better understanding the priorities and navigating the needs of the different stakeholders across the maritime sector, and indeed the complexities of a specialized UN agency whose mission it is to support them. In 2017 Mr. Dominguez harnessed this extensive technical and diplomatic knowledge and experience as a delegate for the benefit of IMO. He joined the Organization, first as Chief of Staff, followed by Administrative Director - leading the Organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. Directly prior to his election in July 2023 as Secretary-General, he was the Director of the Marine Environment Division.

His initial term as IMO Secretary-General, approved at the 33rd Assembly in December 2023, is for a period of four years from 2024 to 2027.