Anchor man Lowry keeps proceedings on even keel.

(From Lloyds List)

Byline: Amid glamour, glitter and high drama, one man was a picture of serenity, writes Christopher Mayer

GREECE is a land of Gods and icons and, through his performance in front of a veritable flotilla of the most famous and recognisable faces in Greek and international shipping circles, Lloyd's List's Nigel Lowry joined those who have moved on from being mere mortals.

Displaying the talents of host and compere with panache and the relaxed charm seldom seen in an Englishman abroad despite outrageous public flattery of the editor of this newspaper in a desperate pitch for a pay rise Nigel was on stage in the Terpschicore Ballroom at the Athens Hilton for almost the entire evening.

From first kiss and handshake to last, charm not smarm and attention to detail including welcoming all ladies named Katherine, Kate or Catherine in honour of the Saint's day, he drew favourable comparison with the best in Greek television. That's what some of the ladies in the audience told me, anyway. Take care, Nikos Hatzinikolaou, Nikos Evangelatos, Pavlos Tsimas and Antonis Panoutsos. There's a new kid on the block.

Of course it helps to demonstrate mastery of one's reporting beat, and Nigel accomplished this effortlessly and without nerves, save for one notable encounter. But more of this later. It also helps to be able to address one's audience in its mother tongue and not worry about the odd piece of meat which might get stuck in your teeth. And it helps when a personal hero appears beside you.

I refer, of course, to legendary Greek windsurfer and Atlanta Olympic Games gold medallist Nikos Kaklamanakis, who arrived on stage to tumultuous applause to be presented with a special Man of the Sea award by Nicos Efthyiou, president of the Union of Greek Shipowners.