Leadership
Executive Management Team
Experienced, effective and diverse leadership
Kristian Sørensen
Kristian Sørensen
Kristian has more than 20 years’ experience in the LPG shipping industry. During his long and varied career, he has held senior roles at a range of leading maritime companies including as CEO of Fearnleys shipbrokers and Avance Gas, where he honed his expertise in strategic leadership and commercial and operational management.
As CEO of BW LPG, he is responsible for steering the company’s strategic direction, overseeing its global operations, and driving growth in the LPG shipping industry.
Education : Norwegian School of Economics
Samantha Xu
Samantha Xu
Samantha is a finance executive who has worked in the shipping and energy sectors for 20+ years. During her wide-ranging career she has held senior positions at leading companies including A.P. Moller-Maersk, Odfjell, J. Lauritzen, and Royal Vopak, where she was Finance Director prior to joining BW LPG.
She brings a wealth of expertise in financial and risk management, project management, board governance, and mergers and acquisitions.
Education : University of Liverpool, INSEAD
Prodyut Banerjee
Prodyut Banerjee
Prodyut is a maritime professional with 18+ years in global fleet operations. Prior to joining BW Group in 2005, he worked for 15+ years in a range of roles at ExxonMobil.
At BW, he has held a range of leadership positions including his current role as Vice President and Head of Operations at BW LPG.
Prodyut’s core competencies include strategic leadership, operational management, and risk assessment. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s global operations.
Education : National University of Singapore
Knut-Helge Knutsen
Knut-Helge Knutsen
Knut-Helge is a seasoned maritime professional with 30+ years in the shipping industry. Prior to joining BW LPG in 2013, he held a range of senior international operational roles at Veritas Petroleum Services and DNV.
Knut-Helge’s core competencies include technical management, fleet operations, and safety compliance.
As Vice President and Head of Technical at BW LPG, he oversees technical operations and the safe and efficient management of the fleet.
Education : Norwegian University of Science and Technology, IMD Business School
Iver Baatvik
Iver Baatvik
Iver is a seasoned finance professional with over a decade of investment banking experience at ABN AMRO and Sissener.
His core skills include strategic financial management, investment analysis, and infrastructure development within the energy sector.
As Vice President and Head of Corporate Development, he is responsible for identifying and executing opportunities to expand the company’s infrastructure presence in emerging markets.
Education : University of Oslo, Pacific & Lutheran University
Leona Leo
Leona Leo
Leona is a seasoned human resources professional with 18+ years in the oil and energy industry. During her wide and varied career she has worked in a range of international HR leadership positions at bluechip companies including Chevron, Shell and Maxeon.
Leona’s core competencies include organisational change management, talent development, and strategic human resources planning.
As Vice President and Head of Human Resources at BW LPG, she is responsible for overseeing the company’s HR strategies and high-performance culture.
Education : Nanyang Technological University
Board of Directors
Experienced, effective and diverse leadership
Andreas Sohmen-Pao
Andreas Sohmen-Pao
Non-executive director
Chairman
Appointed : 2013
Andreas is a respected international industry leader in the maritime and energy sectors. He serves as Chairman of BW Group and its listed affiliates, including BW Offshore, Hafnia, BW Energy, and Cadeler.
He is also Chairman of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation and a trustee of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
Core competencies include corporate governance, strategic development, and sustainability, with a focus on advancing maritime decarbonisation.
Committee : Remuneration Committee Chair
Anne Grethe Dalane
Anne Grethe Dalane
Non-executive director
Independent
Appointed : 2013
Anne is a veteran executive with over 40 years of experience in business and finance. She has held senior leadership roles at Yara International and Norsk Hydro, specialising in human resources, corporate strategy, and finance.
Her expertise includes corporate governance, risk management, and organisational development.
During her long and varied career she has served on numerous boards, helping to drive business growth and transformation.
Committee : Audit Committee Chair
Sonali Chandmal
Sonali Chandmal
Non-executive director
Independent
Appointed : 2020
Sonali is a highly experienced executive with expertise in management consulting, investment banking, and corporate governance.
She has held leadership roles at Bain & Company and serves on the boards of Ackermans & Van Haaren SA/NV, Medicover AB, Ageas Portugal Holding SGPS S.A., and Ageas SA/NV.
Her competencies include strategic development, sustainability, financial management, and private equity advisory.
Committee : Audit Committee Member
Luc Gillet
Luc Gillet
Non-executive director
Independent
Appointed : 2023
Luc is an industry expert with over 30 years’ experience in the shipping industry. He has held senior roles at Bureau Veritas and TotalEnergies. He has also led industry organisations like SIGTTO and OCIMF.
Currently, he serves as an independent director at Orion Global Transport France, focusing on LNG vessel operations.
His expertise spans strategic shipping operations, fleet management, risk assessment, and business development within the maritime sector.
Committee : Remuneration Committee Member
Sanjiv Misra
Sanjiv Misra
Non-executive director
Independent
Appointed : 2024
Sanjiv is an experienced leader with expertise in investment banking and corporate governance. With leadership experience at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, he specialises in corporate strategy, financial management, and principal investing.
He currently serves as Chairman of Clifford Capital Holdings and Bayfront Infrastructure Management and is a member of the BW Group Supervisory Board.
Competencies include risk management, strategic advisory, and investment strategies.
Committee : Audit Committee Member
Nomination Committee
The Nomination Commitee comprises Ms Alicia Yik Jie Ting, Mr Bjarte Bøe and Ms Elaine Yew Wen Suen as members. The Nomination Committee is responsible for nominating persons for election as directors, providing recommendations on the suitability of candidates for election as a director and to make recommendations for the remuneration of the directors. The Nomination Committee also proposes candidates for election to the Nomination Committee and proposes the remuneration to be paid to the members of the Nomination Committee.
Alicia Yik Jie Ting
Alicia Yik Jie Ting
Ms. Alicia Yik Jie Ting is COO for Altara Management, a company affiliated with BW Group Chairman Mr. Andreas Sohmen-Pao. Previously, Ms. Yik was an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Asia. Prior to that, she worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch focusing on Strategy and Business Development. Ms. Yik has more than 13 years of professional experience in the financial industry, and holds a Bachelor of Business Management degree in Finance and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the Singapore Management University.
Bjarte Bøe
Bjarte Bøe
Mr Bjarte Bøe has over thirty years of experience in the finance industry. He currently serves as a Director of Hermitage Offshore, a NYSE listed company and Agera Venture, a Norwegian venture capital company.
Mr Bøe is a member of the Nomination Committee of BW Offshore Limited and Chairman of the Investment Committee at SEB Venture Capital, a subsidiary of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ), or SEB, a Nordic financial services group, where from 1995 to June 2019, he held a range of management positions. He most recently served as Head of Shipping and Offshore Finance at SEB, and was Global Head of Investment Banking at SEB Stockholm between 2012 and 2016. Mr Bøe previously held various other bank related management positions at Christiania Bank between 1986 and 1995, a Norwegian bank that later merged with MeritaNordbanken to become Nordea, and was a shipbroker at R.S. Platou between 1983 and 1986.
Mr Bøe has an MBA from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, graduated in 1983.
Elaine Yew Wen Suen
Elaine Yew Wen Suen
Ms. Yew is a Senior Partner in Egon Zehnder, one of the world’s largest executive search and talent strategy firms. Ms. Yew is the Asia Lead of the firm’s Global Board Advisory practice and her focus is on Boards, CEOs and other C-suite succession planning. Ms. Yew also advises clients on CEO development, top team effectiveness, organizational culture and board effectivness. Before joining the firm, Ms. Yew led an industry change program while at Global Freight Exchange, the world’s first Internet-based global marketplace for air cargo. Prior to that, Ms. Yew was Executive Director with Goldman Sachs in the European Equities Division and was a Consultant with Monitor Company. Ms. Yew started her career with the Singapore Economic Development Board, helping Singapore companies develop their presence in Indochina and Myanmar in the early 1990s. Ms. Yew is a trained Coach and Fellow of the Institute of Coaching, McLean, affiliated to the Harvard Medical School. She is also a certified Mediator and uses some of the principles in helping people work better together. Ms. Yew is an independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of SPH Media Holdings; and is also on the Board of MOH Holdings, the holding company of Singapore’s public healthcare clusters, where she chairs the Human Resource Committee. She chairs the independent Nominating Committees of BW Offshore, BW Energy, BW LPG, Hafnia and Cadeler AS, listed on the Norwegian Stock Exchange. She sits on the board of The Majurity Trust, a philanthropic foundation, on the board of Wild Rice Ltd, a not-for-profit theatre company, and on the board of Capella Hotels Group. She is also a board member of the Singapore International Mediation Centre and is a Justice of the Peace. She had previously served for nine years on the Board of Trustees of the National University of Singapore. Ms. Yew has a BA with Honours in English and Drama from the University of Kent and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. Ms. Yew has been a member of the Nomination Committee since May 2020.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee is responsible for approving the Board’s annual review of the Company’s most important areas of exposure to risk and its internal control arrangements, as well as an annual supervisory plan for internal audit work.
The Audit Committee follows up on internal controls in connection with quarterly reviews of the Group’s financial reporting. At least once a year, the Board and the Audit Committee review the Company’s internal control procedures relating to its financial reporting process. The Audit Committee consists of Ms Anne Grethe Dalane (Chairman), Ms Sonali Chandmal, and Mr Sanjiv Misra, all of whom are also members of the Board.
Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee ensures thorough and independent preparation of matters relating to compensation paid to the Executive Personnel. The Remuneration Committee consists of Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao (Chairman) and Mr Luc Gillet, both of whom are also members of the Board.
Corporate Governance
At BW LPG, we conduct our business with high ethical standards and in compliance with relevant laws. We hold ourselves to high standards, and we expect the same from our external stakeholders and partners. Read more about corporate governance
