Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp.: Dale Ploughman new chairman
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Mr. Ploughman has served as chief executive officer since May 20, 2008. He has more than 43 years of shipping industry experience.
Since 1999, Mr. Ploughman has been the chairman of South African Marine Corporation (Pty) Ltd., a dry bulk shipping company based in South Africa and affiliate to members of the Restis family, and the chairman of the Bahamas Ship Owners Association.
In addition, Mr. Ploughman has served as president, chief executive officer and a director of Golden Energy Marine Corp. since February 2005. Mr. Ploughman also serves as president and chief executive officer of numerous private shipping companies controlled by members of the Restis family.
From 1989 to 1999, Mr. Ploughman was the president of Great White Fleet, a fleet owned by Chiquita Brands International Inc., which was one of the largest shipping carriers to and from Central America.
Mr. Ploughman has previously worked as president and chief executive officer of Lauritzen Reefers A.S., a shipping company based in Denmark, the managing director of Dammers and Vander Hiede Shipping and Trading Inc., a shipping company based in the Netherlands and as the chairman of Mackay Shipping, a shipping company based in New Zealand.
Mr. Ploughman holds degrees in Business Administration and Personnel Management and Master's level Sea Certificates and was educated at the Thames Nautical Training College, HMS Worcester.
George Koutsolioutsos, Chairman and Director to the Board, has resigned from his position as the Chairman and Director.
Mr. Koutsoubelis has been a member of the board of directors since May 20, 2008. Mr. Kostas Koutsoubelis is the group financial director of the Restis group of companies and also the chairman of Golden Energy Marine Corp.
Furthermore, he is a member of the board of the directors of the following public listed companies: Freeseas Inc., Hellenic Seaways S.A., FG Europe, Imperio Argo Group A.M.E., IMAKO Media S.A., First Business Bank, South African Marine Corp. and Swissmarine Corporation Ltd.
Mr. Koutsoubelis is also the vice president and treasurer of FreeSeas. Before joining the Restis group he served as head of shipping of Credit Lyonnais, Greece.
After graduating from St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Koutsoubelis held various positions in Mobil Oil Hellas S.A. and after his departure he joined International Reefer Services, S.A., a major shipping company, as financial director.
In the past, Mr. Koutsoubelis has also served as director in Egnatia Securities S.A., a stock exchange company, and Egnatia Mutual Fund S.A. He is a governor in the Propeller Club - Port of Piraeus and member of the Board of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping.
The company has also elected Elias Culucundis, Dimitrios Panagiotopoulos, Dimitrios Anagnostopoulos and George Taniskidis, as Class A Directors to serve until the 2013 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Mr. Culucundis has been a director of the company since inception. Mr. Culucundis has experience in the negotiation of acquisitions, as well as the oversight of due diligence.
Since 2002, Mr. Culucundis has been a member of the Board of Directors of Folli Follie S.A. and since 2006 an executive member of the Board of Directors of Hellenic Duty Free Shops S.A. Since 1999, Mr. Culucundis has been President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Equity Shipping Company Ltd.
Additionally, from 1996 to 2000, Mr. Culucundis was a director of Kassian Maritime Shipping Agency Ltd., he was also a director of Point Clear Navigation Agency Ltd.
From 1981 to 1995, Mr. Culucundis was a director of Kassos Maritime Enterprises Ltd., he was a director and the Chief Executive Officer of Off Shore Consultants Inc. and Naval Engineering Dynamics Ltd.
From 1966 to 1971, Mr. Culucundis was employed as a Naval Architect for A.G. Pappadakis Co. Ltd., London, responsible for tanker and bulk carrier new buildings and supervising the technical operation of the company fleet.
Mr. Culucundis is a graduate of Kings College, Durham University, Great Britain, with a degree in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding. Mr. Culucundis is a fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and a Chartered Engineer.
Mr. Panagiotopoulos is the head of shipping and corporate banking of Proton Bank, a Greek private bank, where he has served since April 2004. From January 1997 to March 2004, he served as deputy head of the Greek shipping desk of BNP Paribas and before that for four years as senior officer of the shipping department of Credit Lyonnais Greece.
From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Panagiotopoulos worked as chief accountant in Ionia Management, a Greek shipping company. He also serves as a director of FreeSeas Inc., a publicly traded shipping company. He holds a degree in economics from Athens University and an MSC in Shipping, Trade and Finance from City University of London
Mr. Anagnostopoulos has more than 40 years of experience in Shipping and Shipfinance. His career began in the 1970's at Athens University of Economics followed by four years with the Onassis Group in Monaco.
Mr. Anagnostopoulos also held various posts at the National Investment Bank of Industrial Development (ETEBA), Continental Illinois National Bank of Chicago, Greyhound Corporation, and with ABN AMRO, where he has spent nearly two decades with the Bank, holding positions of Senior Vice-President and Head of Shipping.
Mr. Anagnostopoulos has been a speaker and panelist in various shipping conferences in Europe, and a regular guest lecturer at the City University Cass Business School in London and the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.
Mr. Anagnostopoulos is a member (and ex vice chairman) of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Greek Shipping. He was recently named by the Lloyd's Organization as Shipping Financier of the Year for 2008.
Mr. Taniskidis is the chairman and managing director of Millennium Bank, a position he has held since 2002. Mr. Taniskidis is a member of the board of directors of Euroseas Limited, where he has served since 2005. He is also a member of the board of directors of Millennium Bank, Turkey and a member of the executive committee of the Hellenic Banks Association.
From 2003 until 2005, Mr. Taniskidis was a member of the board of directors of Visa International Europe, elected by the Visa issuing banks of Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, Israel and Greece. From 1990 to 1998, Mr. Taniskidis worked at XIOSBANK (until its acquisition by Piraeus Bank in 1998) in various positions, with responsibility for the bank's credit strategy and network. ■