Meet the team:
Cato Brahde – CIO
Cato joined Tufton Oceanic in 1989 where he was responsible for the group’s shipping investment fund and individual investment accounts with a total of 50 ships. He co-founded Oceanic Hedge Fund in 2002 and currently serves as CIO. Cato has held several non-executive directorships of private and public shipping companies. Prior to joining Tufton Oceanic, he worked as a naval architect and project manager with Brown and Root in offshore construction projects, from 1978 to 1989. Before that, he had served as an officer in the Royal Norwegian Navy. Cato holds an MSBA, a B.Sc. (Hons) in Naval Architecture, is a Member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects and holds a diploma in Company Direction.
Max Bezance – Head of Trading / TRACS
Max has been part of the Oceanic team since 2007 and runs the trading, short term analysis and vessel tracking parts of the business from the Isle of Man office. Previously Max worked at Trafigura as part of the oil and freight trading team. He has a BA(Hons) in Business Studies from the University of Huddersfield graduating in 2000.
Andreas Vergottis – Head of Research
Andreas joined Tufton Oceanic in 1989 as buy side shipping analyst using proprietary research. He was recruited in 1996 by UBS as a sell side shipping analyst and in addition to routine research participated in various corporate transactions. He re-joined Tufton Oceanic in 2002 as Head of Research with personal responsibility for shipping. He has a PhD in Shipping Economics from City University Business School.
Jonas Andreasson, CFA – PM Oil & Gas
Jonas joined Tufton Oceanic in 1995 as a shipping investment analyst. He co-founded Oceanic Hedge Fund in 2002 and built out the research effort for the oil and gas sectors. He currently serves as an investment advisor for the energy portfolio of the fund. Jonas earned his MSc in Shipping, Trade and Finance at City University in 1995.
Andrew Stone – PM New Energy
Andrew joined Tufton Oceanic in 2006 from Numis Securities (2005-06), where he had created a New Energy and Emissions product in equity research. Prior to Numis, Andrew set up his own equity research consultancy (2003-05), which included work for the Carbon Trust. Previous roles included Head of European Utilities at BNP-Paribas (1998-2003); European Utilities Analyst at Daiwa Securities (1992-98); and UK Utilities Analyst at Hoare Govett (1986-92). Andrew holds a B. Soc. Sc. (Joint Hon) degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Birmingham (1985).
Asbjørn Vatnamot – PM Shipping
Asbjørn joined Tufton Oceanic in 2015 – working initially in a trading support and analysis function. Since 2017 he has worked as an energy and shipping analyst – performing company research and sector analysis. Prior of joining Tufton Oceanic, Asbjørn worked for Profitbase as a consultant, specialising in financial reporting and budgeting. He holds a B.A. Economics from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Petros Poulmentis – Non Executive Director
Petros has been actively involved in the shipping industry since 1977 and has a wealth of experience in all aspects including investing, commercial and technical management. He co founded the World Carrier Group, and is currently a director of a number of shipping companies. He has been involved with the Tufton Oceanic Group since 1984. He is a firm supporter of the decarbonisation efforts and is advising a family investment group on the matter. Petros is a graduate of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne holding a degree in Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture.