Dr. Anil Sharma Named Among Lloyd’s List Top 100 Most Influential in Shipping for 16th Consecutive Year
GMS, the world’s largest buyer of ships for recycling, together with its shipowning and operating arm Lila Global, has announced that its Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Anil Sharma, has once again been recognized in the Lloyd’s List Top 100 Most Influential People in Shipping. The 2025 edition marks the 16th consecutive year that Dr. Sharma has featured in the prestigious annual ranking, underscoring his sustained influence on the global maritime industry.
The Lloyd’s List Top 100 is widely regarded as one of the shipping sector’s most authoritative benchmarks of leadership and impact. Compiled annually, it recognizes individuals whose decisions, strategies, and vision continue to shape the direction of global shipping across commercial, operational, regulatory, and environmental dimensions. In this year’s edition, Dr. Sharma is acknowledged for his leadership across both ship recycling and ship ownership, reflecting a rare breadth of influence spanning a vessel’s entire lifecycle—from acquisition and operation through to responsible end-of-life recycling.
Notably, Dr. Sharma is one of only seven individuals worldwide to have been included in all 16 editions of the Lloyd’s List Top 100 since its inception, placing him in a select group of industry figures whose relevance has endured across changing market cycles, regulatory shifts, and geopolitical disruptions.
Lloyd’s List highlights that under Dr. Sharma’s leadership, GMS has consistently maintained its position as the world’s largest buyer of ships for recycling. Since its founding, the company has completed more than 5,000 ship recycling transactions, a scale unmatched in the sector. Today, GMS handles approximately one-third of global tonnage delivered for recycling each year, making it a central player in the responsible disposal of the world fleet.
The publication also points to the scale and reach of the GMS platform, which has been built to support shipowners with reliability and consistency regardless of market conditions. By combining global commercial reach with deep local execution in the major recycling destinations, GMS has positioned itself as a critical intermediary for owners seeking certainty, compliance, and professional handling of assets at the end of their trading lives. Over the years, the company has played a key role in pushing higher standards across ship recycling, particularly around safety, transparency, and environmental performance.
Beyond ship recycling, Lloyd’s List notes Dr. Sharma’s growing influence through Lila Global, the shipowning and operating platform established to apply the same disciplined, execution-focused approach to vessel operations. Lila Global today operates a fleet of 38 vessels, transporting more than 25 million deadweight tonnes (DWT) annually across global trade routes. The company has continued to strengthen its market position through selective acquisitions, particularly increasing its tanker exposure, while maintaining a cautious and disciplined approach to fleet growth.
According to Lloyd’s List, Lila Global’s expansion has been underpinned by a focus on operational standards and risk management, areas that are increasingly under scrutiny as regulators, charterers, and financiers demand higher levels of accountability. The company trades globally and has been steadily investing in systems, people, and processes to ensure consistent performance across its tanker operations, even amid volatile freight markets and tightening regulatory frameworks.
Dr. Sharma said the recognition reflects not just personal achievement, but the collective effort of teams across both platforms. “Shipping is entering a period where decisions will be judged by performance, accountability, and outcomes,” he said. “Our focus is operational excellence, built on trust, integrity, and professionalism. We will keep strengthening our platforms to deliver reliably, raise standards, and support a safer and more responsible industry, from vessel ownership through to end of life.”
Industry observers note that Dr. Sharma’s dual role—leading both the world’s largest ship recycling buyer and a growing shipowning company—offers a unique perspective at a time when the industry is grappling with decarbonization, asset renewal, and responsible fleet management. As older tonnage is phased out to meet efficiency and emissions requirements, the intersection between vessel ownership and end-of-life recycling is becoming increasingly strategic. Dr. Sharma’s presence across both ends of that spectrum places him in a distinctive position to influence how shipping manages this transition.
The continued inclusion of Dr. Sharma in the Lloyd’s List Top 100 also reflects the publication’s recognition of long-term consistency, not just short-term prominence. Over 16 years, the shipping industry has experienced financial crises, regulatory overhauls, pandemics, and geopolitical shocks. That Dr. Sharma has remained influential throughout this period speaks to the durability of the platforms he has built and the commercial discipline underpinning them.
The full Lloyd’s List profile detailing Dr. Sharma’s ranking and contributions is available on the Lloyd’s List website.
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