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OW Bunker, one of the world’s leading suppliers and traders of marine fuel, today announced the appointment of Hans Staal as its new World Wide Trading Manager for OW Malta Ltd. Staal will be responsible for significantly growing and expanding the office in one of the world’s most prolific shipping markets, which will include increasing the focus on contracted sales.

Hans Staal is a product of OW Bunker’s three-year graduate training programme, which was established to create new benchmarks for excellence within the company, and to develop universal management and leadership skills that can be utilised by the organisation as it meets its global expansion and growth plans.

Hans Staal joined OW Bunker in 2004 as a Bunker Trader at the company’s headquarters in Aalborg, Denmark before being promoted to Sales Manager in 2007. Staal also has a degree in finance and marketing.

The current trading team in OW Malta Ltd comprises 11 people working in lubricants, physical supplies, as well as world wide trading.

Hans Staal will be responsible for managing the world wide trading team of five and growing it in accordance with OW Bunker’s corporate strategy. As well as potentially implementing a risk management division, where OW Bunker has specific expertise, he will focus on doubling the staff over the next three years to manage the significant projected increase in volume for the department.

Commenting on the new appointment, Götz Lehsten, Vice President, OW Bunker, said: “Greece is a hugely significant shipping market where we have a real opportunity to grow our volume and customer base even further. The appointment of Hans shows the real strength of our advanced training programme in developing leaders at multiple levels within the business, and I am confident that he will play a central role in both developing the team in OW Bunker Malta Ltd as well as our activities in Greece.”

Hans Staal said: “OW Bunker’s financial strength, operational excellence and global presence ensures that the company is well positioned to capitalise on the current consolidation within the bunkering industry; a product of the global economic downturn. With the capabilities to provide even more value to our customers, based on a higher level of service that really focuses on their individual needs, we will build even stronger relationships and partnerships that will last for years to come.”