The Chandris Story as told by Demetrios Kaparis				Biography of DEMETRIOS KAPARIS With nearly four decades of technical, managerial, and operations experience, Demetrios P. Kaparis Executive as Senior Vice President, New Building, Celebrity Cruises, oversaw the overall design, development, and construction of all new builds, ship's interior designs, refurbishments, safety and environmental issues as well as the "Art at Sea " collections. His career highlights include the design, administration, and shipyard supervision of five cruise ships originally owned by the Chandris' Lines. These are Celebrity's Horizon, Zenith, Century, Galaxy, and Mercury. After successfully completing the design and development of the "Millennium" series, supervising the overall construction of the five of ships built at the Chantier's de L'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. There, he led a team of 24 Naval Architects, and Marine Engineers as well as over 50 Interior Designers, Architects, Artists, and other specialized consultants.     Demetrios arriving for the first time in NYC aboard a Chandris vessel 1960 Mr. Kaparis has also supervised the conversion, and refurbishment of nearly 15 other vessels, and is a pioneer in managing conversions, modifications, and ship repairs "at sea", saving much valuable time and money for the owners. In 1960, he joined the Chandris Lines in London, England as a Naval Architect and Marine Superintendent Engineer. His technical background then included extensive experience with turbine, and diesel engine operations with Austin and Pickersgill, and Vickers Armstrong Shipyards in England. More recently, he has collaborated with General Electric Marine-Gas- Turbines Installation in Cincinnati and Houston, USA with the Millennium project. Throughout the industry, Mr. Kaparis is widely recognized by International Cruise Ships Safety and Public Health officers and officials, as one of the industry's top expert in specialized safety implementation, and is involved with several proactive initiatives such as Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), International Maritime Organization (IMO), as well as Center for Disease Control (CDC) United States Public Health (USPH) construction guidelines. A much sought after individual in the cruise industry, he has been invited to speak at many industry conferences such as   Demetrios, his wife Zandra and company executives a the keel laying ceremony in Chantier's de L'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France   Seatrade, Cruise and Ferry, IMO, CDC public meetings, and many other maritime organizations world wide. A native of the Ionian island Zaknythos, in Greece, Kaparis attended the University of Durham at Newcastle in Tyne, England where he graduated with two masters' degrees and gained a scholarship to MIT Boston, which he attended for a few months, but later left to answer the call of the sea. Fluent in five languages, his success has been built on a simple philosophy: "... dedication, loyalty, honesty, and hard work". Typically, he is known to work 14 to 16 hour days, including Saturdays, and Sundays when he can be found inspecting the Celebrity ships docked at the Port of Ft. Lauderdale, or Port of Miami, both in Florida. With whatever spare time he has left, he follows in great detail worldwide, the design and technology projects of the competitor's cruise lines, new building projects. As an Executive Senior Vice President, he is a strong believer and visionary, always solving marine issues using new and improved innovation, while making use of advanced technologies. His thoughts on the design and development of the award winning Millennium class of ships were this "the Millennium class of mega cruise ships are setting the standard for the future in marine power plans. They are designed as the most environmentally sensitive cruise ships in the world". Cruise critics will tells you - the Millennium series has indeed accomplished this. His use of the combination of Gas Turbine and Steam Turbine Integrated Electric System with podded drive propulsion power units in the Millennium series, will, and has created a revolution in the marine propulsion industry where cruise ships are concerned. Due to his visionary efforts, he has ushered in a new, and unique era in the future of cruise ship design. Demetrios with his over 40 years experience in the cruise industry is a pioneer, and is probably the only person who has the longest, and most unique career in his field. His love for the cruise industry is surpassed by no other, and his slogan for longevity is this "...my success is due out of the respect and devotion of the talented team of individuals who work with me ". Mr. Kaparis and his wife Zandra, live with his two sons, Pablo and Antonio in Miami Dade County, Florida. Excerpts by Richard Sasso President of Celebrity Cruises September 2001 Celebrity Cruises is a premium cruise brand, which operated 8 ships - Century, Galaxy, Horizon, Mercury, Zenith, Millennium, Infinity, Summit, and the ninth Constellation. Their itineraries cover Alaska, Bermuda, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Panama Canal.