Singapore-based multi-disciplinary law firm Helmsman LLC on Tuesday (1 September) said it has appointed Raj Mannar as Director and Head of its Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions practice. 

Raj brings close to fifteen years of experience advising on corporate and commercial matters, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, investments, fundraising and employment.

Raj’s arrival strengthens the firm’s Corporate, M&A capabilities across Southeast Asia and beyond. He regularly advises on cross-border acquisitions and divestments, joint ventures and corporate restructurings, and equity and debt fundraisings. His deal experience has seen him act on both domestic and cross border transactions valued, in aggregate, in excess of USD 500 million.

His wider practice also covers corporate governance and general commercial matters, most recently acting as Singapore counsel on Victory Giant Technology’s USD 2.6 billion listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Raj has been recognised as one of Southeast Asia’s Top 40 Under 40 lawyers by LexisNexis and as a Rising Star by AsiaLaw.

Ian Teo, Managing Director of Helmsman, said: “We are delighted to welcome Raj to Helmsman. His deep transactional experience across complex, cross-border matters and his track record advising clients through every stage of a deal make him an outstanding addition to our team. We look forward to the continued growth of our Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions practice under his leadership.”

Raj Mannar said: “Helmsman has built its reputation on commercial, client-focused advice, and I am delighted to join at this stage of the firm’s growth. I look forward to working with the team to build out the Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions practice in Singapore and across the region.”’

Photo credit: Helmsman
Published: 1 September, 2026

Singapore-based global maritime container shipping company X-Press Feeders announced the appointment of Alex Hartnoll as Deputy Chairman of X-Press Feeders.

Since joining the company in 2014, Alex has taken on leadership roles across Europe and Asia, building extensive experience in market development, business transformation, sustainability and regional operations. Most recently, he served as Director, South Asia. Before that, he was the Head of Business Transformation. 

“Throughout his journey with X-Press Feeders, Alex has contributed to key growth and transformation initiatives across the Group,” the company said in a social media post.

“We look forward to this next chapter as he takes on his new role as Deputy Chairman.”

Photo credit: X-Press Feeder
Published: 1 September, 2026

Ofiniti, a maritime technology company digitalising the operational side of the global bunkering industry, on Friday (21 August) announced the appointment of Torben Carlsen as its Chair. 

With the former DFDS CEO heading its Board of Directors, Ofiniti strengthens both its strategic leadership and perspective from the demand side as the company enters its next phase of international growth.

Ofiniti handles planning, operational coordination, execution and digital documentation of marine fuel deliveries across the world’s major bunkering hubs. Its technology connects the different stages of a bunker operation, helping suppliers, buyers and infrastructure providers coordinate and execute fuel deliveries with greater visibility and control.

The company said bunkering is a complex operation involving fuel suppliers, shipowners, bunker vessels, terminals, ports and other stakeholders that must coordinate around timing, location, capacity and documentation. Yet much of the information exchange and coordination still takes place across disconnected systems and manual processes.

Ofiniti’s ambition is to bring the industry into one connected operational ecosystem across supply, demand and the infrastructure that enables bunker operations.

The platform combines operational visibility, digital delivery and documentation, and operational intelligence into a shared view of bunker operations. This enables stakeholders to adapt as conditions change, execute deliveries with greater control and use data from each operation to continuously improve planning and execution.

Carlsen will play an important role in that development.

Carlsen, Chair of Ofiniti, said: “After many years in the shipping industry, I know how critical fuel and bunker operations are to both economics and day-to-day operations. 

“What I find particularly interesting about Ofiniti is that the company is addressing a very tangible challenge in shipping: How do we better connect the many players involved in a bunker operation? Ofiniti has already established a strong position, and I see significant potential in bringing supply, demand and infrastructure closer together.”

Ofiniti has historically built a strong position on the supplier side of the bunkering industry. An important part of the company’s next phase is to create greater connectivity across the entire ecosystem, including closer engagement with the companies buying and receiving marine fuel.

With decades of experience in international shipping, Carlsen brings both strategic leadership and a strong perspective from the shipowner and customer side of the industry.

Tue Raguse, CEO of Ofiniti, said: “We have built our position very close to the operational side of bunkering. But our ambition is bigger than optimising one part of the value chain. We want to connect supply, demand and the infrastructure that enables the industry, and that requires us to understand the entire ecosystem – particularly the buyers of marine fuel.”

“With Torben, we gain a highly experienced international industry leader who has sat on the customer side and understands what matters to a major shipowner. He will be an important strategic sparring partner for me and the wider leadership team, while also being actively involved in the next phase of Ofiniti’s development and helping us accelerate both organic and inorganic growth.”

Related: Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows
Related: Ofiniti acquires Teqplay in push towards end-to-end bunkering visibility
Related: Ofiniti and SGMF to simplify, standardise LNG bunker compatibility assessments

Photo credit: Ofiniti
Published: 24 August, 2026