Chembulk Tankers announced on Wednseday that Bart B. Kelleher has taken over as Chief Executive Officer for David Ellis, who has resigned for personal reasons. Ellis will be available to the company through January 31, 2020.
Kelleher has held senior executive roles within Chembulk since joining the company in early 2016, initially as Chief Strategy Officer and then Chief Financial Officer in early 2019. Prior to joining Chembulk, Kelleher was the Chief Operating Officer for Principal Maritime Management and held roles in investment banking, commercial banking and capital markets roles in the maritime and energy-related industries at Bear Stearns and HSH Nordbank. Kelleher holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, Master’s degree from MIT and a B.E. from New York Maritime College.
Solomon Tan, Senior Vice President of Finance, will replace Kelleher as Chief Financial Officer. Tan will remain located in Singapore. Tan has been with the company since 2015 and held several key roles within Chembulk. Prior to joining the company, Tan was with the global financial advisory firm Borelli Walsh and the international accounting firm Deloitte. Tan is a Chartered Accountant and is a graduate of Nanyang Business School with a degree in Accountancy.
Additionally, the company announced that Arthur L. Regan has been designated as Executive Chairman by the Board of Directors. As Chembulk continues to drive stakeholder value, Regan will closely coordinate support to the Company and its Board of Directors, which he initially joined at the end of 2018.
Continuing the company’s global trading coverage and regional customer focus, chartering responsibilities will continue to be managed by Chembulk’s regional heads in Singapore and Connecticut, who will now report to Kelleher.
As part of the transition, Chief Commercial Officer Steve Laino will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.