Chair
Mr. Atef Abou Merhi is a founding member and Managing Director of Pelagic Partners, a ship owning fund management company with an AUM of over $400m. He is himself a second-generation ship owner.
He holds a BSc (Hons) in Ship and Port Management from Southampton Solent University and an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid. Atef also earned a diploma with merits in Ship Finance from Lloyd’s Maritime Academy and is an Alumnus of IMD Business School in Lausanne. He is currently attending the OPM Program at Harvard Business School. He is a dual German/Lebanese citizen.
Director
Dr. Niels Hartmann is a founding member and Managing Director of Pelagic Partners. He is also the Chief Executive Officer and board member of the Hartmann Group, a German independent, family-owned shipping company with a fleet of over 150 ships and a provider of third-party ship management services. As Group CEO he is responsible for the strategic development of the Hartmann Group’s business and fleet and for organisational matters. Dr. Niels is also a member of the board of the German Shipowners Defence Association.
Dr. Hartmann is a PhD graduate from the University of Kiel with emphasis on national location factors for shipowning companies. He is a German citizen.
Independent Director
Natasa Pilides is the General Manager of eWise Cyprus Ltd – ESSO branded supplier (formerly ExxonMobil Cyprus Limited). She previously served as the Republic of Cyprus’ Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry (2020–2023), leading Cyprus’s green transition and major EU-funded energy initiatives. Earlier, she was the first Shipping Deputy Minister of Cyprus, Director General of Invest Cyprus, and held senior roles at Baker Tilly and PwC. She is an Oxford graduate and Chartered Accountant (ICAEW Fellow). She is a Cypriot citizen.
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