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Seaspan Corporate Leadership

Our leadership sets exacting standards for our employees, informed by a guiding principle of sound corporate governance.

Seaspan's leadership is responsible for the overall direction and management of our company's affairs. They act honestly, and in good faith, with a view to the company's best interests.

Bing Chen was appointed as a director and President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Corp. in November 2019, and as a director and President and Chief Executive Officer of Seaspan in January 2018. Mr. Chen also serves as a director and Chief Executive Officer of Poseidon Corp. Through a career spanning over 25 years, Mr. Chen’s experiences comprise executive roles in Asia, Europe and North America. Before joining the Company and Seaspan, he served as Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas (China) Ltd., leading the bank’s growth strategy in China. As Director and General Manager for Trafigura Investment (China), Mr. Chen was responsible for the P&L of domestic and international commodities trading in the country. He led the buildup of the greater China investment banking practice at Houlihan Lokey, Inc. as Managing Director and Head of Asia financial advisory. Mr. Chen served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer at industrial leasing and aircraft chartering businesses across Europe. In North America, he worked as Director, Business Strategy at Deutsche Bank in New York. Mr. Chen is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and received a B.S. (Magna Cum Laude and Honors) in Accountancy from Bernard Baruch College and MBA (Honors) from Columbia Business School.

Torsten Holst Pedersen

Torsten Holst Pedersen was appointed as chief operating officer in June 2020, and served as executive vice president, ship management from November 2018 to May 2020. Mr. Pedersen has over 20 years of experience in shipping, logistics and infrastructure, during which he held senior leadership roles and board positions across Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa. He started his career with the Maersk Group in 1996 and worked in several of the group’s business entities, holding C-level positions in Finance and HR. In 2016, Mr. Pedersen joined Inchcape Shipping Service as regional CEO for Middle East, Africa and South Asia. He then worked as head of operations for V Group, leading the transformation of the global operations organization of more than 45,000 employees. Prior to joining Seaspan, Mr. Pedersen worked as a strategy consultant, assisting companies with strategy execution and M&A due diligence in the Middle East and South Asia. He holds a Master of Economics from Aalborg University, Denmark, and a Master of International Economics (with Distinction) from University of Essex, U.K. These have been complemented by executive programs at Wharton and London Business School.

Kun Li joined Seaspan in 2018. Before assuming the role of Chief Commercial Officer in July 2023, Kun Li held various positions at Seaspan, including Director, Vice President, and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development – APAC Operations. From 2014 to 2018, he held management positions at a subsidiary of a significant commodity SOE in China, where he was responsible for domestic and international commodity trading and asset management. From 2006 to 2014, he worked at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone United Development Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Free Trade Zone United Development Co., Ltd., focusing on land development, commercial negotiation, and government investment projects. Kun Li graduated from Shanghai International Studies University in 2006.

Andrew E. Derksen

Andrew E. Derksen is the General Counsel of Seaspan Corporation and also serves as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Atlas Corp. Mr. Derksen has over 15 years of leadership experience in senior business and legal executive roles in Japan, Europe and the U.S. Prior to joining Atlas, Mr. Derksen was Chief Legal Officer and Board Secretary of Energy Technologies Holdings (Delaware) and Exide Technologies Group SAS, a private equity held battery manufacturing company with $1.7B in annual revenue, where Andrew was accountable for strategy/M&A, corporate governance, risk and legal management. Previously, Mr. Derksen was General Counsel at Faurecia Interior Systems (Euronext: EO), an automotive group, where Mr. Derksen oversaw legal and regulatory affairs for a 35,000 employee business group with 70 factories world-wide. In addition, Mr. Derksen has held several roles in the energy sector including with Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES) in Houston. Prior to his work as a business executive and leader, Mr. Derksen practiced law with Herbert Smith Freehills in Paris and Faskens in Toronto. Mr. Derksen is licensed to practice law in Ontario, England and Wales, and Paris. He carried out business studies at ESCP (Paris), and holds a J.D. from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Mr. Derksen is based at the Executive Office in Hong Kong.

At Seaspan, we’ve developed a workplace where every challenge is seen as an opportunity. We share success together, we support one another, we embrace diversity and culture. We strive to improve every day. Working with us means working in a place where your professional and personal growth is of the highest priority.

• December 01, 2011

Brian Carter appointed President, Seaspan Shipyards

Mr. Carter will be responsible for delivering the long-term strategic plans of Seaspan’s three shipyard operations (Vancouver Drydock, Vancouver Shipyards and Victoria Shipyards).  In addition to working with Seaspan’s senior management team at both the corporate and shipyard level, one Mr. Carter’s key areas of focus will be aligning the shipyard group for long-term success under the new $8 billion Federal Fleet Renewal Program.

Mr. Carter joins Seaspan from Brizo Maritime, a consulting company he founded in 2010 to assist maritime companies with strategic development initiatives.

“Brizo Maritime was hired by Seaspan last year to provide guidance on the company’s bid to win the NSPS contracts, and Brian quickly became an integral part of the winning team,” said Jonathan Whitworth, Seaspan CEO.

Prior to founding Brizo, Mr. Carter worked at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, Calif, where during an almost ten year tenure, he developed more than $1billion of new construction business, as well as key technology transfer relationships with leading international shipbuilding companies.  Before joining NASSCO, Mr. Carter worked at several companies with vessel design and construction projects in the U.S., Asia, and Europe.

Mr. Carter holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego, a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Seattle University, and completed the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering program at the University of Washington. He also has a professional certification as an Engineer (PE), Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

“Throughout my career, I’ve had the pleasure of crossing professional paths with Brian on many occasions and am extremely pleased he has agreed to join our company,” said Mr Whitworth. “He is an influential maritime industry leader who possesses a proven track record for developing and implementing strategic plans and policies, and we are extremely fortunate to have Brian join our Seaspan Marine Corporation team.”

December 1, 2011

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Seaspan Appoints Bing Chen As Chief Executive Officer

By Aiswarya Lakshmi October 31, 2017

 Seaspan Corporation announced that Bing Chen will be joining the Company as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and appointed to the Board of Directors in January, 2018. 

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A New CEO for Seaspan Shipyards 

Seaspan Shipyards recently announced the appointment of John McCarthy as CEO. This appointment, made by the Board of Directors of The Washington Companies is effective immediately. Mr. McCarthy succeeds Mark Lamarre who will be assuming a new role as President and CEO of the Washington Companies. This change follows the planned retirement of the previous President and CEO, Larry Simkins.

Having been with Seaspan Shipyards since 2018, John McCarthy in integral part of the senior leadership team. He brings to bear more than 36 years of experience in shipbuilding, repair, and overhaul as a senior leader at both American and International shipyards. McCarthy has overseen all new construction programs over the past four years as Chief Program Officer of Seaspan Shipyards. This work had been an ongoing part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

“I am excited and honoured to lead Seaspan Shipyards forward in this exciting and critical time for our company as we continue to build, repair and modernize ships both for Canada’s national needs and for our other important customers,” commented John McCarthy, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards. “I have tremendous regard for Seaspan’s proud history and look forward to continuing to work with our incredibly talented team across our three shipyards and our government partners to deliver on our current work and capitalize on the future opportunities ahead.”

In conclusion, McCarthy said, “On behalf of the entire Seaspan Shipyards team, we thank Mark Lamarre for his outstanding leadership and the significant contributions he has made through this important period for our company. Mark has been instrumental in driving a culture of continuous improvement and putting our Shipyards on the successful trajectory we are on today. I would also like to personally thank him for his guidance and friendship and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role.”

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• Transportation

Seaspan celebrates keel laying for second joint support ship

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Sea cadets and a rear admiral saluted, and the Royal Canadian Navy’s Naden Band played as Seaspan Shipyards celebrated a ceremonial keel-laying Friday to mark a key milestone in construction of the second massive joint support ship at the shipyard in North Vancouver.

During the keel-laying, a coin is placed near the keel of the ship to bring good luck to the vessel.

When finished, the HMCS Preserver, the second joint support ship, and the first joint support ship, the HMCS Protecteur, will be the longest naval ships built in Canada.

Construction on the first joint support ship is expected to be finished in 2025, while the second ship has a completion date of 2027.

Seaspan CEO John McCarthy said the shipyard has become more efficient in building the second joint support ship.

“We have seen a nearly 40 per cent reduction in labour hours from the first ship to the second ship on the first 25 per cent of the blocks,” he said. “That is just a phenomenal achievement.”

The Preserver joint support ship is the fifth vessel being built at Seaspan under Ottawa’s national shipbuilding program. In 2020, Seaspan finished building the third and final offshore fisheries vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard.

Construction is also currently underway at the shipyard on the Coast Guard’s offshore oceanographic vessel.

McCarthy said over the next 12 years, Seaspan shipbuilding and repairs are forecasted to contribute nearly $21 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product.

There are currently about 2,900 people working at the North Vancouver Seaspan Shipyards as well as additional employees at Victoria Shipyards and at North Vancouver’s Vancouver Drydock.

The shipyard has also begun design work on the next ship in the federal program, a polar icebreaker, along with a pilot program to test-run methods of forming very thick steel in a press and for welding that steel.

“The polar is a different ship,” said McCarthy. “It’s almost as big as [the joint support ships], but it’s 5,000 tonnes heavier. So it’s a massive heavy ship. It’s got very thick steel, up to 60-millimetre steel.”

In 2021, Seaspan celebrated 10 years of building under Ottawa’s national shipbuilding program.

Joining Seaspan employees and executives on Friday were North Vancouver MP Jonathan Wilkinson and Rear-Admiral Steve Waddell, deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Wilkinson said Seaspan is both “an integral part of both North Vancouver’s maritime heritage and our present local economy.”

McCarthy said Seaspan has also been speaking with B.C. Premier David Eby about the possibility of building more B.C. Ferries vessels in the future. The shipyard is much more modern than it was when B.C. Ferries opted to build its last vessels overseas, said McCarthy. “We are hoping we can make that happen.”

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Washington Companies

Washington companies announces executive leadership succession.

President and CEO Larry Simkins to Retire After Distinguished 21 Year Career

 Mark Lamarre, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards, to Assume Role of President and CEO of the Washington Companies

Missoula, MT – September 20, 2022 – The Washington Companies (“the Company”) today announced that Larry Simkins will retire as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors after a distinguished 21-year career as CEO of the Company. The Washington Companies’ Board has appointed Mark Lamarre, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards, to assume the role of President and CEO, and Mr. Lamarre will join The Washington Companies’ Board. Mr. Simkins and Mr. Lamarre have worked closely on an orderly and seamless transition plan since 2021. Mr. Simkins will remain on the Board of Directors of Atlas Corporation (NYSE: ATCO).

Dennis R. Washington, Founder and Chairman of The Washington Companies, said: “As Larry prepares to retire after more than two decades with The Washington Companies, I want to personally thank him for his dedication, leadership and friendship over the years. He has been critical to the success of The Washington Companies throughout his tenure as he worked to successfully diversify our businesses, expand our footprint and develop strong leadership teams that will oversee the success of these companies for multiple generations into the future. I am grateful for his partnership and, on behalf of the entire Board, wish him well in the future.”

Mr. Lamarre’s appointment follows a thorough succession planning process by the Company’s Board in collaboration with Mr. Simkins as well as the Board of Seaspan Shipyards, which has announced its own leadership transition concurrent with this announcement.

Mr. Washington continued: “I am pleased to welcome Mark Lamarre, a proven leader with an impeccable track record, as the new President and CEO of The Washington Companies. Since joining Seaspan in 2018, Mark has been instrumental in building on the Company’s dominant position in the shipbuilding and ship repair industry and has also come to know the operations, people and culture of our other companies extremely well. We are fortunate to have such a deep bench of talent to pull from to oversee the continued success of our companies for the benefit of our employees, customers and communities.”

To support the succession planning process, The Washington Companies also announced today additional senior leadership changes, including:

• John McCarthy, currently Seaspan’s Chief Program Officer, will assume the CEO role at Seaspan Shipyards, replacing Mr. Lamarre.
• Jerry Lemon , now Chief Financial Officer of The Washington Companies, will assume the role of President of Washington Investments.
• Jeff Schwarz , currently President of Modern Machinery, will oversee the construction entities, Modern Machinery and Envirocon, for The Washington Companies.

Mr. Simkins commented: “It has been a tremendous honor to serve as President and CEO of The Washington Companies, as well as to have served on the Boards of our portfolio companies for over two decades. I am proud of the work we have done to position the Companies with Mr. Washington’s vision of long-term success for multiple generations. I am fortunate to pass the reins over to a seasoned leader from within the organization. Mark has been instrumental in building Seaspan into the market leader it is today. The world-class team that includes Jerry Lemon, Jeff Schwarz, Joe Racicot, Frank Butzelaar, and Haley Nelson, will begin to write their remarkable chapter of the Washington family legacy as they begin a new and exciting era for The Washington Companies.”

Mr. Lamarre said: “It is a privilege to be The Washington Companies’ next President and CEO. Larry laid the groundwork for such a strong organization with incredible talent and unmatched offerings, and I am excited to build on the momentum he created. I want to thank Mr. Washington and the Board for their vote of confidence and look forward to working in partnership with the team over the coming months as we continue executing on our long-term strategy.”

Mark Lamarre Biography

Mark joined Seaspan Shipyards as Chief Executive Officer in July 2018, bringing over three decades of experience in complex planning, operations management and restructuring experience. Before his appointment, Mark served as Chief Executive Officer at Australian Shipbuilding Company (ASC), where he led the division of the company engaged in the engineering, construction, activation and post-delivery support of Naval surface combatants to the Australian Navy. Before that, he spent 24 years at Bath Iron Works, the $1.2 billion shipbuilding business unit of General Dynamics Corporation, in increasingly senior roles.

About The Washington Companies

The Washington Companies are a group of privately held companies headquartered throughout the United States and western Canada and conducting business internationally. Holdings include Montana Resources, Montana Rail Link, Seaspan Marine and Shipyards and Southern Railway. The construction entities include Modern Machinery and Envirocon. The combined group generates revenues above $1.6 billion (USD). Our customer focus on reliably delivering commodities, ships, transportation, service, equipment, and technology, as the safe, low-cost operator earns us the reputation as a desired counterparty.

With over a half-century of experience in our focus industries, The Washington Companies have established a reputation for fulfilling their founding principles of integrity, performance, passion and vision. As part of giving back within our local communities, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation gives a boost to local charities in the communities where our employees live and work as well as support for prestigious national programs.

FGS Global Jared Levy / Danya Al-Qattan [email protected]

Containerships

Seaspan's Bing Chen: A decarbonisation strategy 'built around four pillars'

In TradeWinds special report on the year ahead in decarbonisation, chief executive of Seaspan Corp and parent Atlas Corp lays out containership owner's approach to cutting emissions

Seaspan Corp has been an early market-leading adopter of decarbonisation strategies and more broadly on ESG initiatives.

Our Seaspan Action for Vessel Energy Reduction (SAVER) programme was adopted over 10 years ago and has delivered newbuilds over that time that are among the most fuel-efficient and economical in the industry.

This article is one of more than three dozen contributions from shipping industry stakeholders about their outlook for decarbonisation efforts in the year ahead.

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Ian McIver Named President of Seaspan Energy, Derek Ollmann Named President of Seaspan Marine Transportation

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December 16, 2022 – The Washington Companies are pleased to announce that, effective January 1, 2023, Ian McIver will be appointed President of the newly formed Seaspan Energy business. In this role, Ian will lead the development and execution of opportunities in the LNG bunkering sector, where Washington Companies has made significant investments in new LNG bunker ships and supporting infrastructure.

“This is an exciting and emerging new sector of our business and I look forward to introducing this service to the West coast of North America,” said McIver. 

Derek Ollmann will succeed Ian as President of Seaspan Marine Transportation, with responsibility for organizational strategy and all operations related to Seaspan Ferries, Seaspan Tug & Barge and HaiSea Marine.  Derek brings his executive experience within the transportation sector where he most recently served as President of Montana Rail Link (MRL). Derek also led Southern Railway of BC (SRY), where he began his career in 1999, in various leadership roles in operations including as President of SRY between 2017 and 2019.

“I am thrilled to return to British Columbia to continue working within the Washington Companies and I look forward to bringing my experience and operational focus to the Seaspan Marine Transportation team,” said Ollmann.

Frank Butzelaar, Washington Companies COO, Transportation, said “I am looking forward to working with both Derek and Ian as they continue to safely deliver value to customers and partners through a shared commitment to continuous improvement. I have worked with both Derek and Ian for many years, and I am confident in their ability to collaboratively engage with employees to create a new and exciting future for the Seaspan Marine Group.”

About Ian McIver:

Ian has worked as an executive in varied roles ranging from supply chain, sales and marketing, operations, and corporate development at several transportation and resource-based companies in BC. In 2018, Ian joined Seaspan as VP of Seaspan Ferries. Ian transitioned to Senior Vice President, Corporate Development for Seaspan ULC in May 2019, leading Seaspan Marine Transportation’s strategic initiatives. Ian was appointed President of Seaspan Marine Transportation in May 2021, with overall accountability for its operations and performance while focussing on safety, stakeholder relations and customer service excellence.

About Derek Ollmann:

Derek Ollmann began his transportation career in 1999 and most recently served as President of Montana Rail Link (MRL). Prior to MRL, Derek served as President of Southern Railway where he first joined The Washington Companies.  Over his 23 years in the transportation industry Derek has held progressively senior roles overseeing all aspects of marketing & sales , operations, maintenance and engineering. Under Derek’s leadership, MRL received the Presidential Safety Award from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association in recognition of MRL’s outstanding safety performance for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.

ABOUT SEASPAN MARINE

Seaspan Marine Transportation is a group of Canadian companies that are primarily involved in ship assist, coastal and deep-sea transportation, ferry services and fuel bunkering on the west coast of North America. With well over a century of successful participation in coastal commerce, Seaspan is a major partner in the Pacific Northwest marine economy. Seaspan is ISO certified, has in-house training simulators and has partnered with Seaways Global to develop the only Lloyd’s-approved training program for mariners.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Ali Hounsell [email protected] 604-612-5108