A quick glance at Sadan Kaptanoglu’s CV shows she has earned her stripes as the next president of Bimco, where she will take the reins on 14 May.
The chief executive of Kaptanoglu Group, one of Turkey’s largest and oldest shipping conglomerates, she holds a master's degree in shipping, trade and finance from London’s Cass Business School, and a PhD in business and sustainability from De Montfort University in Leicester.
But there is more to Kaptanoglu than just academic qualifications. She claims she was born with salt water in her veins, and shipping has always been part of her life.
My family breathed shipping, in and out of the house. Our Sunday treat was going down to the shipyard. It slowly got into my blood.
Sadan Kaptanoglu
'Typical family business'
Kaptanoglu is the third-generation leader of a shipping company with roots stretching back more than a century. H Ismail Kaptanoglu, the founder of the Kaptanoglu Group, was a captain of his father’s ships at the beginning of the last century before starting his own company in 1950.
“My family breathed shipping, in and out of the house," Kaptanoglu says. "Our Sunday treat was going down to the shipyard. It slowly got into my blood.”
“It is a typical family business, but nobody is forced to join.”
While she worked part time at the company during her undergraduate days studying philosophy, psychology and sociology, Kaptanoglu quickly returned to the family fold to begin her shipping career.
“I have never looked back,” she says.
The years since have been busy. Apart from obtaining postgraduate degrees in subjects she believed would better prepare her for her shipping career, Kaptanoglu has also been very active in a number of industry bodies, particularly those focused on the sustainability of shipping and on the marine environment.
She holds the vice chairmanship of the Turkish Chamber of Shipping and is chairman of the Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association.
Sustainability should be key
“A lot of the organisations I serve were started by my father and my grandfather," she says. "It is a tradition of our family that you serve the industry you are in. Sustainability should be a keyword in shipping.”
Assuming the presidency of Bimco will propel Kaptanoglu’s commitment to shipping to another level.
“I am very privileged to be able to serve as the president," she says. "It is an honour to be the first woman to do so.”
Asked whether she sees herself as a role model for women in shipping, Kaptanoglu responds by saying that she does not believe women need role models in order to be successful.
We already have very successful women in shipping. I would like to see a lot more. I don’t consider myself to be a role model, but I suppose women can see me here, and realise that they have not been working for nothing.
Sadan Kaptanoglu
“We already have very successful women in shipping," she says. "I would like to see a lot more. I don’t consider myself to be a role model, but I suppose women can see me here, and realise that they have not been working for nothing.
“My advice is that you can be anyone you want to be. Just go for it!”
Kaptanoglu will take over from Bimco president Anastasios Papagiannopoulos, chief executive of Greek shipping company Common Progress.
Focusing on the environment
The environment will top Kaptanoglu’s agenda during her presidency.
“I have picked the environment because the coming years will be very challenging for my fellow shipowners,” she says.
Kaptanoglu wants all shipping stakeholders to play a more proactive role in raising the industry’s sustainability.
“The delusion that many in shipping have is that we are heavily regulated and produce less pollution than other forms of transport," she says. "You can’t say that because you are a small polluter, it is OK to pollute.
“If you are not proactive, lawmakers will make the decisions for you. It was pressure from the public that pushed politicians to raise the environmental standards of cars. Shipping is attracting the public’s attention.”
She says the industry wants to avoid regional regulation, citing the European Union's shiprecycling rules.
“They are illogical and put the burden on EU-flagged vessels," she says. “What we need are global solutions to level the playing field. Strong global rules will let the public recognise that the shipping industry is onboard for a greener future."
'Great prioritiser'
Despite a hectic professional schedule, Kaptanoglu is quick to stress her family is her main priority.
My biggest strength is that I prioritise well. Family is at the centre. I am 100% a full-time mother and a wife. I am also a daughter and a sister.
“My biggest strength is that I prioritise well," she says. "Family is at the centre. I am 100% a full-time mother and a wife. I am also a daughter and a sister.”
Kaptanoglu devotes all of her free time to her two daughters, now aged 10 and 14.
“I am lucky that we share the same hobbies and interests," she says. "We like art, especially paintings, and we love music. We go to concerts together.”
Kaptanoglu’s love of the ocean means she spends most of her holidays on the family’s yacht, cruising the Mediterranean.
“I feel most at home when I am on the sea,” she says.
Diverse portfolio
The Kaptanoglu Group operates in the shipowning and shipyard sectors.
On the shipowning side, it is involved only with tankers, having divested the last of its bulkers in 2016.
The tanker fleet numbers eight ships, ranging from 3,500-dwt chemical tankers to a pair of 2010-built aframaxes. They trade worldwide.
“We like diversity among the size segments,” Kaptanoglu says. “We have always been a diversified company. It allows us to switch between segments and adapt to change as necessary."
While it is no longer directly involved in dry bulk, it does maintain a toehold in the sector through a stake in Eregli Shipping, a joint venture that operates a single capesize vessel.
But Kaptanoglu shows no enthusiasm for staging a direct return to the dry bulk sector.
“Eventually we will go back into bulk, but we have no plans for doing so now,” she says.
Desan Shipyard, the group’s Tuzla-based arm, operates one of Turkey’s larger yards, which is engaged in shipbuilding and shiprepair.
Noble Yachts, another subsidiary, specialises in building sailing and motor yachts.
