Senior management
Hans-Christian Olesen
Chief Executive Officer & Head of Long-Term
Mr. Olesen has held various management positions in Ultrabulk, and his comprehensive knowledge and competent management has led him to his current position as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Olesen has been in the shipping industry since 1987, where he started in the East Asiatic Company (EAC). In his early career, he was stationed for two years in Vancouver, Canada, and two years in New York, USA. In 1994, Mr. Olesen returned to Copenhagen where he took responsibility for the company’s chartering department for European dry cargo division. In 1997, he transferred to the Eitzen group in connection with the latter’s take-over of EAC’s bulk activities, and in 2010 Eitzen Bulk merged into Ultrabulk. Mr. Olesen has held various roles and management positions in Ultrabulk. From 2003, he headed the Far East and Middle East activities and subsequently in 2007, took global responsibility for the company’s Supramax activities. In 2014, Mr. Olesen also took charge of the company’s global Panamax activities, before taking the position as Chief Operating Officer in 2021. Since 2022, Mr. Olesen has held the position as Chief Executive Officer of Ultrabulk. Mr. Olesen has a degree in International Trade from the Copenhagen Business School. Mr. Olesen is a member of the Baltic Exchange Index Council, and is also Director at BIMCO. Furthermore, he is a board member of several Ultrabulk subsidiaries. Mr. Olesen is a Danish citizen and resides in Denmark.
Daniel Ng Tat Yuen
Head of Asia
Mr Ng’s interest in shipping spans from 30 years in the shipping industry to lecturing part-time at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University for the Master’s Programme in Ship Operations, Chartering and Broking. Mr. Ng started in Tschudi & Eitzen Bulkers in 2000 doing chartering and marketing of T&E Supramax business. In 2005, Mr. Ng moved to Beijing to set up the Eitzen Bulk Beijing Representative office with focus on exploring business opportunities in China for the company. In 2010, Eitzen Bulk was acquired by Ultrabulk, and in 2017 Mr. Ng returned to Singapore as Head of Supramax, Asia for Ultrabulk. Today, Mr. Ng holds the position as Head of Asia. Mr. Ng has an Honours degree in Maritime Studies from the University of Plymouth, United Kingdom, and he obtained an MBA with University of South Australia. He has been part-time lecturer since 2018, alongside his position in Ultrabulk. Mr. Ng is a Singapore citizen and resides in Singapore.
Kenneth Carlsen
Head of Panamax
Mr. Carlsen has acquired a truly diversified knowledge of the dry cargo segments, having been involved in all Ultrabulk’s segments – from Handysize to Supramax and Panamax. Mr. Carlsen started his shipping career in the late 1980s. At the beginning of his career, Mr. Carlsen worked in Copenhagen, but later he worked 10 years in London for an owners/operator company and for latter part as broker. In 2001, Mr. Carlsen joined Tschudi & Eitzen Bulkers which later merged into Ultrabulk. During Mr. Carlsen’s 20 years in Ultrabulk, he has been involved in all segments being Handy, Supramax and Panamax, both in the Atlantic and the Pacific. Today, Mr. Carlsen is the Head of Panamax. Prior to this, Mr. Carlsen held the position as Head of Supramax and the Atlantic, but with daily special focus on the East Coast South America area. Mr. Carlsen is a Danish citizen and resides in Denmark.
Klaus Munk Andersen
Head of Supramax
Mr. Andersens career has brought him around the world – from Asia to South America and back to Denmark. Mr. Andersen started his career in 1989 at the East Asiatic Company (EAC). In 1996, he was stationed in Hong Kong as General Manager with responsibility for the group’s dry cargo activities in Asia. A year later, in 1997, he transferred to the Eitzen Group. In 2000, Mr. Andersen was promoted to Group Senior Vice President, Head of Asia and established the company’s office in Singapore. While he continued having the responsibility for the group’s dry cargo activities in Asia, Mr. Andersen was in 2004 also appointed Managing Director of the company’s ship owning activities in Singapore with responsibility for the fleet of own bulk carriers, gas carriers and chemical tankers. Following the acquisition of Eitzen Bulk by Ultrabulk, in 2014 Mr. Andersen relocated from Singapore to Chile as Executive Vice President and took over the global responsibility for Ultrabulk’s handysize division and the office in Santiago. In 2021, Mr. Andersen took the position as Head of Supramax and during 2022, he moved back to Denmark. Mr. Andersen holds an HD degree in Business Economics and Marketing Management from Copenhagen Business School and has completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School, Boston. Mr. Andersen is a Danish citizen and resides in Denmark.
Thomas Ingerslev
Head of Handysize
Mr. Ingerslev’s career has largely evolved around South America and the commercial activities in the area. Mr. Ingerslev started his shipping career in 2003 as a trainee with Tschudi & Eitzen Bulkers. Upon completion of the apprenticeship, Mr. Ingerslev was posted in Brazil until 2009, where he returned to Denmark and took various positions with Eitzen Bulk and subsequently Ultrabulk, following the latter’s acquisition of Eitzen Bulk in 2010. In 2014, Mr. Ingerslev briefly joined Eastern Bulk carriers as Head of Atlantic in Norway, but later same year, he re-joined Ultrabulk as Head of Brazil developing the commercial activities in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. In 2021, Mr. Ingerslev took on his current position as Head of Handysize taking over the global responsibility of the activities in Ultrabulk’s handysize division and relocated to Denmark. Mr. Ingerslev has an Executive MBA in shipping and logistics from Copenhagen Business School. Mr. Ingerslev is a Danish citizen and resides in Denmark.
Saskia Hochstein
Head of Parcel Services
The shipping industry runs in Mrs. Hochstein veins – she comes out of a shipping family and though she initially did not expect to end up in shipping, she was side tracked to the industry and ended up heading the family shipping company. Mrs. Hochstein started her shipping career in Hamburg in 1992 as a trainee, while taking a degree in International Shipping from Staatliches Handelschule Berliner Tor. Hereafter, Mrs. Hochstein worked as a shipbroker in London and Hamburg, before leaving Hamburg to go back to her hometown Dusseldorf, where she ran the family shipping company with her father, taking on the position as a Managing Director. Mrs. Hochstein’s main focus was on specialised chartering activities in the Liner and Parcelling segments and with a strong focus on steel trading. In 2012, Mrs. Hochstein moved to Denmark and joined the company in 2013. Here she started the Parcelling activities for Ultrabulk with her industry know-how. Presently, Mrs. Hochstein holds the position as Head of Parcel Service, which she achieved from her comprehensive industry skills and her approach based on partnership and trust. Mrs. Hochstein is a German citizen with Dutch roots and resides in Denmark.
Jørgen Larsen
Head of MPP & Minibulk Services
Mr. Larsen has been in the shipping industry for more than three decades, and although trading worldwide, he has always kept a main focus on the African continent in small ships and specialised services. Mr. Larsen began his shipping career in 1982 as a shipping trainee for Copenship. After graduating his traineeship, Mr. Larsen was stationed in Roun, France, where he took the position as broker for Inchcape Shipping Service. In 1993, he returned to Copenhagen and Copenship, and in 2010 he became a majority shareholder for the company. In 2015, Mr. Larsen transferred to Ultrabulk to expand the trade to and from East/West and South Africa for the company – an area the company had not been focused on before. Presently, Mr. Larsen holds the position as Head of MPP & Minibulk Services with emphasis on the trades to and from East, West and South Africa. Mr. Larsen is a Danish citizen and resides in Denmark.
Axel Krumhoff
Head of African Services
Mr. Krumhoff’s career has evolved around the African continent, leading him to his current position as Head of African Services. Mr. Krumhoff started his shipping career in 1986 with MACS ground in Hamburg by taking the apprentice ship with the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. Later, he transferred to Johannesburg, South Africa as Chartering Executive. In 1991, Mr. Krumhoff joined Neptune Shipping Johannesburg as Cargo Broker, and two years later he joined Marine Cargo Lines (MCL) as a Chartering Manager. In 1999, Mr. Krumhoff transferred to MCL in Spain as Chartering Manager and Commercial Manager. In 2004, he joined Island View Shipping as Chartering Manager in the parcelling trade and later he became General Manager of the company. Finally, in 2017, Mr. Krumhoff joined Ultrabulk in South Africa where he presently holds the position as Head of African Services. Mr. Krumhoff is a German citizen with a permanent residence permit residing in Cape Town.
Jean-Pierre du Toit
Head of African Services
Mr. du Toit started his career in shipping in 2003 with a 1-year chartering traineeship at Sealift in Antwerp. In 2007 he joined Beluga Shipping in Johannesburg, South Africa where he ran all the chartering and commercial activities on his own for four years. Meanwhile, in 2009 he got his diploma in Management from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Witwatersrand. Beluga Shipping folded internationally which led to Mr. du Toit joining Island View Shipping in Durban in 2011. Here, he remained for six years in most of which he ran the SA / China parcel service. In March 2017 Mr. du Toit joined Ultrabulk and started the office in Cape Town, where he currently holds the position as Head of African services. Mr. du Toit is a South African citizen and resides in Cape Town.
Søren C. Thomsen
Head of Global Operations
Mr. Thomsen is a seasoned shipping professional with over 30 years of experience in the industry. In 1987, Mr. Thomsen started his shipping career as a trainee at the East Asiatic Company (EAC). After graduation, Mr. Thomsen was stationed abroad first in the USA and later in England, to further his career. In 1993, he was appointed Deputy General Manager of the shipping department of Saudi Industrial Export Company in Riyadh. This experience added a new dimension to his expertise and exposed him to the workings of the international shipping market. Mr. Thomsen returned to EAC’s bulk division in Copenhagen in 1995 and transferred to the Eitzen Group when they acquired the EAC dry bulk activities in 1997. Same year, Mr. Thomsen was promoted to head the Eitzen Bulk operations department, where he oversaw fuel procurement, laytime, and legal commercial issues. Alongside his professional achievements, Mr. Thomsen is also a passionate people manager. He has played a key role in mentoring and guiding the next generation of shipping professionals, helping them to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in this dynamic industry. As part of Ultrabulk, Mr. Thomsen’s role has expanded to include managing the Ultrabulk owned fleet, oversee the operation of an ever expanding charterered fleet, and participating in various shipping-related networks and committees. He has complemented his theoretical education with a management development program that includes courses at institutions such as INSEAD. Mr. Thomsen is a Danish citizen and resides in Denmark.
Oskar Fabricius
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Fabricius is driven by data and has a passion for optimization. His career has been fast paced, and though he only entered the industry in 2011, he currently holds the position as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Fabricius started his career in shipping as Shipping Trainee in Nordic Tankers in 2011, after which he served as Operator. In 2014, he joined Ultranav Business Support, first as Head of Operations Control and then a few years later also took charge of creating the Business Intelligence team. In 2020, Mr. Fabricius was promoted to Managing Director of Ultranav Business Support, and in 2021, when Ultranav Business Support merged into Ultrabulk, Mr. Fabricius took the position of CFO for Ultrabulk. Mr. Fabricius also is responsible for the support team, the BI team and the company’s digitalization efforts. Mr. Fabricius has a financial and analytical background and studied a Master of Science in Business Administration and Auditing at Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and later attended the Transition to Business Leadership programme at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland. Mr. Fabricius is Danish citizen and resides in Denmark.
Board of Directors
Per von Appen
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Per von Appen has been across the world to educate and gain knowledge of the industry. Mr. von Appen obtained a Business Degree at the Universidad Católica de Chile. His theoretical education has been complemented via an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School of Boston (USA). After graduating, Mr. von Appen took shipping internships, both in Europe and the USA, most notably at Galbraith in London, Oldendorff in Germany and Cape Tankers, Fort Lauderdale. In 2011, Mr. von Appen was appointed Ultrabulk Executive Vice President, Head of Handysize. Three years later, in 2014, he transferred and appointed Executive Vice President of Transmares. Later, Mr. von Appen became in charge of Fray Leon, and in 2023 he was appointed Chairman of Ultranav. His theoretical education has been complimented via a management development program that included an advanced management program at the Harvard University. Mr. von Appen is a Chilean citizen and resides in Chile.
Peter Stokes
Board Member
Mr. Stokes has been involved in the shipping industry for 50 years, and previously served as Senior Adviser and Head of Shipping at Lazard. Through his work as a senior investment banker and member of several boards of directors, Mr. Stokes has long-standing experience in acting as advisor to many shipping companies. He has been a member of the Advisory Board of Ultranav for the past 10 years and served as Chairman of the Global Maritime Forum, a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to shaping the future of global seaborne trade to increase sustainable long-term economic development and human well-being, since its foundation in 2017. Due to his breadth of knowledge, Peter Stokes is a frequent speaker at international shipping and finance conferences. Mr. Stokes is a British citizen and resides in England.
Enrique Ide
Mr. Enrique Ide has a comprehensive management experience and experience as member of the board of directors of different industrial companies and moreover long-standing experience in the shipping industry. He was CEO of Ultranav for 11 years and is a board member for Empresas Carozzi S.A. and Küpfer Hermanos S.A,. Mr. Ide holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, he is a Chilean citizen and resides in Chile.