Leiv Kallestad, Ken Loke, Markus Hoffmann and Doug Frakes are hired and Joe Bielawski is promoted.
Ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist Optimarin has appointed Leiv Kallestad (pictured above left) as its new CEO. Tore Andersen will move to the role of executive vice president of sales and marketing.
“It feels like the stars have finally aligned,” Andersen said. “We have focused exclusively on BWT for the past 25 years, building a trusted, technologically proven and respected position in this specialist niche. Optimarin was the first company to install a commercial system and the very first to gain USCG approval. Orders are now coming in with increasing speed, which will contribute towards repaying all the time and money the employees and shareholders have invested in the company over the years.
“As such, we’ve taken the decision to reconfigure the management team, allowing me to focus on our growing customer base and market development. Leiv takes over the overall responsibility for the company and will ensure we’re positioned to achieve our full growth potential,” Andersen said.
Kallestad has experience in the marine, oil and gas, oil service, manufacturing and corporate finance sectors and has worked in executive positions for such companies as TTS Group, Palfinger Marine/Harding, Roxar, Kverneland Group, TORP LNG, Exxon Mobile, ConocoPhillips and SR-Bank Markets.
KVH Industries Inc., which provides connectivity solutions for the maritime market, has announced that Ken Loke (pictured above center) has been named vice president for Asia Pacific.
“I look forward to leading the KVH team in Asia Pacific at this exciting time, when the maritime industry is rapidly migrating to VSAT services to reap the benefits of digitalization,” Loke said.
Prior to joining KVH, Loke held the positions of chief commercial officer and chief executive officer for Eutelsat – Asia Pacific and senior vice president for General Electric Satellite for North Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Mark Woodhead, KVH executive vice president for mobile connectivity, said, “Ken’s extensive background in the satellite industry and his deep familiarity with the region make him an invaluable leader.”
PLS Logistics Services, headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pa., has promoted Joe Bielawski to chief operating officer.
Bielawski started his career with PLS in 1997 as a logistics coordinator. He was named vice president of supply chain in 2015. He most recently was vice president of enterprise solutions.
“Joe has an outstanding track record of supporting company growth and creating innovative customers solutions,” said PLS Logistics CEO Greg Burns. “With PLS experiencing another year of record growth, the time is right to further strengthen our leadership team.”
I-Tech AB has hired Markus Hoffmann (pictured above right) to fill the newly created senior position of technical director.
I-Tech is a biotechnology company that has developed Selektope, an active agent that prevents barnacle attachment on submerged surfaces, including ships and marine installations.
Hoffmann previously spent eight years as the subject matter expert in antifouling coatings research and development with Hempel A/S. Prior to that, he was the R&D department manager for Hempel’s Antifouling Global Center of Excellence in Barcelona. Earlier in his career, Hoffmann was an R&D team manager for BASF.
“I am very pleased that a key industry player such as Markus has joined I-Tech in the position of technical director,” said CEO Philip Chaabane. “Markus’ experience in product management and antifouling coating development, coupled with his academic background in organic chemistry and well-anchored position in the industry, make him the perfect addition to our growing team of talent and entrepreneurship.”
Doug Frakes has joined heavy-duty vehicle lift manufacturer Stertil-Koni as an operations specialist.
He succeeds Paul Marks, who announced his retirement after 21 years with Stertil-Koni, headquartered in Stevensville, Md.
Frakes’ primary mission will be to process and ship vehicle lift equipment and accessory orders to distributors and customers across North America.
Frakes previously spent 10 years with FedEx Ground in Upper Marlboro, Md.
