Arrow Shipbroking has appointed Jeremy Palin as the first chief executive in its 32-year history.

The dry cargo broker wins high praise from industry players who describe him as “charismatic”, “witty”, “driven”, “able to speak with anyone”, “a force of nature” and — if that was not enough – “the most successful panamax broker of his generation”.

Palin is more modest, describing the chief executive position as “not a massive change” and making light of the flattering plaudits.