WORK BOAT WORLD:
Alex Barrell will take over as the new Executive Director, Response, of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) effective September 15, 2025.
With 30 years’ experience across the maritime, regulatory and emergency management sectors, Barrell currently serves as Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer at Marine Rescue NSW, where he previously held the role of Deputy Commissioner, Operations and Capability. His career includes frontline service at NSW Police Force and senior executive roles at NSW Maritime.
In his role as Executive Director, Barrell will be based in Canberra and will oversee AMSA’s Response Centre, which coordinates search and rescue operations across Australia’s maritime and aviation regions.
He will also oversee AMSA’s infrastructure supporting navigation safety and high-value aviation and surface assets. This includes about 480 aids to navigation, the Challenger aircraft fleet used in incident response, and the Reef Keeper emergency towing vessel tasked with protecting the marine environment in the Torres Strait and Great Barrier Reef.
Effective September 1, 2025, Eugenio Santagata will take on the role of Director of Fincantieri’s Naval Vessels Division. He will succeed Dario Deste, who will be retiring. Deste will continue to support the CEO in overseeing the development of operations in the United States.
A former officer in the Italian Army, Santagata later held executive roles in companies in the defence sector. At Elettronica, he led international development activities and strategic planning in high-priority geopolitical areas.
Santagata holds degrees in law and political science and completed advanced studies in the United States. He also has an MBA degree from the London Business School.
Fincantieri has appointed George A. Moutafis as the new Chief Executive Officer of the company’s US subsidiary the Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG).
Moutafis brings over 25 years of executive experience across strategic planning, program management, and industrial restructuring, with a track record in both the public and private sectors. His background includes leadership roles in major defence and manufacturing organisations, most recently as Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Beretta USA Corporation.
He also previously held leadership roles within FMG, contributing to program execution in support of US Navy platforms.
Maritime software company OrbitMI has appointed Sujit Padhye to a senior leadership role overseeing product strategy and managed services.
Padhye brings over 25 years of combined experience in commercial shipping, maritime operations, and digital product development. A former master mariner, he has built a career bridging shipboard expertise and maritime technology, most recently focusing on voyage optimisation, emissions compliance, and fleet performance monitoring.
Prior to joining OrbitMI, Padhye served as Head of Voyage Planning and Optimisation at the Synergy Marine Group. Before that, he was Head of Route Optimisation at Lloyd’s Register, where he oversaw the development and implementation of route optimisation strategies for shipowners and operators worldwide, integrating environmental and performance data into voyage planning workflows.
Effective August 1, 2025, Stephen J. Schaefer will join the board of directors of Golar LNG.
Schaefer brings extensive experience in the natural gas and electricity markets, having been actively involved in the sector since 1993. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Talen Energy Corporation, as a member of the Board of Directors for GenOn Energy and as a Senior Advisor of EverGen Power.
Schaefer’s previous roles include Chairman of GenOn Energy and Texgen Power and as member of the Board of Directors for Homer City Holdings and Element Markets. Prior to retiring in 2015, he was a Partner with Riverstone Holdings, a private equity firm focused on energy investing.
Schaefer was a Managing Director with the Huron Consulting Group, where he founded and headed its Energy Practice. From 1998 to 2003, he was Managing Director and Vice President of Duke Energy North America, responsible for mergers and acquisitions.
Schaefer is a chartered financial analyst and holds a BS magna cum laude in finance and accounting from Northeastern University.
Marin Guillo has been appointed as a new Business Developer with French naval architecture firm Mauric as it expands its operations in Southeast Asia.
Guillo will be based at Mauric’s newly opened office in Changi Business Park in Singapore. The scope of his work encompasses developing relationships with regional shipyards and shipowners, with the objective of extending Mauric’s reach throughout the region.
Lloyd's Register (LR) has announced the appointment of Edward Koo as its new Strategic Business Partner and Senior Responsible Person (Vice President) for Hong Kong.
In his new role, Koo will lead LR's strategic client relationship management for the region's maritime clients while serving as the senior representative for LR in Hong Kong.
Koo brings over a decade of maritime industry experience to LR. Most recently, he served as Group Chief Operations Officer at Tai Chong Cheang Steamship (TCC), where he led the commercial and technical operations for the company’s bulker and tanker fleets. Prior to joining TCC, he worked as an IT Operations Business Analyst at Chevron, supporting pricing operations for finished products at owned and franchised global gasoline stations.
Ben Trodd has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings, the joint owner and operator of Four Seasons Yachts along with the Four Seasons Group. He took on his new role on July 1, 2025.
Trodd has spend 25 years with Four Seasons and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of AMAN. Prior to that, his decades-long tenure at Four Seasons included senior roles as General Manager, Regional Vice President, and most recently, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing.
Trodd will be based in Miami and will oversee the technical operations, planning and deployment, and sales and marketing efforts for Four Seasons Yachts. He will also oversee crew operations and collaboration with construction and design partners Fincantieri and Tillberg Design of Sweden.
Schottel has appointed Holger Trecksel as Managing Director of its subsidiary Schottel Far East, effective July 1, 2025.
Trecksel brings 23 years of experience in the maritime industry to his new role. Holding degrees in naval architecture and business administration, he became familiar with Schottel early in his career. Since then, he has held increasingly senior positions across various maritime companies.
SHIP WORLD:
Jackie Gonsalez has been named Vice President of Advanced Energy of Crowley’s shipping business unit. In this role, she will lead Crowley’s strategic initiatives in LNG distribution and microgrid development, with a focus on Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and other high-growth markets.
Gonsalez most recently served as Vice President of Commercial Operations for Crowley’s shipping business unit, and previously as Vice President for Business Development for Crowley Logistics.