Multi-disciplinary law firm Helmsman LLC on Friday (4 July) announced the appointment of Teoh Su Yin as a Director within its Corporate, Banking, and Finance Practice Group.

With a multidisciplinary background in law, education and research, Teoh began her legal career as a litigator and transitioned into a broad range of non- contentious corporate, banking and finance work for a diverse clientele before focusing on transactional banking/finance work. 

She worked in major Singapore law firms, as well as in the Singapore branch of a foreign bank. She has advised on significant banking and finance transactions, including acting for the lenders in facilities totalling USD 1.5 billion for a Southeast Asian government, a USD 29 million bill discounting facility for government agencies of a Southeast Asian country, a SGD 600 million facility that part-financed a Singapore entity’s acquisition of an Australian company, and a SGD 400 million financing/refinancing deal for a mixed-use development project in Singapore.

“After a decade as a Big Four Singapore law firm partner with a primarily general banking and finance practice, she lawyered in-house – for most part in the R&D sector – while engaging in teaching and research endeavours. As general counsel to two research institutes and a teacher-researcher herself, she had firsthand experience in R&D-related concerns, in both the public and private sectors,” Helmsman said in a statement. 

Amongst other things, she has worked on legal and ethical data collection and management, cross-border data transfer-related risks, and data management and protection. She also employed facilitative training and process facilitation as means to manage legal risks.

She returned to private practice after completing her master’s degree in education (with a major in developmental psychology) and other academic pursuits. 

“Today, she combines legal expertise with human insight to support cross-border banking and finance transactions, data-driven ventures, and organisational resilience,” the law firm added. 

Teoh first came to Singapore on a government scholarship, obtained her bachelor’s and master’s law degrees from the National University of Singapore and her master’s degree in education from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. 

She holds teaching and adult education credentials from Finland and Singapore (WSQ ACLP and DACE certification) and process facilitation certification from the U.S.A. and Singapore. In addition, she is an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional (Asia).

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Photo credit: Helmsman
Published: 4 July, 2025

Hong Kong bunkering firm Sea Trader International on Tuesday (1 July) announced the appointment of Sean Kim as Sales Manager for its Seoul affiliate office, Sea Trader International Limited, with immediate effect.

Mr Kim graduated from Korea Maritime University and first worked at a shipping logistics and charter brokering company for four years, according to a note from Sea Trader to Manifold Times.

After that, he worked at various bunker trading companies, including World Fuel Services Corporation, OceanConnect Marine, KPI OCM and BaseBlue for a total of 12 years.

“The appointment of Sean, who is an experienced bunker trader for the Korean market, is testament to the growth of our company in Asia and reflects our commitment to better serve clients and partners in the region,” said Simon Szeto, Managing Director of Sea Trader Group.

Contact details of Sea Trader’s Seoul affiliate office, together with current staff members, are as follows:

18F, S-Tower, 82 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03185, Korea
Office: (+82) 2 6226 7333

Mr Sean Kim
Mobile: (+82) 10 8933 3889
Email: [email protected]

Mr Jacob Kang
Mobile: (+82) 10 2818 1066
Email: [email protected]

Photo credit: Sea Trader International
Published: 1 July 2025

Bunker Holding on Friday (27 June) announced the appointment of Kenneth Juhls as the CEO of AuctionConnect, effective 1 July 2025. 

AuctionConnect, an independent company owned by Bunker Holding, digitalise complex processes in bunker auctions, turning real time data into operational insights and smarter decision-making. 

Bunker Holding said the appointment marked a significant strategic step for AuctionConnect as it transitions into a phase of growth and scale. 

“Kenneth Juhls is a standout profile in the maritime digital space. His deep industry knowledge, strategic clarity, and commercial edge make him the ideal person to take AuctionConnect to the next level. We are proud to have attracted such a strong profile, and we look forward to seeing him shape the next phase of AuctionConnect’s growth journey,” said Michael Krabbe, Chairman of AuctionConnect. 

Kenneth Juhls brings more than 25 years of industry experience from shipping and trading. Most recently Kenneth Juhls assumed the role of Senior Vice President and Global Head of Customer Success and Partnerships at ZeroNorth and before that as Managing Director of ZeroNorth Bunker leading the development and scaling of their digital bunker optimisation platform. 

He also serves as their chair of the IBIA Digitalisation Working Group and board member of the IBIA European Board. His leadership will be key in positioning AuctionConnect as a go-to platform that simplifies fuel procurement, drives transparency and trust, and solves real-world challenges for users across the bunker industry.   

At AuctionConnect, Kenneth Juhls will take the helm at a time where the energy transition poses new challenges and opportunities for the industry. He will apply his strategic, industry and commercial experience to sharpen the platform’s commercial focus, build out partnerships, and strengthen user experience. 

“AuctionConnect is already a strong platform with a proven customer base and real traction in the market. Our industry is transforming, and I strongly believe strong data, digital tools and platforms will help all market participants navigate the increasing complexity. I look forward to engaging with all parts of the industry to drive real and meaningful change, form partnerships and first and foremost deliver value to our customers. I am excited to build on the strong foundation already in place,” says Kenneth Juhls. 

With this appointment, Per Funch-Nielsen steps down as CEO of AuctionConnect. Chairman of AuctionConnect, Michael Krabbe, says “Per has been instrumental in developing the platform and we extend our sincere thanks for his strong commitment and leadership. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

Photo credit: Bunker Holding
Published: 30 June, 2025