DeepSea Technologies Announces Planned Leadership Transition: Panos Tsonis Appointed Chief Executive Officer
Updated: 10 hours ago
Co-Founder Konstantinos Kyriakopoulos hands over the reins following DeepSea's integration into the Nabtesco Group
ATHENS, GREECE – October 20, 2026 – DeepSea Technologies, the maritime AI company and member of the Nabtesco Group, today announced the appointment of Panos Tsonis as Chief Executive Officer, effective 14th October. Tsonis, who joined DeepSea as Deputy CEO in early 2026, succeeds Co-Founder Konstantinos Kyriakopoulos.
The appointment completes a leadership transition agreed when Nabtesco acquired DeepSea in 2023. With DeepSea now fully integrated into the Nabtesco Group, the company is entering its next phase: taking its vessel performance and voyage optimisation products to more fleets worldwide, continuing to develop cutting-edge solutions that solve the problems faced by today’s operators, and being a champion for vessel automation as the industry increasingly embraces it.
"Building DeepSea has been the privilege of my career," said Konstantinos Kyriakopoulos, Co-Founder. "We started as a small team convinced that technology could change how ships are run, and today our systems are at work across many of the world’s largest fleets, every second. I am proud of the people who made that happen and grateful to the customers who trusted us early. Panos and I have worked side by side for the past year, and I am confident in handing leadership of the company to him."
Customers will see no change to their account teams or support.
As CEO, Tsonis will accelerate DeepSea's global expansion by leveraging the Nabtesco Group's international footprint and established customer relationships. Central to this growth is advancing DeepSea's two core technology pillars: pioneering voyage automation to curb fuel consumption and maximise profitability through AI-driven execution, and expanding its vessel intelligence suite to resolve shipping's persistent issues with poor data quality and rigid software. By transforming shipboard telemetry into a high-accuracy, trusted data foundation, DeepSea equips operators with deep operational visibility and the flexibility to build resilient fleet strategies - supported by human-in-the-loop operational services that allow maritime leaders to harness the AI era without prohibitive overheads.
"I am honoured to lead DeepSea into its next chapter," said Panos Tsonis, Chief Executive Officer. "Konstantinos built a company with exceptional engineering talent and technology that delivers measurable results at sea. Our priority now is scale: growing in Europe and APAC, deepening our partnerships with existing customers, and using the reach of the Nabtesco Group to bring our products to more fleets. We have the team, the backing and the technology to do it."
"Konstantinos and the DeepSea team have built an outstanding business, and we thank him for his leadership," said Yukihiro Mizutani, President, Marine Control Systems Company, Nabtesco Corporation. "Panos has our full confidence, and Nabtesco remains committed to supporting DeepSea's growth as a core part of our marine business."
Before joining DeepSea, Tsonis was General Manager of G4S Telematix, where he scaled the business and operations across Europe - experience that maps directly onto DeepSea's next phase.
Kyriakopoulos co-founded DeepSea in 2017 and led it through its start-up years, rapid growth and acquisition by Nabtesco.
About DeepSea Technologies
By modelling, monitoring and optimising vessels in live operating conditions, DeepSea turns complex data into actionable insights and consistent action at sea; combining human expertise with trusted automation to improve vessel and voyage performance. For more information, visit deepsea.ai.
About Nabtesco Marine
Nabtesco Marine Control Systems Company is an established world leader in vessel propulsion control, holding approximately 40% of the global market for main engine remote-control systems across medium and large commercial vessels. Backed by more than 50 years of engineering heritage and a worldwide service footprint across Japan, Europe, Singapore, and East Asia, Nabtesco provides mission-critical hardware and smart control automation that enhance safety, lower fuel consumption, and accelerate the transition toward autonomous and sustainable shipping. For more information, visit marine.nabtesco.com.
Media contact:
Sotiria Kontopoulou
Marketing Manager, DeepSea Technologies
+306951852461
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