Braemar ACM Shipbroking has hired four product tanker specialists from rival Lightship Chartering in a move that will bring a fresh team to its new Geneva office.
The shipbroking division of London-listed Braemar Shipping Services, revealed the new hires five months after announcing its plans to set up shop in the Swiss city.
The new team is headed by William Bebb, who spent four years as a partner at Geneva-based Lightship Chartering after six years in the same city as a broker for Clarksons.
Joining him from Lightship are brokers Andrea Burlando, Jean-Francois "Jeff" Demage and Jamie Maclean. They all start immediately.
Complementing teams
Braemar ACM said the new brokers will complement the product tanker team in London, which is headed by Joel Graham and focused on Western markets, allowing the broking giant to cover both East and West efficiently.
James Gundy, Braemar ACM chief executive, said he is excited to be able to bring in an entire team that had already worked together, making it easier for the broking house to set up a product tanker presence in Geneva.
He said Braemar ACM's co-head of tankers, David Collins, was instrumental in bringing in the Lightship brokers.
The now five-broker Geneva office is headed by Petric Goulart, a capesize broker who recently moved from Braemar's Singapore office.
The firm announced in March that it was setting up shop in Geneva, a hub for traders that are major ship charterers.
"A lot of our client based are based in Geneva in dry and wet, so it’s about being closer to our clients," Gundy told TradeWinds.
He said he has long wanted Braemar ACM to move into the Swiss city, but getting the right personnel was a key factor in making any decision to do so.
