Henry "Harry" Deans is to step down from his position as chief executive of LPG shipowner Navigator Holdings and from his seat on the board.
Deans has given notice of his intention to step down, which is effective as of Thursday, the New York-listed shipowner said in a release.
He was appointed as a member of Navigator's board in November 2018 and became chief executive in August 2019.
In that time, he has overseen Navigator's merger with Chilean rival Ultragas, which has grown the fleet to 55 LPG carriers, around half of which are semi-pressurised vessels.
Deans said it was time to hand over the reins, now that the merger is complete.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed my time at Navigator and I'm glad I was at the helm to commission the ethylene terminal and successfully complete the merger with Ultragas," he said.
"Now is an appropriate time for someone with a more seasoned maritime background to take the lead at the company."
Navigator said it will begin the process of recruiting Deans' successor immediately.
In the meantime, his duties will be handled by Navigator's existing senior management team as well as Michael Schroder, the chief executive of Ultragas Denmark. Deans is not the only one who has stepped down following the completion of the Ultragas merger.
Veteran Navigator boss David Butters retired as executive chairman in September after 13 years at the LPG carrier group. Dag von Appen has stepped in as non-executive chairman.
Von Appen is a member of Ultragas' controlling family, which took a 27.5% stake in Navigator as part of the sale.
He joined the Navigator board in August, to represent Ultragas' former parent Ultranav, which he also chairs.
Von Appen said: "On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Harry for his service and contribution to the business during his time at Navigator. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours."
