V.Group today announced the appointment of John Adams as managing director of V.Ships UK Ltd. John brings a wealth of experience from 30 years at Teekay Shipping, most recently holding the position of Managing Director, Glasgow and Chair of the Operational Leadership Team.

In his time at Teekay, John played a key leadership role during Teekay’s growth, integrating acquisitions into the expanding fleet operations. He is also Chairman of Bahamas Shipowners’ Association and Vice Chair at the International Chamber of Shipping, where he Chairs a strategic industry Working Group focusing on meeting the IMO GHG reduction targets.

As managing director of V.Ships UK Ltd, based in Glasgow, Adams has been brought on board to strengthen our management team, and will be instrumental in leveraging V.Group’s new ship management operating model to deliver better results for customers. In this model, V.Group’s fleet cells are prioritised with access to support groups and centres of expertise around the globe with market-leading expertise in HSEQ, compliance, and technical management, thus ensuring that they can offer the highest standards of service.

Commenting on the appointment, Adams said: “When [CEO] Graham Westgarth outlined his future vision, strategy, and direction for V.Group I immediately bought in, and very much wanted to be part of this exciting business.

I am passionate about this business – the dynamics and the challenges, which in turn present opportunities to develop and deliver strategic long-term successful outcomes. I have been in this industry for over 40 years, and my earliest experience in this business was in ship management in Glasgow – I am proud of Glasgow as a leading centre for delivering ship-management services to a global business community.

I have long admired the V.Ships operation in Glasgow both in terms of scale and its reputation, and its innovation – ShipSure 1.0 was a game-changer in the industry; and ShipSure 2.0 is now a significant differentiator for V.Group.”

Franck Kayser, Group Managing Director, V.Ships, congratulated John on the appointment. “We’re excited to be bringing in someone with his wealth of shipping expertise, who has been closely involved in the building of a highly successful and world class global organisation at Teekay. Together, we’re looking forward to leveraging the new ship management operating model, the fleet cells and support groups to get the best results possible for our customers and drive growth.”