• Established and spearheaded a multi award-winning Research and Strategic Planning department (RASP) for DVB Bank, which received the prestigious Marine Money Editor’s Choice for Excellence award for 2010, citing its singular achievement for creativity, execution and contribution to the industry.

• Served as Chairman of the Equasis Editorial Board, which plays a key role in the shipping industry, promoting quality and safety in Marine Transportation. Equasis is at the heart of the Quality Shipping Campaign, sharing the same philosophy/raison d’etre of RASP.

• Championed and oversaw the development of the Delphi Project, which accurately predicts future asset values and time charter rates for all energy-related sectors, as well as for Drybulk and containership sectors. Delphi is based on genetic programming and neural networks and its superior technology generated significant interest from the Bundesbank (German Central Bank).

• Pioneered the concept and structure used to create DVB Bank’s intranet communications platform. Connecting 13 global offices, the platform provided not only comprehensive industry information, but also historical and projected time charter series and asset values spanning 17 Sectors and 66 Sub Sectors, as well as the bank’s shipping portfolio.

DVB Bank SE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Managing Director march 2001 – march 2013

Research and strategic plannig

Responsible for creating and spearheading, the Research and Strategic Planning department (RASP) for DVB Bank, which generated primary research to support sound investment decisions across the DVB shipping portfolio, valued at 15.8 billion.

• Designed the interactive structure and oversaw the delivery of RASP’s Strategic Plan for both the Board and Supervisory Board.

• Delivered regular presentations to the Bundesbank. Baffin (the Supervisory Board) and rating agencies. including S&P and Moody’s regarding the shipping markets and RASP’s Strategic Plans.

• Served as a mandatory participant on the Credit Committee, focusing on the viability of Markets and Assets, as well as the client’s ability to generate projected cash flows towards repayment of financing assets.

• Served as a voting member of the bank’s shipping investment fund SI IM (Shipping Intermodal Investment Management), with more than 80 vessels in its portfolio, worth a collective 1.1bn. • Forged significant relationships with Port State Control and served as Chairman of the Editorial Board, represented by leading industry stakeholders.

• Headed the Techcom division, a unit within RASP responsible for inspecting vessels in the portfolio and enforcing stricter-than industry standard guidelines to safeguard the bank’s investment risks. Techcom was instrumental in reducing the risk to the bank’s portfolio during industry downturns and consequently achieved lower LLP (Loan Loss Provisions) than any other shipping bank, resulting in only 21 vessels out of 1,500 being repossessed by DVB in 2012.

• Successful leadership of RASP resulted in the team receiving 4 out of 5 possible awards from the Lloyds Shipping Economist between 2004 and 2008.

FOUNDER AND OWNER
1990 – 2000
Marinav Shipping & Trading SA (MST), Geneva, Switzerland

Established and developed Marinav Shipping & Trading SA (MST) as a leading ship broking company, highly respected in the international market, specialising in competitive chartering for VLCCS (Very Large Crude Carriers) and sale and purchase of vessels.

• Utilised extensive industry relationships to capture 100% of the Norwegian crude tanker market, covering oil movements for NITC (National Iranian Tanker Company) and capitalising on expertise as an owners broker and cargo broker to increase market share.

• Successfully negotiated multimillion dollar contracts with global organisations and leading ship owners, operators such as Bergersen, With Wilhelmsen, Seateam (Frontline), Smedvig,lorgenlahre, Bergheshav, as well as dealing directly with TotalFinaElf (Total), Shell, and via co-brokers fixed with BP, Petrobras, Exxon, Mobil, Ssangyong (S-Oil) and CPC (Chinese Petroleum Company).

• Provided consultancy services and expert opinion on the shipping portfolio owned by Dar-AL-Maal Islami SA, a Saudi Bank based in Geneva owned by HRH Prince Faisal, as well as to Inter Martime Shipping, part of Inter Maritime Bank, owned by Bruce Rappaport. • Successfully bought and sold 50% of the fleet of NITC (National Iranian Tanker Company) as well as S&P activity for KOTC (Kuwait Oil Tanker Company).

DIRECTOR GULF MARINE SERVICES 1974 – 1990 Executive Assistant to the Group Chairman
Gulf Group

(one of the largest privately owned shipping companies in the world)
Played an integral role in forging commercial relationships with international chartering companies having worked in Montreal, New York, Dubai, Cairo, Alexandria, London, Monte Carlo and Geneva.

• Director of Gulf Marine Services, which owned and operated on behalf of the Gulf Group 5 product tankers and S crude carriers in the Suezmax and VLCC Sectors.

• Negotiated, executed and commercially operated a 5 year bareboat charter with UASC (United Arab Shipping Company) for 16 Multi-Purpose Tweens of 23k dwt size with heavy gear.

• Successfully acted as an in-house operator, broker, and competitive broker for the Gulf Group, building significant trust with other owners and charterers.

• Represented Gulf Group at Board level, overseeing the Joint Venture between Gulf Group & Eagle Container Lines, which operated a liner service from Australia and the Far East to Europe via the Middle East.

Early Career

Vice President & General Manager, Lillis Marine (Part of Gulf Group)

1974 – 1974 Line Manager, Keel Shipping & Trading Ltd, Canada

Education

Bachelor degree in Economics (majoring in Statistics)

Personal Interests

Maintains a passionate interest in the shipping and marine sector and has delivered presentations and participated on panels at Marine Money, New York, Lloyds Shipping Economist, Mare Forum, and Erasmus University, to promote the shipping industry.