Former Danish Shipping climate, environment and safety director Maria Skipper Schwenn has taken on a new role with Bunker Holding.

The policy expert left the Danish lobby group at the start of March for a new challenge.

The USTC-owned bunker trader said on Wednesday the former political assistant has been appointed director of environmental, regulatory and public affairs to assist the group in its green transition.

Bunker Holding has also recruited Manja Ostertag as head of biofuels.

Both executives have “elaborate experience from their past roles in shipping and new fuels, respectively, and both have been collaborating closely with industry players in making progress on carbon reduction initiatives,” the fuel supplier said.

Skipper Schwenn will be expected to play a vital role in Bunker Holding’s efforts to maximise its influence in shaping the regulatory outcome for shipping’s decarbonisation.

“I am very excited to pursue this opportunity with Bunker Holding and to be working on this all-important agenda. Being the world’s leading fuel supplier offers a unique opportunity to be a driving force in the transition towards zero carbon shipping,” she said.

“I believe that Bunker Holding has a strong platform as a basis for taking part in the public debate related to climate change and decarbonisation,” she added.

The director has been a member of the Danish delegation to the IMO and has been deeply involved in the development of several frameworks and policies on decarbonisation and reduction incentives.

Moving away from fossil fuels

Ostertag meanwhile will spearhead Bunker Holding’s transition from fossil fuels to biofuels.

“I am joining the group at a very exciting time, as the development in the industry towards low-carbon reduction initiatives is accelerating at a fast pace,” she said.

She was previously director of sales and trading at Renewable Energy Group, an international producer and supplier of biofuels, and is a former BP employee.

Ostertag has been in the biofuels industry since 2010 when the road transport sector first started to phase them in.