Senior Management
The BW Epic Kosan Senior Management Team includes some of the industry’s most experienced, effective and diverse leaders.
Charles Maltby
Charles Maltby
Charles has over 20 years of shipping industry experience. He graduated from the University of Plymouth, UK in 1992 with a BSc in Maritime Business (International Shipping & Maritime Law). He began his shipping career with Mobil Shipping in 1992 with day to day responsibility for LPG and petrochemical chartering & operations.
From 1996 to 2005 he held various positions with BHP Billiton’s dry bulk and tanker freight business in London and Melbourne, culminating in establishing the handysize/handymax chartering and trading desk in the Hague in 2001.
In 2005 he joined Pacific Basin as Managing Director (UK), Global Head of the Handymax Business and Head of the Groups Atlantic business.
He joined Epic Gas as Executive Chairman in September 2014, a position he held until May 2019. He has held the position of Chief Executive Officer since March 2015. He attended INSEAD (AMP) in 2008, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. Charles is currently a Non-Executive Director of Grindrod Shipping Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRIN) (JSE: GSH).
Jakob Bode
Jakob Bode
Jakob began his shipping career with AP Moller Maersk in 1997, and held positions at Maersk Tankers in USA, Saudia Arabia and Singapore. He joined Lauritzen Kosan in 2010 and was appointed Managing Director of J. Lauritzen Singapore in 2016. He assumed the role of Head of Chartering, East of Suez, at BW Epic Kosan in 2021, and was appointed Chief Commercial Officer in March 2024. Jakob has various executive courses from IESE.
Uta Urbaniak-Sage
Uta Urbaniak-Sage
Uta joined BW Epic Kosan (formerly Epic Gas) in 2007 as Managing Director of the Singapore operation and became group CFO in 2012 where she has been closely involved in numerous debt/equity raising and M&A transactions. Before joining BW Epic Kosan, Uta worked for HSH Nordbank in Hamburg and Hong Kong in various management positions in the bank’s shipping division. Uta is currently a Director of Skuld Mutual P&I Association (Bermuda) Ltd.
Niraj Singh
Niraj Singh
Niraj has over 30 years of marine industry experience. He began his career with P&O Bulk in 1989. After spending 6 years as a Chief Engineer with varied experience on Bulk Carriers, Tankers – Oil & Chemical, he joined Gemarfin (Gestioni Maritima Finanziare) as a Technical Superintendent in 2000 at Lugano, Switzerland. In 2003, Niraj joined Epic Gas as Ship Manager, and since 2013 as a Fleet Manager. He took up the role of Technical Director in 2016, and is responsible for our global technical management including Ship Management, SHEQ, Crewing, and Newbuilding.
Fevian Leong
Fevian Leong
Fevian joined BW Epic Kosan in August 2022 as Human Resources Director. She has over 20 years of human resources management and development experience, spanning across healthcare, hospitality, maritime, IT and gas industries. Fevian has extensive experience in handling merger and acquisition, and leading organisational change across global corporations. Prior to joining BW Epic Kosan, she was the Head of HR, ASEAN at Linde Gas Asia and ASEAN HR Director at Signify (formerly known as Philips Lighting).
Board of Directors
The BW Epic Kosan Board brings a lifetime of entrepreneurship, business experience and industry knowledge to the table.
Andreas Sohmen-Pao
Andreas Sohmen-Pao
Andreas Sohmen-Pao is Chairman of BW Group and listed affiliates BW Offshore, BW LPG, Hafnia, BW Energy and Cadeler. He is also Chairman of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, and a trustee of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
Mr Sohmen-Pao was previously Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation and has served as a non-executive director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd, London P&I Club, Navigator Holdings, Singapore Symphonia Company, National Parks Board Singapore, Sport Singapore and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore amongst others.
Mr Sohmen-Pao graduated from Oxford University in England with an honours degree in Oriental Studies and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Nicholas Lykiardopulo
Nicholas Lykiardopulo
Nicholas joined the Board in 2017, and brings many years of experience in shipping, commodities and finance. Within his family shipping business, Neda Maritime, he was involved in purchases, disposals and financing of numerous shipping assets, he has also advised on investments in private equity and financial products, both on behalf of Neda as well as in his role as Director of The UK Mutual Steamship Association of Bermuda. Nicholas is on the Board of Diorasis International SA, an alternative Investment Advisory firm based in Luxembourg. He is also a Director of Web Holding Limited. He holds an MA from Oxford University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
Esben Poulsson
Esben Poulsson
Esben has worked in the maritime industry for over 50 years, holding a variety of senior management positions in Hong Kong, London, Copenhagen and Singapore. He is Non-Executive Chairman of Cambiaso Risso Asia Pte. Ltd. and of KST Group (formerly Keppel Smit Towage Pte Ltd.). He is Non-Executive Director of Finnlines PLc, Helsinki, Enesel Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Enesel Bulk Logistics DMCC, Dubai, Enesel Bulk Logistics Pte. Ltd. and of Abu Dhabi Ports Group (Maritime & Shipping Cluster). He also serves as Senior Advisor to the Chairman of X-Press Feeders Ltd. He served an 8-year term on the Board of the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) stepping down in January 2024. He is immediate past President of the Singapore Shipping Association (2019) and immediate past Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (2022).
Tommy Thomsen
Tommy Thomsen
Tommy brings over 35 years of experience in shipping, logistics, finance and international business. He is currently CEO of the Lauritzen Foundation and it’s holding company Lauritzen Fonden Holding. He also serves as Chairman of J. Lauritzen and Vice Chairman of Lauritzen Bulkers. Tommy was previously the CEO of Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries and before that CEO of Nordic Tankers and prior partner in Clipper Group. He has also had a long career in A.P. Moller-Maersk, latest as member of the executive board with responsibility of APM Terminals and other activities. He was also the CEO of Maersk Inc. based in USA. Further he earlier held the responsibility of Maersk Tankers. Tommy is Chairman of The Danish Maritime Fund and serves as non-executive director of PSA International and also serves on the Panama Canal advisory board. He also holds several other board memberships within the Lauritzen Group of companies.
Kristian Verner Mørch
Kristian Verner Mørch
Kristian has more than 30 years’ experience in the shipping industry, working across both Europe and Asia. He currently serves as CEO of J.Lauritzen. He was CEO of Odfjell SE until May 2022. Prior to that, he was partner and CEO of Clipper Group, and before that had a career at A.P.Moller-Maersk – most significantly as COO of Maersk Tankers. He has served on the boards of Odfjell SE, Nordic Shipholding, Danish Ferries and Broström. Kristian holds an MBA from IMD Switzerland, and has attended the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.
Billy Chiu
Billy Chiu
Billy is Executive Vice President of BW Group and has been with BW since 1985 with over 30 years of experience in the shipping industry. His current role as EVP oversees the Dry Cargo business, Group Crewing Services, Quality and Compliance department, Internal Audit, and Asset Management teams. Billy was appointed as Director of Commercial and Operations in 2003 and later as SVP of Commercial (Tankers). From 2002 to 2003, he was COO responsible for operations, manning, fleet systems and purchasing. He also oversaw the Corporate Affairs and Compliance division of the company from 2011 to 2016. From 1995 to 2002, Billy held senior positions within World-Wide. Billy graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor of Social Science degree, majoring in management studies and economics. Currently, he is also a Director at the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and the UK P&I Club.
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