Our people

How would you describe your role?

I’m one of four trading managers in Stolt Tankers, and we are responsible for optimising the scheduling of the fleet across the globe. The trading managers are assigned various ‘trade lanes’ and we ensure the fleet is deployed so Stolt Tankers can safely provide as much value to our customers as possible.

What was the first job you ever had and how did you progress to where you are now?

After graduating from State University of New York Maritime College in 1986, I returned to Trinidad and Tobago, where I’m from, and sailed as a third mate on methanol tankers for two years.

Stolt Tankers offered me a job as a demurrage analyst, while I was doing my graduate studies in New York, and I was promoted to ship operator in 1993. I left the Company in 1997 and returned in 2016 – I couldn’t stay away!

What’s the best thing about your current role?

Every day the big picture changes and I love being part of the team that adapts the plan to the new reality. Looking ahead, our industry is about to undergo a revolution on the sustainability front and I’ll be proud to work for an industry leader. And finally, it’s always fun trying to educate people about Stolt Tankers and what we do for a living 24/7.

What’s the best piece of career advice you have ever received?

Trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith.

How would you describe your role?

My job is to identify and minimise the risks of pathogens in our turbot and sole cultures. To do this, we routinely observe and analyse the fish to ensure we make early diagnoses, guarantee good growing conditions, maintain animal welfare standards and prevent losses.

How did you progress to where you are now?

I joined Stolt Sea Farm ten years ago, working in the turbot larval hatchery at our Merexo sea farm. I worked with turbot larvae for seven years, until I joined the health department three years ago through an internal promotion.

What’s the best thing about your job?

It's a dynamic job where you're learning all the time. You can study the behavior of the fish throughout the cultivation process. But, without a doubt, the best thing is seeing how working on prevention – in collaboration with all the teams involved in production – we manage to minimise the health risks involved in aquaculture.

What skills have you learned since joining Stolt?

The importance of teamwork and not making decisions that affect production without first reaching a consensus with your team members or the different departments involved. Good communication between the health department and our production colleagues is essential.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

The best advice I've ever received is to observe everything going on around me, never take anything for granted.

How did you progress to where you are now?

My first job was as a project engineer at a pharmaceutical company in Puerto Rico where I am originally from. I moved to Houston in 2006 and I joined Stolt-Nielsen in December 2013 as a project engineer. I was promoted to my current role in 2021.

How would you describe your role?

I'm responsible for all the terminal’s technical assets, from our three docks, 188 storage tanks and wastewater treatment plant to our boiler units, air compressors and truck scales. I also oversee the five-year maintenance plan and the corrective and preventive actions set out within it.

What’s the best thing about your job?

My current role has given me the opportunity to interact with other professionals in my field and to share my ideas and contribute to the success of the Company. There is a lot of responsibility involved, but this has helped me to be better at what I do.

What skills do you think you have brought to the Company?

I am very technical, but I manage to translate the technical information other people need to know without complicating things so they can have a good understanding this aspect of the business.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

When I started my career 25 years ago, my first boss said: “Never rest until good gets better and the better gets best”.

How would you describe your role?

I ensure the water we use to nurture our fish meets the required quality standards at our RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) facilities. This involves testing and analysing the water and making sure it is of the required quality. It’s also incredibly important to regularly test the equipment we use.

How did you progress to where you are now?

I studied biological systems engineering and I did my final degree project and professional practices in RAS technology, finishing with honours.

I joined Stolt Sea Farm in November 2017, working at their flow-through turbot farm in Vilan, Spain. I then moved to our sole RAS farm in Anglet, France, learning the details of this system. My next stop was Iceland, where I saw Stolt Sea Farm’s first-ever sole farm, which uses hot water from a thermal power plant to reach the water temperature needed for production.

Thanks to all the experience I gained from working at all these different farms, I was given the opportunity to move to our new three-floor independent RAS systems farm in Cervo in October 2019, and here I am!

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best thing is that every day is a new challenge. I’m also passionate about RAS. This way of farming is challenging because you need a background in physics and chemistry, which I like, so it’s perfect for me.

How would you describe your role?

I manage a group of about 20 people who provide worldwide contracts for Stolt Tankers – for everything from navigation equipment to spare parts and provisions. We make sure that everything is bought and delivered onboard to ensure safe, healthy and efficient voyage. We also take care of buying everything that is needed for drydocking.

How did you progress to where you are now?

My first job was with a Dutch telecommunications company. I then moved into mobile communication, which back then was absolutely unknown! In 1998 I moved to the US and found a job in shipping, starting as a vendor coordinator, then a project manager, and eventually head of engineering and business development. After 15 years with the same company, I moved back to the Netherlands, taking on new roles in ship management and procurement and even a sidestep to marine insurance. I joined Stolt-Nielsen in September 2021.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The dynamics within shipping and within Stolt-Nielsen definitely keep me on my toes. In procurement, there is a wide variety of stakeholders, both internally and externally, to take into consideration which means lots of interaction with different people. There are commercial, technical, regulatory and legal sides to procurement, which also keeps things interesting.

What is the best piece of career advice you have received?

My first boss told me that if you stop having fun, you need to move on and there is no shame in trying as long as you learn from your mistakes.

How would you describe your role?

I make sure that the daily payments are processed accurately and on time, and in line with Stolt-Nielsen’s policies and procedures, with IFRS or the applicable GAAP, and with relevant government or regulatory authorities. I also develop and recommend new reports to support the information needs of the team and colleagues across the Company.

How did you progress to where you are now?

I set clear career goals and I found some great mentors at Stolt who are helping me achieve them. I am deeply grateful for their support and the knowledge I’ve gained from them. For me, it’s also a matter of keeping a positive attitude and professionalism, especially when you face a challenging situation.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned at Stolt-Nielsen?

I’m an introverted person and I've always had a fear of public speaking. But working at Stolt-Nielsen has given me the confidence to present monthly reports, talk to stakeholders and customers, and even host an event! I am really grateful to the Company for helping me to develop in this way.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

“Do not complicate things, always ask if in doubt, never assume a situation and, lastly, never be afraid to seek help when you need it.”

What’s the best thing about your role?

The variety. I do a lot of commercial and some corporate legal work for Stolt Tankers, Stolthaven Terminals and Stolt Tank Containers in various geographical locations. Since joining Stolt-Nielsen in May 2021, the range of projects and issues I have dealt with has been broad and keeps my day-to-day work both interesting and challenging.

What skills do you think you have brought to Stolt-Nielsen?

As well as providing legal experience and knowledge I aim to be pragmatic, proactive and a good team player and communicator. I hope my colleagues will agree!

What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned since you’ve been here?

My best learning experience to date was taking a tour of the Stolthaven Terminal at Dagenham. It’s easy as a lawyer to focus only on words on a screen, but seeing and learning about the Company’s operations allows you to put your work into context, and therefore give much more helpful and tailored advice. I hope to see more of our operations in person as my career at Stolt progresses.

What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?

Don’t be afraid to give an opinion. These days I have no problem with that, but when I was a trainee, I felt that I wasn’t yet in a position where my opinion would have any value. One of my supervisors told me that I should give my own conclusion at the end of each research note and that seemingly small piece of advice meant that I got used to confidently expressing and justifying my own views at an early stage in my career.

How would you describe your role?

My focus is on ensuring the success of our operations in Asia by building our business and service offering to our customers, and maximising customer value, profit and our shareholders' return on investment. This includes working with and developing our people, all of whom are focused on delivering an excellent customer experience and superior safety standards.

How did you progress to where you are now?

I started in Stolt Tank Containers (STC), Singapore, in the mid 90s as an operations coordinator. Since then, I have had various roles, including a two-year secondment to Houston. As I have moved into management roles, I’ve realised it’s the people I work with who have helped me progress – my team, my leaders, our suppliers and customers.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The people! We have a great team here in Asia and I enjoy working with everyone. The leaders’ empowerment, trust and appreciation play a big part in making this job enjoyable. STC’s digitalisation journey and commitment to innovation and continuous improvement also excites me.

What have you learned since joining Stolt-Nielsen?

Alongside our own people, our service providers play an important role in our ability to provide a great experience to our customers. Collaborating effectively with them is critical to our success.