Rajesh Unni is stepping back from the day-to-day management of Synergy Marine Group, the ship manager and marine services giant he founded 17 years ago.
The well-known shipping figure is moving to a new role of executive chairman, while handing over his chief executive duties to three trusted deputies.
“The last 17 years of founding and leading Synergy group has been a life-changing journey for me,” he said in a statement.
“I have had the honour and privilege of witnessing the profound impact of our evolution, which began with the sole intent of building an organisation where excellence in service would be delivered on the foundations of trust, openness and reliability,” he added.
In later years, the group has been “redefining the industry with path-breaking innovations in efficiency, safety, and sustainability”, the CEO said.
“Together with my team, who also happen to be my dear friends, advisors and conscience-keepers, we have walked a journey that for me is truly humbling,” he said.
Synergy Marine Services chief operating officer Mathavan Subbiah will become group CEO, overseeing IT, legal and financial operations among other things.
“The decision for Mathavan to move into the role was unanimous having been part of Synergy’s journey since its inception and having demonstrated his extraordinary capabilities for growing new businesses, creating, and developing a strong leadership team, his flair for fostering innovation and his uncanny ability to turn numbers into business insights,” Unni said.
“His credibility internally, ability to bring people together and his intense connect with our external stakeholders rendered him as the perfect choice to take Synergy forward,” the founder added.
There are now 20,000 Synergy staff worldwide overseeing 600 ships.
Responsibility for ship management will be split between H Swaminathan and Ajay Chaudhary as co-CEOs.
A central pillar of the group
“Swami, as he is affectionately known, has been one of the central pillars of Synergy since its inception. With his intense passion for people and culture and ability to continuously bring learning into ship management, he has been invaluable to the growth story of Synergy,” Unni said.
Chaudhary joined Synergy as COO of the dry fleet last year, after 20 years in the business.
He has emerged as “one of our strong leaders who truly believes in and brings alive the vision of Synergy”, the current CEO said.
“In the last year, he has helmed various interventions that have brought him visibility and buy-in amongst his peers in a very short time,” he added.
Unni himself will now focus on deepening the relationship with clients and looking at the broader strategic picture for the group.
“I’ll be charting Synergy’s strategic course, ensuring that, through ground-breaking technology and innovation, we don’t merely keep pace with the industry but actively shape its future,” Unni said.
The idea is for him to also spearhead global partnerships and alliances, and develop leadership talent in the group.
In 2022, private equity player Searchlight took a stake in Synergy, while the group signalled that seafarers would also become shareholders.
In December, Oldendorff Carriers bought into Unni’s shipping tech outfit Alpha Ori.
