V.Group appoints non-executive directors to board

London, 9 March 2017 – V.Group Ltd. (“V.Group”), the world’s leading marine and offshore vessel management and support services provider, is pleased to announce the appointment of John Pattullo and Jesper Kjaedegaard to its board. These engagements follow the investment in the company by Advent International, (“Advent”), one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors, which completed today.

John, who will assume the position of Chairman, has had a diverse career spanning more than 40 years with experience in global supply chain, logistics and freight forwarding. In his executive career, John was Chief Executive Officer of CEVA Logistics, where he developed the strategy, operating model and brand values that underpinned the company’s growth. Prior to this John worked as Chief Executive, EMEA for Exel, and held a broad range of international roles at Procter & Gamble. More recently, amongst other roles, John has been Chairman of Marken Logistics, the supply chain organisation dedicated to the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, Chairman of NHS Blood & Transplant, the UK special health authority, and Senior Independent Director of Electrocomponents plc, the high-service global distributor for engineers.

Jesper brings considerable additional experience to V.Group in the maritime sector having worked for A.P.Moller-Maersk for over 30 years. During his time with the organisation, he was CEO of The Maersk Company UK Ltd and a member of Maersk Line’s Executive Board. Jesper currently serves as a non-executive board director for a number of both listed and privately-owned maritime and transport related companies in Europe, India and South America and is a past President of the British Chamber of Shipping and Chairman of Maritime UK.

Commenting on his appointment, John Pattullo said, “I am delighted to be joining V.Group as Chairman at such an exciting time for the business. Advent will support the management team in making significant investments in technology, systems and operations which create a unique opportunity for V.Group, as a global market leader, to help shape the future of the ship management industry.”

Commenting on his appointment, Jesper Kjaedegaard said, “Having spent the majority of my career working in the maritime services industry, this role is a great opportunity for me to apply my wealth of experience to an organisation which is embarking upon a significant growth and transformation journey. I intend to leverage my experience and network of relationships to the benefit of V.Group as it pursues opportunities for future growth.”

Clive Richardson, CEO of V.Group, said, “John and Jesper bring complementary experience from the global logistics and maritime sectors which is highly relevant as we embark upon our shared vision with Advent to further develop and differentiate our offering in marine services. As ship owners and operators increasingly consider strategic options for the management of their fleets, we are committed to delivering an unrivalled combination of performance excellence alongside lower costs. We look forward to working with John and Jesper to make this possible.”

Haris Kyriakopoulos, a Director at Advent International, said, “The completion of our acquisition of V.Group marks the start of a new phase of growth for the company. We very much look forward to supporting the management team as they execute their strategy and are committed to providing the company with the tools, resources and cross-sector expertise to help it transform its operations, improve its service delivery and enhance its long term growth.”

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