Page 24 - Next Generation 2015 - Digtial Issue
P. 24
Next Generation Europe
“Also, George will not sit still,” says Interests in fashion and art contrast
one close lieutenant of the funder’s with the ER Schiffahrt managing director’s
personality.
knowledge of marine operations and
Mr Economou’s eldest son, Christos, sulphur emission control areas
born in 1983, remains in charge of
TMS Cardiff Gas, having spearheaded Germany
the group’s lunge into the LNG carrier Isabelle Rickmers
business.
STILL in her early-30s, Isabelle Rickmers After her graduation, Ms Rickmers
The company manages a fleet was appointed as managing director of arrived in Hamburg, expecting to spend
of five ships, including four 159,800 ER Schiffahrt in January this year, as a few weeks in the city, but has instead
cu m newbuildings delivered in 2014 part of a shake-up necessitated by the stayed there ever since.
from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine defection of chief executive Hermann
Engineering. Klein to rivals Offen. In 2010, she joined ER Group’s
graduate trainee scheme and held
As a relatively new entrant in Born in Munich in 1982, Ms various positions in the investment
that particular sector, the group is still Rickmers comes from a family that has house Nordcapital and the shipbroker
widening its circle of relationships with been in shipping since 1834. Her father Harper Petersen.
charterers through employing the vessels was the cousin of ER Schiffahrt principle
in the spot market, but will be confident Erck Rickmers, after whom the company She then joined ER Schiffahrt,
of being well placed to seal longer-term is named. starting in the customer relations
employment once there is a pick-up in department, and became head of the
demand for longer periods. Reporting to Mr Klein’s replacement department in 2014, prior to taking on
Nils Aden — himself still just 41, and her current role.
Christos Economou began a career also tipped in some quarters as a man to
as a Wall Street M&A banker before keep an eye out for in the future — her Among her accomplishments
joining his father’s shipping group. responsibilities on the board include was to represent the interests of the
Although he spends the lion’s share of new business, key account management single-ship companies that owned
his time leading the LNG division, the and purchasing. ER Savannah and ER Beijing during
Tufts and MIT economics graduate is the restructuring of Israeli boxship
nowadays involved in virtually every Ms Rickmers studied outfit Zim.
aspect of the shipping business. international business administration,
achieving a diploma from Vienna’s She also developed a knowledge
A brother has also recently begun Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien and a of marine operations, marine
working at the group. master’s degree from the prestigious accounting and projects, and expertise
multi-campus ESCP Europe business in some of the technical aspects of the
Already a key figure in the business school. business, including sulphur emission
is Mr Economou’s nephew, Anthony control areas.
Kandylidis, 38, the son of DryShips board In addition, she has gained practical
member Chryssoula Kandylidis. experience working for international Outside of work, Ms Rickmers’
companies in locations including interests include fashion and art, and
Back in 2006, Mr Kandylidis Shanghai, London and Madrid. she is a fan of well-known German
established OceanFreight, which listed photographer Sophie von Hanau.
on Nasdaq the following year.
The venture, which went from a
mixed fleet to being more dry bulk-
focused, lasted as an independent owner
until 2011, when it was absorbed by
DryShips.
Mr Kandylidis graduated magna
cum laude from Brown University and
thereafter obtained a master’s degree in
Ocean Systems Management at MIT. He
started his career at OMI Corporation,
where responsibilities spanned sale
and purchase, chartering, FFA trading,
corporate finance and strategic
planning.
24 | Lloyd’s List Next Generation 2015 | www.lloydslist.com
