Western Bulk Chartering has been in search of a “shipping man” to take the helm — and it is a case of mission accomplished.
The Oslo-listed bulker operator will be headed by Torbjorn Gjervik from September, who is stepping up from his current position as head of the North Atlantic region following the resignation of Hans Aasnes earlier this year.
Gjervik joined Western Bulk as a trainee in 2011, having grown up in a working-class family on the west coast of Norway, near Bergen.
“My grandfathers, my father and my uncle worked onboard oceangoing vessels from an early age,” he said.
“The exciting stories they told me from their adventures at sea and abroad definitely influenced me.
“I was also influenced by a good friend in the short-sea business in Bergen and later by a shipbroker I got in touch with while in the navy.”
Gjervik went on to study in Southampton in the UK and Hong Kong before joining Western Bulk’s trainee programme. “I have never regretted that,” he said.
But now the focus is on what lies ahead. Gjervik said he is “very ambitious” for the company’s future.
“My goal is that Western Bulk delivers good results and does so over time,” he said.
“That will ensure we have surplus positive energy to focus on serving our good customers in the best possible way and keeping our fantastic employees happy.”
Western Bulk has had a turbulent eight years since being re-established in 2016, following the bankruptcy of its predecessor company.
Upon resigning in March, Aasnes — who joined from the finance world five years ago — commented that the company needed a “shipping man” to take it forward. It seems the board has paid attention in appointing his successor.
The company has an established brand and heritage, but it needs to reiterate the stability of its platform to the market. What better way to do so than with a Western Bulk lifer at the helm?
Gjervik knows the company inside out and his point of view on strategy has been informed by his working his way up the ranks in Oslo and seven years in Singapore.
“Being a ‘shipping man’ in the CEO job for Western Bulk, my focus is to make sure that the top management and the commercial teams are aligned in what we want to achieve and how we are going to achieve it,” he said.
“It will help us understand and sharpen our priorities and resources — enabling us to deliver the best possible service to our customers.”
Gjervik said his shipping background and career as a dealmaker should also open commercial opportunities for the company.
“Both mine and Western Bulk’s door is always open for business proposals that can be mutually beneficial for us and our partners,” he said.
“I have not done my last shipping deal, that’s for sure!”
For the moment, Western Bulk will continue its traditional focus on the supramax segment and will keep building its presence with panamaxes, which has been “profitable” so far.
“We continue to stay asset-light for now,” Gjervik told TradeWinds.
“We do not believe this is the right entry point for becoming shipowners, but we stay curious about gaining access to more tonnage through other means and cooperation.”
Its panamax team, which comprises five chartering managers across Dubai, Singapore and Oslo, currently operates a fleet of 20 ships.
Three of these five chartering managers were hired this year specifically for the panamax market.
The company was among the first bulker operators to explore the use of data science in making commercial decisions, being an early adopter of trade data and vessel-tracking platforms including CargoMetrics and Oceanbolt.
Gjervik thinks this use of data will continue to be a big part of Western Bulk.
“We will be using data wisely in our decision-making to gain a competitive advantage.
“But our success ultimately comes down to our people being the best at their jobs using tools and their know-how to make the right decisions,” he commented.
“I believe we are well positioned for a good and volatile dry bulk market going into the second half of this year, and I can’t wait to get started!”
Gjervik attributes his career trajectory to the company culture at Western Bulk.
“At Western Bulk, you are given responsibility from an early stage, and it is the work you do and the way you contribute to the company that matters – not titles, tradition, or hierarchy,” he explained.
“We have always had a flat organisation, enabling hard-working people to be noticed and with the possibility of rising through the ranks in a trading environment.
“We spend a lot of resources on selecting and training our young people and have an open dialogue between desks, across functions and offices to make sure we offer our people opportunities where they have the best chance possible to excel.”
He said his predecessor created an “inclusive culture”, joining up staff across the organisation between departments and desks. He wants this to continue.
“That is the mindset we want to continue and build on as we see it as a competitive advantage few other trading or dry bulk companies can pride themselves on,” he said.
“We believe our positive culture facilitates trades between regions and helps us serve our customers in a more uniform way.”
