Henry Strutt

Independent Chair – appointed 1 June 2023

Henry Strutt was appointed Independent Chair with effect from 1 June 2023. Mr Strutt has extensive experience in the investment banking, fund management and financial advisory sectors. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, he spent over twenty years with the Robert Fleming Group, working in the fund management, corporate finance and broking divisions. He spent seventeen years in the Far East, in Hong Kong and Tokyo, working for Jardine Fleming, the Robert Fleming Group’s Asian/Australasian joint venture with Jardine Matheson. He became Executive Chairman of the Jardine Fleming Group in 1996, subsequently returning to London where he was appointed joint Chief Executive of the Robert Fleming Group’s Investment Banking Division, responsible for global broking, securities trading, capital markets, corporate finance and banking. Following the sale of the Robert Fleming group to Chase Manhattan, he worked in an executive and non-executive capacity in various fund management and financial advisory businesses. He was a non-executive Director of Smith & Williamson Holdings (now Evelyn Partners), for over ten years and a non- executive Director of Harrods Bank (now Tandem Bank) for two years. He is currently Chairman of Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust plc, a listed investment trust, and a non-executive Director of New Waves Solutions, part of the Belgian DEME group (dredging and offshore marine services). He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk in 2012.

Frank Dunne

Senior Independent Director

Frank Dunne was appointed Senior Independent Directory on 31 October 2022 and served as Interim Chair for the period 6 January 2023 to 1 June 2023. Mr Dunne has over 40 years’ legal experience, specialising in maritime law and transactions involving major international shipping finance lenders, commercial shipping transactions for major international shipowners, joint ventures, charter structures, new building contracts, and ship (and corporate) acquisitions. Mr Dunne was a Partner of Watson Farley & Williams from 1982 and served as Chairman from 2004 to 2017 during a major period of global expansion for the firm. He established Watson Farley & Williams presence in Greece and remains a prominent figure in Greek shipping and finance circles. In 2011 he was named “Maritime Lawyer of the Year” by leading sector publication Lloyd’s List, and has been described by Chambers UK as providing “great support in dealing with syndicates of banks” and “…good at advising on complex issues with high interests at stake and is highly respected.” He is a qualified solicitor and holds an MA from Cambridge University.

Edward Buttery

Chief Executive Officer

Edward Buttery joined the Supramax trading desk at Clarksons shipbrokers in 2005 after attending Oxford University. He went on to be a chartering manager at Pacific Basin between 2006 and 2008. He served as the Deputy COO of dry bulk shipping operator Asia Maritime Pacific from 2008 to 2010. During this time he sat the Institute of Chartered Ship broker’s examinations for which he was awarded prizes including the President’s prize for best overall results globally. Having gained a foundation in chartering he embarked on a Masters degree in Shipping, Trade and Finance at CASS Business school in London where he graduated with Merit. From there he joined the shipping team at Nordea Bank, lending senior debt to global shipping companies with a presence in Asia. He left Nordea to begin the work to set up what would become Taylor Maritime. Mr Buttery was winner of the Seatrade Asia Young Person of the Year award in 2017.

Mr Buttery was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Grindrod with effect from 1 April 2023.

Christopher Buttery

Non-Executive Director

Christopher Buttery has over 40 years of experience in the shipping industry. He graduated from University College, Oxford, with a honours degree in Modern History and began his shipping career with Jardine, Matheson & Company Limited followed by Continental Grain. Chris later co-founded the original Pacific Basin business in 1987 with Belgian Shipping Partners which he listed on NASDAQ in 1994, and he re-established the current Pacific Basin in 1998 with Paul Over, which Goldman Sachs listed on the HKSE in 2004. He held various Executive positions at Pacific Basin including Deputy Chairman and Chairman until June 2007.

Mr Buttery has been Non-Executive Director of Fleming Japanese Smaller Companies Ltd, Ton Poh Emerging Companies Thailand, Senhouse Asia (now Waverton Asset Management) and firstly Chairman and then Non-Executive Director of Epic Gas Pte; also Non-Executive Director of The China Navigation Company and Swire Bulk Shipping Pte. He is currently Chairman of Taylor Maritime Company, and a Director of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. He was a Trustee of the Hong Kong WWF for ten years.

Trudi Clark

Independent Non-Executive Director

Trudi Clark graduated in Business Studies and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Robson Rhodes in Birmingham before moving to Guernsey with KPMG in 1987. After 10 years in public practice, she was recruited by the Bank of Bermuda as Head of European Internal Audit, later moving into corporate banking. In 1995 she joined Schroders in the Channel Islands as CFO. She was promoted in 2000 to Banking Director and Managing Director in 2003. From 2006 to 2009, Ms Clark established a family office, specialising in alternative investments. In recent years she returned to public practice specialising in corporate restructuring services, establishing the Guernsey practice of David Rubin & Partners Limited. Since 2018 Ms Clark has concentrated on a portfolio of Non-Executive Director appointments for companies both listed and non-listed investing in property, private equity and other assets.

Sandra Platts

Independent Non-Executive Director

Sandra Platts is a resident of Guernsey and holds a Master’s in Business Administration. Mrs. Platts joined Kleinwort Benson (CI) Ltd in 1986 and was appointed to the board in 1992. She undertook the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Channel Islands business and in 2000 for the Kleinwort Benson Private Bank Group – UK and Channel Islands. In January 2007, she was appointed to the position of Managing Director of the Guernsey Branch of Kleinwort Benson and was responsible for a strategic change programme as part of her role as Group Chief Operating Officer. Mrs. Platts also held directorships on the strategic holding board of the KB Group, as well as sitting on the Bank, Trust Company and Operational Boards. She resigned from these boards in 2010.

Mrs Platts is a Senior Independent Non-Executive Director at Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Fund (FTSE 250) and UK Commercial Property REIT (both listed on the Main Market), Investec Bank (Channel Islands) Limited and Marble Point Loan Financing Limited (listed on the Specialist Fund Segment).

Charles Maltby

Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr. Charles Maltby served as a non-executive Director of Grindrod Shipping Holdings Limited prior to joining the Board of the Company on 1 January 2024. Mr Maltby 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 of BW Epic Kosan since March 2015. He attended INSEAD (AMP) in 2008, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.

Alexander Slee

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Alexander Slee has spent the last 15 years in the shipping industry. After starting his career in the investment banking division of Citigroup in London, he joined Pacific Basin Shipping in Hong Kong in 2006 where he worked in a variety of corporate and divisional management roles. From 2010 he was General Manager of Vanship Holdings, a privately owned tanker and bulker ship owning company, and Group Strategy Director at Univan Ship Management, where he was closely involved in its merger with Anglo-Eastern Ship Management. He joined Taylor Maritime in 2016 where he has held the role of Deputy CEO. Mr. Slee holds a BA in Classics from Oxford University and has attended a management programme at INSEAD. He has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.

Camilla Pierrepont

Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Investor Relations

Camilla Pierrepont joined Taylor Maritime in 2018 as Group Strategy Director. Ms. Pierrepont has held various strategy and investment roles over the last 16+ years. Prior to joining the Taylor Maritime Group, Ms. Pierrepont spent 2 years as Portfolio Manager at Blenheim Chalcot (London), a venture capital firm. Previously, she spent 4 years with shipping company, Epic Gas Pte (London & Singapore) as Head of Strategic Development. Prior to Epic, Ms. Pierrepont was a Senior Strategy Manager in the Strategy and Corporate Development Team at Microsoft (Seattle) for 3 years. She started her career as an analyst at Monitor Deloitte (London) after gaining a BA in Chinese Studies from Oxford University in 2004. She was also Founding Trustee of Spark + Mettle from 2011 to 2015, a UK charity supporting young people in the pursuit of their life goals.

Yam Lay Tan

Chief Financial Officer

Yam Lay Tan graduated with an Accountancy degree from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (NTU) in 1993. She has been a member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants since 1994 and is a Chartered Accountant. Prior to joining Taylor Maritime Group in 2019, Ms. Tan was a General Manager, Finance of Epic Gas Pte. for 6 years. Within the Epic Group she served as the director and company secretary of more than 40 companies. Prior to Epic, Ms. Tan held senior finance positions in security, IT, semiconductor and service companies.

Carl Ackerley

Chief Operating Officer

Carl Ackerley has over 30 years’ experience in the shipping industry having become a member of the Baltic Exchange as a shipbroker in 1989. From 1989 – 2001 Carl worked as a broker in London, Johannesburg and Melbourne before moving on to the principal side. From 2001 to 2006, he worked with Furness Withy Australia (FWA) before joining Pacific Basin where he worked from 2006-2010. While at Pacific Basin, Carl headed the group’s Atlantic desk of the new Supramax division, based in London, before transferring to Melbourne to become General Manager of Pacific Basin Australia.

In 2010, Carl joined Island View Shipping (IVS), a division of Grindrod Shipping Pte Ltd, where he established the Supramax division and developed the commercial management of the IVS Handysize fleet and third-party vessels. Carl was appointed Chief Operating Officer for Grindrod Shipping in March 2021 and Chief Operating Officer of Taylor Maritime Investments with effect from 1 June 2023.