Colleagues of new Braemar Shipping Services chairman Nigel Payne say the UK shipbroker is getting a chatty, friendly addition to the team.

Rod Waldie, whose company Gateley is chaired by Payne, told TradeWinds that the new head of Braemar's board is "very incisive" and has masses of experience in the listed company environment.

"He's a very good check and balance on what the executive team do," Waldie said.

And he reached for a nautical metaphor when describing Payne's management style.

"He's not interfering in any way, he's just a really good nudge on the tiller when the business requires, and just very insightful," Waldie added.

Milton Keynes-based Payne's hobbies include mountain climbing, cycling, Formula 1 motor racing and table tennis.

Scaling the peaks

He has made four charitable ascents of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya.

The new chairman has also successfully undertaken several other charity challenges, including a 1,000-mile (1,600-km) bike ride from London to Monte Carlo over the French Alps, and a 600-mile cycle from north to south Portugal.

Payne has made more than £750,000 ($1m) for charitable causes in total.

"He's very comfortable and open about his interests," said GetBusy chief executive Daniel Rabie, who also works with Payne.

"He's just got such a broad interest base. Everything he does, he does with real passion and meaning and you kind of get caught up in that."

However, Rabie said he challenged Payne to table tennis, one of his favourite sports, but the new Braemar chairman had broken his wrist.

"I think that was just an excuse!" Rabie said.

Waldie describes Payne as amiable and a good laugh.

"He's got a very dry sense of humour, very engaging, very chatty, not stand-offish at all, in fact quite the opposite. I really like him," the executive said.

Payne was the boss of gambling firm Sportingbet from 2000 to 2006, overseeing its London listing and leading the business at its peak to a market value of £2bn.

He has long been an outspoken critic of bans on online gambling, preferring to see legislation and regulation.

He has also been an advisor to former US president Bill Clinton's charitable foundation.