An academic from Northumbria was recently invited to deliver a keynote speech at a major international conference in Egypt exploring global competitiveness in the maritime industry.

Dr Karim Sorour spoke at the “The International Maritime Transportand Logistics Conference-MARLOG 8”. The annual event is organised by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Egypt. It was held under the auspices of the Secretary General of the League of the Arab States and Egyptian Minister of Transport, and well attended by more than 800 delegates from 23 countries.

Associate Professor of Accounting and Corporate Governance at Newcastle Business School, Dr Sorour focused his lecture on the role of corporate governance in encouraging port investment, and its role in the realisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in accordance with Egypt’s Vision 2030. He drew heavily from research he is undertaking in Egypt and its impact in supporting the strengthening of corporate governance systems and culture in the port’s sector.

Dr Sorour said: “Corporate governance plays a crucial role in enhancing ports’ competitiveness through better transparency, accountability and access to capital. I was able to discuss this in the context of wider international developments such as the World Ports Sustainability Programme and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The conference has culminated in producing a set of policy and practice recommendations including the importance of designing a corporate governance code for the Egyptian ports.”

Dr Sorour is an internationally recognised expert on corporate governance and social responsibility of sea-ports.

Northumbria University has recently been accepted as a member of the United Nations Academic Impact, reflecting its shared values and support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.