Singapore-based James Huw Smith is taking over as head of Howe Robinson Partners’ expanding LNG team, as Debbie Turner steps back.
The Howe Robinson crew marked the handover with a send-off for Turner late last week.
Welcoming guests to the more than 400-year-old Draper’s Hall — one of London’s historic guildhalls — chairman David Anderson thanked Turner for all she had done.
Anderson said he joined the brokerage in 2016 and always wondered why its business involved moving other forms of energy, such as oil and coal, but not gas.
All that changed two years later when — after reading an article in TradeWinds — Howe Robinson’s management noticed that Turner had left UK shipbroker SSY.
Anderson said the company “tracked her down” and she joined in January 2019, building a global team that is now split between London, Singapore, Houston and Madrid.
He said Howe Robinson had benefited from Turner’s “deep knowledge, long experience and reputation in the market”.
Turner is moving from London to Devon in England’s West Country, where she will still be tangling with some LNG work.
The well-known face in LNG circles started her working life as an industrial market researcher and statistician, joining Burbank Marine in 1980 as an analyst covering the LPG and petrochemicals businesses.
In 1999, the company was taken over by what is today Braemar, and Turner moved over to cover LNG in 2002, briefly moving on to work at what was then Platou LNG before joining SSY in 2013, where she spent five years heading the team.
Positivity
Asked by TradeWinds to reflect on the industry and her career, Turner replied: “The market is always difficult, but it’s also what you make of it,” stressing the need to try to look at things from different angles.
She said putting LNG teams together has been among her key achievements.
Broking houses need — even more these days — to look after their clients and think outside the box. “Positivity is the key, but at the same time remember humility,” she added.
In a speech, Turner, who confesses to have “a mind like Tigger” — a reference to the bouncy tiger in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories — said it had not been easy over the past few months to step back from something she loves and still has a passion for.
But she said the team is now in Huw Smith’s “very capable hands”.
Howe Robinson’s LNG team is split between London, Singapore, Houston and Madrid.
Huw Smith told TradeWinds it will shortly be expanding its coverage into China.
“The LNG market has a bright future and Howe Robinson Partners are excited to be a part of it,” he said.
“The expansion of the team gives us significant coverage across the globe, and the depth of experience means we can confidently advise clients in all aspects of LNG shipping and floating solutions.”
