Maria Deligianni

Maria Deligianni is the Regional Director for Eastern Mediterranean at CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), the preeminent global cruise trade association, representing over 90% of the sector and providing a unified voice for the industry and its members as the leading authority of the global cruise community. She is based in Athens, Greece. She joined CLIA in March 2018 and is responsible for government and public affairs issues in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt, Israel as well as Croatia. In this role, she develops and implements CLIA’s regional advocacy strategy, representing the cruise industry’s priorities in national governments, port authorities, institutions, and key regional stakeholders. She works to strengthen regulatory dialogue, promote data-based policymaking, and support the sustainable growth of cruise tourism and maritime activity in the region. Her work also includes building and maintaining relationships with policymakers and industry partners, coordinating stakeholder engagement initiatives in regional, national and local level, and contributing to broader CLIA policy positions on safety, environmental performance, and decarbonization of the cruise sector.

Maria has been working in the shipping industry since 2011. Before joining CLIA, she held the position of the Senior Advocacy and Policy Advisor on maritime safety, environmental and offshore shipping issues at the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) in Brussels. Previously, she worked at the European Commission’s Director General Mobility and Transport Directorate in Brussels as well as SQE Marine Group and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC Greece) in Piraeus and Athens respectively. She holds an executive Master’s degree in Maritime Science (MSc), with distinction, from the University of Ghent in Belgium, as well as an MSc degree in International and European Studies from the University of Piraeus and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Athens.