Svitzer Europe Names Sara Gerdner Kalle CCO
, Gerdner Kalle will lead the Commercial function for Svitzer Europe, focusing on nurturing long-term stakeholder relationships, spearheading commercial development, and driving growth initiatives. The company said she will be pivotal in harnessing Svitzer’s commitment to digitalization to help the business and its customers to move forwards to deliver safe, sustainable marine services.Prior to joining Svitzer Europe, Gerdner Kalle served as the head of the eCommerce Logistics team at Maersk APAC, where she led the development of innovative new solutions and navigated complex market landscapes. Her
NORBIT Boosts Hydrographic Support Capability in APAC
NORBIT welcomes onboard Tan Hean Chee, Jerry in the position of the Hydrographic Surveyor responsible for supporting APAC Partners and Clients. He is based in Malaysia and served over 14 years with the Royal Malaysian Navy as a Cat. A Hydrographer. He has since furthered his offshore experience working in the subsea industry with various Clients, including Penang Port as the Port Hydrographer. In his constant effort to diversify his skills and experiences, he was awarded a Master of Business Administration in 2022.
Americraft Marine Appoints Peter Fetten as Chairman
to lead in the global economy," Fetten said. "I am honored to support the mission of Americraft Marine, working with its strong leadership, as it aims to bolster its work at St. Johns, and beyond."Americraft Marine is one of three maritime subsidiaries of Libra Group, a privately owned business group whose 20 subsidiaries have assets and operations in nearly 60 countries. Other maritime subsidiaries include Lomar Shipping and Seapath, a company formed to address the need for investments in America’s maritime economy, including marine industrial technologies and Jones Act vessels
NextGeo Taps Frank Koopman as Offshore Wind Strategy Director
Characterization at Fugro from 2019 to 2023.Giovanni Ranieri, CEO of NextGeo, said, “We are thrilled to confirm our collaboration with Frank Koopman, who will serve as NextGeo's Offshore Wind Strategy Director. His leadership, passion and experience combine perfectly with our vision and our business growth objectives. This important cooperation propels us towards ambitious goals, confirming our positioning among the major players in the sector. I wish Frank to continue with enthusiasm in his work, in the firm belief that his contribution will offer our entire team new motivations and opportunities
Ex-Ulstein Chief Takes the Reins at Vard
Group, has appointed Cathrine Kristiseter Marti as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).Starting from June 1, 2024, Marti will take over from the current CEO, Alberto Maestrini, who will remain in his position as Chairman of the Board.Maestrini will continue to lead the Offshore and Special Vessels business in Fincantieri and through this continue to support Vard’s integration in the Fincantieri Group.The appointment of the new CEO is part of a long-term strategy to strengthen VARD as the leading world player in offshore and specialized vessels and a key business pillar within the Fincantieri
Vineyard Offshore Hires Musiol as External Affairs Director
efforts to form the local partnerships that are key to Vineyard Offshore’s success.”“I’m so glad to join the team at Vineyard Offshore,” said Musiol. “Offshore wind is critically important to America’s clean energy future and Vineyard Offshore is the best in the business. More than any other company in the industry, Vineyard Offshore understands that community support is vital for offshore wind development. I look forward to working with the rest of the External Affairs team to nurture relationships of trust and collaboration in every community Vineyard Offshore
Maritime Partners Hires Two In Executive Leadership Roles
;s chief legal officer.Bordes brings to the company more than 20 years of experience in the fields of finance and fund management. Prior to joining Maritime Partners, he served as the CFO for New York-based American Industrial Partners, a middle-market private equity firm that invests in industrial businesses. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management & Accounting from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and an MBA, with a focus on International Business & Finance, from Columbia Business School.Chase comes to Maritime Partners from Reed Smith LLP, a global law firm
Jayson Robinson Named VP of Vigor Fabrication
as the assistant vice president since last fall.“Jayson has been a key part of several highly-successful projects at Vigor during his tenure,” said Titan CEO Jim Marcotuli. “His leadership and expertise will be critical as we enter a period of potential growth for this part of our business. The combination of our industry-leading ship repair business with our immense fabrication capability helps make Titan a more competitive and sustainable player in each of our markets.”Robinson takes over a department that has recently added leaders to other key positions, including Kit Brown
S&B Names Sipes CEO
has unmatched strengths in many areas of the E&C market. I expect we will bring those capabilities to serving new clients as well as continuing to serve our traditional clients well,” Sipes said.Since joining S&B as chief commercial officer in 2021, Sipes has overseen S&B’s business development and marketing activities, including new markets and geographies, as well as the firm’s strategic planning. He led the recent strategy review that has set S&B’s future growth path.Sipes came to S&B from Bechtel, where he served as Principal Vice President and Manager
Cellula Robotics Names Neil Manning CEO
industry knowledge, have already made a significant impact on our organization. We are excited that Neil is now positioned to lead Cellula into a new era of innovation and growth."During his time as corporate development officer, Manning helped to shape Cellula's strategic direction, driving business development initiatives and fostering key partnerships, the Canada-based company said."I'm honored to build on Cellula's 20-year pedigree in marine engineering and autonomous systems, however the team experience extends much longer than that. Eric Jackson our founder and now president
Ramping up Warship Production, Shipbuilder to Add 1000 Jobs
Babcock International Group (Babcock) is creating more than 1,000 new jobs at its large-scale, advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding facility in Rosyth.The new job opportunities will include 400 apprenticeships, 350 production support operatives, skilled engineers, tradespeople, and graduates to support programs like the Type 31 frigate design and build."Attracting and retaining talent is essential to the future success of our business and directly benefits the local communities in which we operate," said David Lockwood, Chief Executive, Babcock International Group.
Xeneta Appoints Chief Product Officer
;.”Brocca’s role will see him further develop Xeneta’s platform, which already calls upon more than 400 million crowdsourced datapoints on ocean and air freight shipping rates to bring transparency to an otherwise opaque market.Brocca has also held the position of Director of Business Transformation at MSC – the world’s largest ocean freight shipping company.“I have witnessed first-hand businesses across the freight industry with slow and inefficient processes, tendering departments working overtime every day for three months and still taking weeks to close
Barnard Joins Gibdock as Commercial Director
Gibraltar ship repair yard Gibdock announced the appointment of John Barnard as its new Commercial Director.Barnard brings to the role over 15 years of experience in the shipbuilding and repair business, with a career marked by diverse roles, encompassing technical, commercial and production functions across both defense and commercial markets.A graduate from the University of Southampton with a Masters in Ship Science in 2008, Barnard began his career as a naval architect at Cammell Laird in the U.K. Barnard has garnered extensive experience as a ship manager, successfully overseeing projects such as
Gladys Goh takes the Helm at Nippon Paint Marine
Nippon Paint Marine appointed Gladys Goh as its President, effective immediately, making her the first female and foreign national to lead a principal operating company in Japan. The marine division is the founding business for the 140-year-old Nippon Paint Holdings Group, a leader and pioneer in marine paint and Goh Gladys joined Nippon Paint Malaysia in 2006, driving the brand to become Malaysia's top coatings provider and subsequently led expansion into new markets. She concurrently serves as Senior Vice-President, Strategic Innovation & Marketing at NIPSEA Group.Over the course of 2024
Edda Wind Names Øverlie CFO
Norwegian offshore wind vessel owner Edda Wind announced it has appointed Hermann Hovland Øverlie as its new chief financial officer (CFO) following the resignation of Tom Johan Austrheim. Øverlie will join Edda Wind March 1, 2024.Øverlie is currently senior vice president of business development at Flex LNG and was previoulsy CFO at Amar Group. Øverlie has also extensive experience from financial/liquidity planning, risk management and financial analysis from Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers and DnB. He holds a master’s degree in financial economics from BI Norwegian
Seçkin Uz Named Managing Director at elkon
director of SCHOTTEL’s sister company elkon.In his new position at elkon, Seçkin Uz will be dedicated to utilizing various synergies between propulsion specialist SCHOTTEL and electrical system integrator elkon. At the same time, he aims to strengthen elkon’s international growth and business development in the global maritime industry.Seçkin Uz succeeds Ertuğ Yaşar, who held this position for nine years. Ertuğ Yaşar will leave elkon on January 31, 2024 and thus step down from all of his duties at the company.“We’d like to thank Ertuğ Yaşar for his outstanding work
Panama Canal Appoints Chief Sustainability Officer
. However, we recognize that we must be more ambitious, something we have been moving toward for some time. As the Canal, we have an outsized influence to enable the transformation of the maritime industry, and we see an opportunity in leadership to diversify, grow and improve the way we do business,” said Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales. “To help us seize this opportunity, I am proud to announce the appointment of Ilya Espino de Marotta as our first Chief Sustainability Officer. Ilya will build on and expand our existing efforts, creating a more robust
