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 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 and Head of Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance, Michalis 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 Investment Funds committee of the ICPAC and as the Chairman of the Alternative Investment Funds committee of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA).

Non - Executive Director

Nicos Paneras

Nicos holds an MBA in Shipping & Finance, from the Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM), is a Fellow Certified Chartered Accountant (FCCA) and a Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants (ICPAC). He is also Member of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber’s Law and Finance Sub-Committee.

Qualified with Deloitte (Cyprus) and pursued a career in shipping. Held managerial and financial positions with various shipping companies prior to being appointed CFO of Internship Navigation Co.

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).

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.

Head of Accounting and Finance

Vryonis Kyperesis

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, having succeeded in the Advanced examinations.

He is also a member of the Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) where he serves on the Shipping Committee and a member of the Legal and Finance Committee of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC).

He worked for Deloitte Cyprus between 2006 and 2011, involved in the audit of various public and private companies including offshore drilling, banking, financial services, investment and trading before joining Intership in 2011 Heading the Department of Accounting & Finance, where he is responsible for managing the Finance team as well as for various services relating to accounting, finance, treasury and reporting. During 2021, he has also joined Pelagic Partners as the Head of Portfolio Management and in 2023 was appointed as the Head of Accounting and Finance.

AML Compliance Officer

Eliana Charalambous Savvidi

Eliana graduated from the University of Leicester with a bachelor’s degree in LLB Law. 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 serves on the Shipping Committee and a member of the Legal and Finance Committee of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC).

She worked for Trident Trust (Cyprus) as a corporate counsel, ensuring among others compliance with AML legislation and carrying out due diligence on clients. She joined Intership Navigation in 2018 as the Legal Manager and Internal legal advisor, coordinator during procedures such as vessel sales, registrations, flag changes. She is also appointed in the Emergency Response Team media as a spokesperson and responsible to issue press releases and respond to media in event of crises. Additionally, she is appointed as the data protection officer of the Company. Eliana was later on appointed as AML Compliance Officer of Pelagic Partners Ltd.

Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance Manager

Demetris Moysi

Demetris holds a BSc degree in Management Sciences by the University of Warwick and a Diploma in Project Management by Queen Mary University of London. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), a member of the Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) and a holder of the CySEC Advanced Certification.

He previously worked for Deloitte (Cyprus) as an auditor in the fields of shipping, insurance, retail, financial services and banking. He joined Intership Navigation Co Ltd in 2013 as a member of the Accounting and Financial Department, where he is responsible for the various aspects of accounting, finance, treasury and reporting. Demetris joined Pelagic Partners in 2021 and holds the position of the Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance Manager.

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.

Brand Coordinator

Lydia Dimosthenous

Lydia is the Brand Coordinator 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.

Fund Administrator

Marios Economou

Marios is an LLB graduate from Kingston University London. He is a 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).

Prior to joining Pelagic Partners ltd, Marios was employed at an Alternative Investment Fund with a focus to London real estate as an investment officer monitoring the procurement, development and sale of the properties.

He previously worked for KPMG Cyprus as an auditor specializing in the fields of real estate companies, regulated investment vehicles such as AIFMs, AIFs, RAIFs etc. He was a member of the team offering advice on regulated investment vehicles and fund administration services. He participated on the securitization and operationalization of the biggest non-performing loan transactions in Cyprus.