Voting for the IBIA Board Elections 2022 is now open until 16 February, said the International Bunkering Industry Association (IBIA) on Tuesday (11 January).

This year, a total of 10 candidates are standing for election with four vacancies to fill.

Members of IBIA are encouraged to vote for the candidates who in their opinion will make a meaningful contribution to the running of the Association.

All paid up members of IBIA should have received a link that will enable them to vote.

The candidates in this year’s IBIA Board Elections are:

• Anna Stefanou, Finance Manager , PMG HOLDING (based in United Kingdom)
• Eugenia Benavides, Marine Fuels Director, Organizacion Terpel S.A (based in Colombia)
• Jaime Ochoa, Owner and Manager, CI International Fuels SAS (based in Colombia)
• John Phillips, Director and Co-Founder, Awyr Las Ltd (based in United Kingdom)
• Kenneth Dam, Head of Bunkering, Trafigura – Director, TFG Marine (based in Switzerland)
• Rajiv Servansingh, General Manager, State Trading Corporation (based in Mauritius)
• Timothy Cosulich, CEO, Fratelli Cosulich Bunkers Pte Ltd (based in Singapore)
• Tyler Baron, CEO, Minerva Bunkering (based in Switzerland)
• Valeria Sessa, Managing Director, Reseaworld S.R.L. (based in Italy)
• Wajdi Abdmessih, President, Seahawk Services (based in New Jersey, USA)

The electoral statements of the candidates are as follows:

Anna Stefanou

Career Details

Anna is currently Finance Manager of PMG HOLDING. Anna also holds position as Credit Manager and is part of Business Development team at PMG.

PMG HOLDING is a physical supplier of bunkers in Black Sea ports since 2002. PMG supplies all grades by barge in the Russian Black Sea and Kavkaz OPL. PMG is the incumbent supplier in all ports of Ukraine delivering by own fleet of bunkering tankers and trucks.

Anna started her career at Goldman Sachs and spent a decade in investment banking raising to the ranks of Vice President covering the CEE region before she joined PMG 6 years ago.

Anna was part of WISTA Ukraine, WISTA Cyprus and is currently part of WISTA UK.

Anna holds the following degrees:

BSc Economics from Warwick University

MSc Economics & Finance from Sorbonne University

MSc Finance from Imperial College London

Electoral Statement

As a woman manager and member of WISTA, my aim is to make the female voice heard in bunkering industry. I believe that my background in investment banking and experience in Goldman and Morgan Stanley prior to joining the Shipping Industry will bring yet another angle to the diverse IBIA board.

Eugenia Benavides

Career Details

Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, attended Marymount College of Virginia, USA and  Universidad del Norte, Colombia  earning  a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has a post-graduate degree in International Business Management (Univ Javeriana),Maritime Transportation and Port Legislation(Pronaval),  Maritime and Port affairs(CEPAL Chile) and  Administrative Skills(Univ Sergio Arboleda)

Since 1984, Eugenia has worked with major oil company Terpel, handling various positions, such as sales assistant, marketing director, operations, sales, commercial manager, and company’s legal representative  Currently she is the Director of Marine Fuels  and  has been an active member of various professional and community organizations such as ABSA, ACSA,  Marymount School Parents Association, GranAbastos, SACSA, Promitel, Transoccidente and today in  Actuar Famiempresas, Marymount Alumni Association, WISTA Colombia and IBIA and  participates  in SPE Colombia committee.

She has been a speaker-panelist  at the Bunker News Conference, Maritime week Americas  events  worldwide and has conducted various Basic Bunkering Courses in English and Spanish.

Electoral Statement

I am confident that my qualifications and enthusiasm make me an ideal candidate to the board. I am eager to actively participate in the decision-making process relevant to the global bunker community. I have the drive, energy, professional relationships, commitment and years of experience that will help promote IBIA worldwide.

Jamie Ochoa

Career Details

Owner and Manager of CI INTERNATIONAL FUELS, a company with 16 years in Colombia. CI International Fuels is a barges, tugs and trucks owner and Operator Company with services on Bunkering in Colombian’s Ports Board Member AMCHAM (Colombian American Chamber of Commerce) member of the U.S. Chamber Of Commerce.

Active participant, sponsor and speaker in multiple conferences such as IBIA, Maritime Weeks America, Platts, Mare Forum, Wisdom, Argus, Index, Petrospot among others.

IBIA Board Member

Winner of multiple national and international awards for the company: The Bizz Awards, Latin American Quality Institute – LAQI, International Star Award Geneva, Quality Summit Award, Business Merit Award – Universidad Simon Bolivar and as CEO of the company: The World Leader Business Person, Excellent in Quality Management, Excellent in Business Management, Master in Total Quality Administration, Master & Branding / Manager and Leader, Quality Assurance Manager Civil Engineer with a Master in Project Management

Electoral Statement

Throughout all the experience that gives 16 years in the market of the Caribbean and the Pacific makes it necessary for the new airs of IBIA board a professional that could represent the association interests with first-hand information about the behaviour of the market in our region.

John Phillips

Career Details

A long-time active IBIA member and a frequent presenter at IBIA and other industry events. John initially worked in port agency and tanker operations for Rowbotham Tankships, he later managed ship agency offices and operations for Graypen, Haven Marine Services and Furness Marine Services in South Wales, and Athens, and Kanoo in Saudi Arabia.  His skill sets beyond this included on/off hire surveys, ship vetting surveys, ship S&P, dry bulk and liner trades. After postgraduate studies at the University of Plymouth, John specialised in marine and bunker credit management. He managed teams for MRC/Lloyd’s List Intelligence, Ocean Intelligence (OI) and headed notable global bunker credit teams for physical suppliers & B2B traders. John has developed new ideas for bunker credit management, developed bunker credit policies and worked with teams rebuilding his original bunker credit model for universal usage, and introduced a number of key bunker market players to the excess of loss credit insurance concept.

Electoral Statement

Bunkers is undergoing rapid change both in terms of what is marine fuel and how we manage the business of supply. Now, more than ever broad thought processes are needed. My varied shipping background, without acting as trader or broker leaves me well positioned to challenge the status-quo, asking questions like ‘why’.

Kenneth Dam

Career Details

6 years in Monjasa

Started as trader and after one year I took over the Africa book taking it from 2 ships to 25 ships. In the last part of my time in Monjasa, I took over as European lead being responsible for 30 traders and 3 offices. Physical operations in UK Channel, Skaw and Baltics.

5 years in Trafigura

Started in Trafigura start Jan 2017 starting at the fuel desk being responsible for bunkering while assisting mainly the Africa Fuel desk. We started the project on either buying or setting up a bunkering company, and we started TFG start Jan 2020. Being Global head of Bunkering for Trafigura, I am also responsible for TFG setting on the board in all our companies. We are at current doing + 800 KT per month being physical in close to 30 locations.

Electoral Statement

I bring experience on physical bunkering to the board, and the board can have access to knowledge and knowhow not there today. My personal push for MFM in Rotterdam and Antwerp is a good example of the drive and energy; I bring to the table, which I will bring to the Ibia board as well.

Rajiv Servansingh

Career Details

During the past twenty years, I have directed and chaired a number of industry and Government institutions.

2001-2006: The Deputy Secretary General of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry – an association of major economic operators in Mauritius

2006-2009: Regional Director for Board of Investments (Mauritius) based in Mumbai, India – Promoting investments in various economic sectors

2009-2021: Chairmanships:

2010-2012: Airport Terminal Operations Ltd, Mauritius

2010-2014: Competition Commission of Mauritius – Setting up the Competition Commission in Mauritius

2009-2021: Managing Director and Chairman MindAfrica Projects Ltd – A company set up by myself for promotion of investments from India to Africa through Mauritius Financial Centre

Chairman Mauritius Africa Fund – A Government agency promoting and facilitating Mauritius-Africa economic integration

I was an elected Member of Parliament in Mauritius from 1976-1982.

Electoral Statement

Coming from a State trading institution from a Small Island Developing economy in Africa, we feel that we can contribute a rather unique perspective to the deliberations of IBIA Board. Mauritius is emerging as an important regional Bunker Trading Hub building on its historical experience as an internationally trading nation.

Timothy Cosulich

 Career Details

Timothy worked as a Strategy Manager at PwC in London and Madrid and was the General Manager at AP Moller Maersk terminal business in the Netherlands. Since 2010 he is the CEO of his family business, Fratelli Cosulich. Tim holds an MBA from INSEAD and is the current Vice Chairman of IBIA, the Chairman of IBIA Asia Regional Board, and the Chairman of YPO Singapore.

He lives in Singapore, is married with two kids and is a passionate triathlete, having represented Italy at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.

Fratelli Cosulich is a diversified multinational Group, fully owned by the Cosulich family, now at its 7th generation. The Group started in 1857 as a shipowner and today operates out of 21 countries with revenues in excess of USD 1.5bn per year and over 1,200 employees. Main activities include ship agency, marine fuel trading and physical supply, manning, catering, yacht services, freight-forwarding, and ship owning.

Electoral Statement

Having had the privilege to serve one term as IBIA Board Member and Vice Chairman, I wish to continue the good work that has been done so far to maintain IBIA as a prominent voice in the industry and to add value to its members through engagement and knowledge sharing

Tyler Baron

Career Details

Mr. Baron is the Chief Executive Officer of Minerva Bunkering, a leading marine fuels supplier and subsidiary of the Mercuria Energy Group.

Minerva serves customers in 150 ports worldwide, including 35 physical supply locations powered by the industry’s largest integrated supply chain and portfolio of bunkering dedicated fixed assets.

At Minerva, Mr. Baron has led an expansion of the physical supply network, the development of emissions management services for its customers, and the promotion of greater efficiency and transparency in the industry through the creation of the innovative Advanced Delivery Platform.

Prior to joining Minerva, Mr. Baron led the financial and operational restructuring of Aegean Marine Petroleum Network, Inc., later acquired by Mercuria.

Mr. Baron has two decades of experience in equity and debt capital markets, specializing in public and private investing across the energy and industrial landscape.

Mr. Baron graduated from the University of California at Berkeley.

Electoral Statement

The bunkering industry faces significant change driven by the secular trends of consolidation, digitalization, and energy transition.  From the perspective of leading Minerva’s strategy across each of these trends, I would be honored to contribute to IBIA’s voice as it guides the industry and its stakeholders forward.

Valeria Sessa

Career Details

I am Valeria Sessa, Managing Director of Reseaworld, an Italian female led trading and brokering marine fuel and oil company, based in Naples, and a recently opened branch in Greece, founded 5 years ago thanks to our family tradition.

I personally have 30 years of experience in the shipping sector, first on the side of Shipowners as head of a bunker and lubricant buying office and, since 2016, on the side of traders.

A family activity is always a guaranteed success when you trust the younger generation to steer the vessel in the right direction with trust and responsibility.

We take pride in our company culture that translates in culture of the sea, history and tradition that cannot be imitated.

I believe strongly in the importance of associations and I am consequently a proud member of IBIA, the Propellers Club of Naples and Assarmatori, Italian Red Cross, Wista and Confitarma.

Electoral Statement

I could contribute to the IBIA board with a point of view that concerns the buyer and the seller thanks to my past experience looking towards the future. It would be the greatest honour for me to represent the interests of the shipping industry and would appreciate your vote immensely.

Wajdi Abdmessih

Career Details

During my college years, I started working in Alexandria Petroleum Refinery. After graduating with a degree in Geology/Chemistry, I moved to the USA, studying computer science for two years. I became a laboratory chemist/It and petroleum surveyor in “ABS Oil testing Services,” analyzing fuel oil and petrochemical. Through the years, I occupied different positions from laboratory manager, Operation manager, branch manager, technical director to Global vice president of marine fuels.

In 2014 I founded “Seahawk Services” to provide independent Inspection and Certification services related to the sale and purchase of Oil and petrochemical cargo. Today, we own three laboratories in the USA and Singapore.

Trusted by many fuels suppliers and vessel owners/operators worldwide, in 2014, I blended/evaluated the  2015 ECA 0.10% sulfur fuels and in 2019, I blended/evaluated the 0.50% sulfur fuel, which began in January 2020.

I’m a Long-time member of IBIA, ASTM, CMA and involve as an expert witness in legal disputes of fuel quality.

Electoral Statement

With over 30 years of onhand experience in Marine fuel blending, testing, and inspection, I have the experience and the knowledge to work with all members to overcome today’s fuel challenge and strengthen our team to succeed tomorrow.

Photo credit and source: International Bunkering Industry Association
Published: 13 January, 2022