Board of Directors
Mr. Duncan Ramsay
Mr. Salah Sharaf
Mr. Kapil Celly
Mr. Kristian Vandermeer
Ken Scheepers
Chairman
Mr. Duncan Ramsay
Mr. Duncan Ramsay is Chairman of WaterFront Maritime Services and a director and shareholder of Ben Line Agencies Ltd, a joint shareholder of WaterFront.
Mr. Ramsay has been with Ben Line Agencies for 30 years and has held the position of Group Managing Director for the past six years. In this position, Mr. Ramsay has been responsible for all aspects of the Group’s business in Asia, which covers operations in 16 countries through its 122 offices and 1,500 staff.
During his career with Ben Line Agencies, Mr. Ramsay has worked from a Management Trainee in the early 1980s, before taking on roles as Commercial Manager Malaysia, Agency Manager Singapore, Country Manager and then Managing Director Thailand before taking the position as Director and, most recently, Managing Director of Ben Line Agencies Ltd.
A word on ship agency: “Shipping and its support services are the life blood that sustains global trade, and ship agency is the people part of the business. We deal with people who have to confront a plethora of challenges every day in order to get a vessel successfully from A to B; and those challenges are always different. Ships come and go, but time waits for no principal; so, we must always be prepared to jump higher and farther to get the job done.” – Duncan Ramsay, Chairman, WaterFront Maritime Services.
Director
Mr. Salah Sharaf
Mr. Salah Sharaf is a Director of WaterFront and an Executive Director of the Sharaf Group, a joint shareholder in WaterFront Maritime Services and one of the largest and most diverse business conglomerates in the Middle East, comprising more than 60 operating companies across six business segments.
Over the past 23 years, Mr. Sharaf has held senior positions across the Sharaf Group of businesses including Sharaf Shipping, Sharaf Travel, Emarat Maritime and more recently at the Group level as Executive Director responsible for overseeing all business operations across its six business segments.
As Executive Director, Sharaf Group, Salah is responsible for the strategic planning of the Group’s diverse business portfolio and managing all investments, projects and partnerships.
A word on ship agency: “The entry point into cities is through the port, and as a port agent you feel the heartbeat of trade. Every day is a new challenge to provide important support to your clients, and to help them to achieve their business objectives.” – Salah Sharaf, Director, WaterFront Maritime Services.
Director
Mr. Kapil Celly
Mr. Kapil Celly is a Director of WaterFront and an Executive Director of the Sharaf Group, a joint shareholder in WaterFront Maritime Services and one of the largest and most diverse business conglomerates in the Middle East, comprising more than 60 operating companies across six business segments.
Mr. Celly has worked in various positions across the Sharaf Group for more than 35 years, having worked diligently to expand the Group’s presence and operations across the Middle East, Africa and Indian Subcontinent. He has held positions from sales and marketing through to middle-management roles across the organisations’ shipping business.
In his current role as Executive Director of Sharaf Group, Mr. Celly is responsible for projects, investments and partnership arrangements across 32 countries, managing the strategic growth of the organisation and the continued profitability of the Group’s diverse service offerings.
A word on ship agency: “Having worked in this business for more than 30 years, I know that there is a need to constantly evolve and find new ways to offer innovative solutions to our customers’ changing needs. This means embracing or developing new technological and IT solutions, expanding into new markets and leveraging our expertise in new areas. I know that this is not always without its challenges, but the benefits are well worth the hard work.” – Kapil Celly, Director, WaterFront Maritime Services.
Director
Mr. Kristian Vandermeer
Mr. Kristian Vandermeer is a Director of WaterFront Maritime Services and Group Managing Director of Ben Line Agencies, a joint shareholder in WaterFront Maritime Services. Mr. Vandermeer brings a wealth of experience to the shipping industry and regional expertise across the Asia Pacific to his role as a Director of WaterFront.
At Ben Line Agencies, Mr. Vandermeer oversees the overall activities of the group, which cover the key areas of Liner Agency, Marine Agency and Integrated Logistics services. Additionally, Mr. Vandermeer oversees the group’s product management team, covering port agency, offshore support, project logistics and broking divisions. During his time with the company, Kristian has held managerial roles in Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. In addition, he also holds board responsibilities for the company’s operations in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Mr. Vandermeer has been with the company for 15 years, and prior to joining, he worked for the Maersk Group for five years in Australia and Japan.
Educated in Australia, Mr. Vandermeer is a graduate of the University of Technology in Sydney and also completed his early maritime training with Maersk Group, completing the Maersk International Shipping Education programme with the major shipping organisation.
A word on ship agency: “No ship call is ever the same, and no Principal is ever the same. In ship agency, there is nothing more important than communication, and working with your Principals to find solutions that make their jobs easier.” – Kristian Vandermeer, Director, WaterFront Maritime Services.