Team

Managing Director

Atef Abou Merhi

Atef Abou Merhi is a founding member of Pelagic Partners. He is a seasoned shipping professional and a second-generation ship owner through his family-owned Abou Merhi Group. The Abou Merhi Group is a specialist in Maritime and Logistics investments across the PCTC-RoRo, Bulk Carrier, Cruise and Port sectors for over 30 years.

Atef holds a BSc (Hons) in Ship and Port Management from Southampton Solent University and an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid. Atef also earned a diploma with merits in Ship Finance from Lloyd’s Maritime Academy and is an Alumnus of IMD Business School in Lausanne.

Managing Director

Dr. Niels Hartmann

Dr. Niels Hartmann is the Chief Executive Officer and board member of the Hartmann Group and founding member of Pelagic Partners. The Hartmann Group is a German independent, family-owned shipping company with a fleet of over 150 ships and a provider of third-party ship management services.

Dr. Hartmann is a PhD graduate from the University of Kiel (2005) with emphasis on national location factors for shipowning companies. As Group CEO he is responsible for the strategic development of the Hartmann Group’s business and fleet and for organisational matters.

Dr. Niels is also member of the board of the German Shipowners Defence Association.

Executive Director and Head of Portfolio Management

Ahmad Abou Merhi

Ahmad Abou Merhi is the Executive Director and Head of Portfolio Management of Pelagic Partners. He is a second generation ship owner through his family-owned Abou Merhi Group, a diverse shipping group with a history of over 30 years. Ahmad was also involved in closing numerous high-calibre deals within the global shipping & offshore sector as a Strategic & Commercial Advisor at Société Générale.

Ahmad is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with focus on Alternative Investments & Private Equity at Bayes Business School London (previously known as Cass Business School). He also holds a BSc (Hons) in Accounting & Finance and an MSc in Shipping, Trade & Finance from the same business school. His academic prowess earned him several awards and an exclusive invitation to join the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma Society, a recognition reserved for the best-performing business students from the world’s top business schools.

Executive Director and Head of Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance

Michalis Vasiliou

Michalis Vasiliou holds a first-class degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Manchester. He is a Fellow member (FCA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC).

Before joining H.M. Pelagic Partners as Executive Director, he worked for KPMG Cyprus between 2007 and 2022 where he served as a Board Member and Head of the Asset Management Services. He also served as the Chairman of the Alternative Investment Funds committee of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA).

Executive Director, Pelagic Capital

Tobias Backer

Tobias Backer is the Executive Director of Pelagic Capital, leading the development of the firm’s new base in Mayfair, London. He brings extensive expertise in the maritime industry, having founded Fleetscape Capital, a leading alternative capital provider sponsored by Oaktree Capital Management. Tobias has held key roles in business development at Oaktree’s European Principal Group, ICON Capital (now CION Investments), DNB Bank, and Fortis Bank (now BNP Paribas). His experience spans sale and leaseback transactions, mezzanine loans, preference shares, and joint ventures. Tobias holds dual U.S. and Norwegian citizenship and earned degrees in Business Administration and International Relations from Boston University.

Independent Non - Executive Director

Hanna Nicola Abuaitah

Hanna (Johny) is the Founder & CEO of Windsor Brokers Group, an entity licensed by the Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission (CySEC). He has over 30 years of experience in the financial invest world and is a member of the board of a financial institution that is licensed and regulated by Jordan Securities Commission (JSC).

Johny holds an MSc in Business Systems Analysis from City, University of London.

Independent Non - Executive Director

Costas Argyrides

Costas is the Managing Director of Memphis Capital Management and a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments. He worked as the CEO of the Cyprus Development Bank and as a Director of Wealth Markers in the Bank of Cyprus.

Costas holds an MSc in Shipping, Trade, and Finance from Bayes Business School London (previously known as Cass Business School).

Head of Accounting and Finance

Vryonis Kyperesis

Vryonis joined Pelagic Partners as the Head of Portfolio Management and in 2023 was appointed as the Head of Accounting and Finance.

Previously, he worked for Deloitte Cyprus between 2006 and 2011, before joining Intership in 2011 where he was heading the Department of Accounting and Finance until 2023. Since January 2024, he is the CFO of Hartmann Holdings in Cyprus.

Vryonis graduated from the University of Lancaster with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance and is a Fellow Certified Chartered Accountant (FCCA). He is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (MCSI) and he is registered in the Public Register of CySEC for Certified Persons.

Accountant & Administrator

Andria Charalampous

Andria holds a BSc degree in Economics by the University of Cyprus and an MBA with attention to Shipping by the Cyprus Institute of Marketing.

She previously worked for PwC (Cyprus) in the tax department for two years and then as an accountant in the fields of financial and risk management services . She joined H.M. Pelagic Partners Co Ltd in 2021 as a member of the Accounting and Financial Department, where she is responsible for the various aspects of accounting, book-keeping reconciliations, and reporting.

Marketing and Communications Manager

Lydia Dimosthenous

Lydia is the Marketing and Communications Manager of Pelagic Partners responsible for the handling of the Fund’s marketing affairs in-house. She is a professional, hardworking and detail – oriented person with distinguished knowledge of offline marketing practices, event and budget management, as well as the ability to develop campaigns in line with brand strategies and objectives. Moreover, she possesses strong experience with advertisement placements across several media including billboards, magazines and newspapers, radio channels as well as well renowned TV stations in Cyprus. In addition, she also has vast knowledge on public relations as she has played an important role in communication strategies that ensure the efficient workflow with key figures of various media outlets.

Lydia is a Communication and Marketing graduate from the Cyprus University of Technology and MBA graduate from the Cyprus Institute of Marketing.

Fleet Manager

Georgios Spyrou

Georgios graduated from Aspropyrgos Marine Academy with a Bachelor’s degree (3+1 years) in Marine Engineering and the 3rd Engineer certificate, while sailing on a variety of vessels such as Bulk carriers (Cape size, Handy-max, Containers). During his time as a seafarer there were memorable moments. One of them was when he was officially handed his Chief Engineers Epaulettes onboard a 14,000 TEU Container vessel, one of the largest vessels at that time.

After obtaining extensive knowledge and experience in the vessel’s operation, he was then given the opportunity from EASTMED to work as Senior Machinery supervisor at GWS shipyard in China and after a successful completion of 6 newbuilding vessels project, he undertook a role of Senior Technical Superintendent for Wallem (Hong Kong) for almost four years prior getting an offer for fleet manager position for Safebulkers in Cyprus. In completion of two challenging years with several BWTS/EGCS retrofits and extensive travelling and Drydocks , he decided that it was the right time to expand his knowledge and obtain an MSc in Shipmanagement from Greenwich University prior getting assigned as Senior Technical Superintendent for BSM-CY.

Fund Administrator

Georgia Michaela

Georgia successfully completed her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Economics with a first-class distinction from the University of Reading. Additionally, she has excelled in her professional qualifications, becoming an ACA qualified member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC).

With almost six and a half years of experience at a Big 4 company in Cyprus in the fund services department, she managed to have a solid and extensive knowledge in the ongoing fund administration. Her role involved managing a diverse range of Alternative Investment Fund structures, engaged in shipping, energy, real estate, algorithmic trading, and private equity.

AML Compliance Officer

Lefki Koutoumba

Lefki graduated from the University of Westminster with a Bachelor’s degree in LLB Law (Hons.). She has a Master’s Degree in International Economic Law, Justice and Development from Birkbeck College, University of London. She is a Member of the Cyprus Bar Association, and she is registered in the Public Register of CySEC for Certified Persons, having succeeded in the AML examinations.

She worked as a Corporate Lawyer in some of the biggest Cyprus Law Firms and ASPs, where she gained a vast experience in corporate and commercial Law, as well as AML and Compliance. She joined Pelagic Partners in January 2024, where she work as the AML Compliance Officer and the Data Protection Officer.

Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance Manager

Odysseas Hadjixenophontos

Odysseas holds a BSc degree in Mathematics from University of Bristol. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a member of the Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC).

He qualified with Deloitte (Cyprus) and during his tenure he was involved in the external audit of public and private companies with the majority of the companies operating in the shipping industry. Odysseas joined Pelagic Partners in 2024 and holds the position of the Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance Manager. He is also the Financial Controller of Hartmann Holdings Cyprus.

Operations Manager

Capt. Nicolaos P. Karimalis

Capt. Nikolaos P. Karimalis continuously serves the maritime industry, for more than 3 decades, and is passionate about sharing his expertise and experiences with younger generations through active engagement with various academic organizations. As a seasoned Master Mariner, he boasts over 2 decades of practical knowledge navigating various types of vessels across a spectrum of maritime environments. Transitioning seamlessly to shore roles, Capt. Nikolaos has held shore roles covering the entire scope of marine operations in ship consulting, owning, and managing organizations. This extensive background furnishes him with a versatile skill set geared towards enhancing operational safety, quality, reliability, and efficiency.

Capt. Nikolaos holds a broad academic record, including a BSc (Hons) in Marine Management Operations from the Preveza Marine Academy, complemented by an MBA and an MSc in Technical Ship Management from the University of Strathclyde. Further advancing his academic journey, he pursued an LLm from the University of West London, alongside a Diploma in Negotiations (DiN) from the Athens University of Economics and Business. Continuously striving for academic knowledge, Capt. Nikolaos is currently undertaking a PhD from Liverpool John Moores University and a DBA from the University of West London, with a focus on maritime cyber management. His scholarly and professional experience endeavours have earned him numerous awards and accreditations, including a nomination as a Livery of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners.

Technical Officer

Sophie Lambrou

Sophie is a graduate of Frederick University with a degree of BSc Maritime Studies.  During her studies, in 2014 she started part time as a purchasing officer at Mastermind Shipmanagement LTD, then in 2015 when she officially graduated, she became a full-time employee. As a purchasing officer, Sophie was responsible to provide and arrange various spare parts for the vessel’s needs, liaising and meeting with venders to ensure promising quality of supplies for the vessels and preparing the quarterly reports for proper budget control. After 4.5 years with Mastermind Shipmanagement, she decided to move forward with her career and thus in 2019, she became an employee at Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (CY) as a technical officer. As a technical officer, besides the purchasing duties that were required, she was also responsible for reviewing the vessels class and flag by assisting her team with arranging the necessary annual services. Sophie would also support her team by arranging any related technical service required such as coordinating travel arrangements, request for service quotations etc. After ending her career at BSM-CY, she joined Pelagic Partners as a technical officer where she will be assisting the team with overseeing the condition assessment of all vessels, reviewing weekly/monthly reports and monitoring accounting figures, KPIs and other technical information.

Senior Technical Superintendent

Panagiotis Koroulakis

Chief Technical Officer, Pelagic Wind Services

Pradeep Ranjan

Pradeep Ranjan is a veteran of the shipping industry with over 40 years of experience in managing large and varied fleets. Drawing on a wealth of on and offshore knowledge, Pradeep has held several key leadership roles including Project Director U-One,  Vice President of Navios Tankers Management, and Technical Director at V-Ships Cyprus.

After studying at South Shields, UK,  sailed on various ocean-going vessels up to the rank of Chief Engineer.

Finance Manager, Pelagic Capital

Demetris Moysi

Demetris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Sciences from the University of Warwick and has further specialized in Project Management from Queen Mary University of London. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Demetris has an extensive background in accounting, finance, and compliance, with over a decade of experience in leadership roles. He served as the Head of Finance and Accounting at Intership Navigation Co Ltd, where he managed an extensive team of accountants and was responsible for overseeing financial reporting, cash flow management, internal controls, and system migrations. His expertise spans valuation methodologies, due diligence processes, and financial assessments, contributing significantly to the company’s financial structure and operational efficiency.

In addition to his financial expertise, Demetris also led the Compliance and Risk Management division at Pelagic Partners, where he successfully developed compliance frameworks and improved risk mitigation processes. His ability to collaborate with senior leadership and external auditors fostered a culture of transparency and accountability.

In 2024, Demetris joined Pelagic Capital Ltd as a Finance Manager, where he continues to leverage his strong background in finance and compliance to drive financial strategy and lead the finance team.

Associate, Pelagic Capital

Maximilian Debatin

Maximilian Debatin is an Associate at Pelagic Capital, based at the firm’s London office. He is an experienced shipping professional, having worked in the maritime finance group of First Citizens Bank in New York and the maritime team of the World Bank in Washington DC.

Maximilian has earned a MSc of Shipping Trade and Finance from Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of St Gallen and a BSc in Nautical Sciences from University of Applied Sciences Bremen. Further, he has spent 12 months at sea as a cadet on ocean-going ships.