Breakbulk Europe Advisory Board

Carsten Wendt

Head of Sales - High & Heavy and Breakbulk Wallenius Wilhelmsen

Carsten Wendt studied international transport management at Germany’s University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg/Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshaven, as part of which he spent six months studying international shipping and logistics at Hong Kong Polytechnic. Wendt went on to a position as team leader for key accounts and projects at Rickmers-Linie from 2007 to 2014. Since 2014, he has managed high and heavy and breakbulk sales for Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean’s German branch, located in Bremen.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean is the leading RoRo breakbulk carrier with more than 50 vessels operating in a fixed liner network, providing a wide range of load and discharge ports globally. Coupled with the trade network of its sister companies, EUKOR and ARC, and it is unparalleled in terms of options for breakbulk and project cargo by operating more than 120 vessels, the largest of which can accommodate cargo up to 6.5 meters tall weighing up to 400 tonnes. Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean also has the world’s largest fleet of breakbulk equipment to handle cargo with the utmost care and attention, as well as technical experts at your disposal to create flexible, cost efficient and innovative solutions.

Christel Pullens

Director a.i. PortXL

Christel Pullens started her career at a Belgian shipyard 27 years ago and has loved the international maritime industry ever since. By closing contracts and executing projects for almost any type of inland and oceangoing vessel in over 60 countries, she built her technical and commercial knowledge over the years. 

Christel believes sustainable innovation is key to resolve the challenges that the industry is currently facing. Since 2020 she has committed herself to contributing to a sustainable blue economy by driving innovation and minimizing the existing gender leadership gap in the maritime, trading and logistic sectors. 

As Director of PortXL, the global entrepreneurship hub for start- ups and scale-ups in the logistics, maritime, offshore, green energy and process industry sectors, Christel makes impact by creating tangible business value for start-ups and scale-ups that have the potential to disrupt the industry.

Danny Levenswaard

Director Breakbulk Port of Rotterdam

Danny Levenswaard assumed the role of management for the Port of Rotterdam’s breakbulk department in April 2016. Employed at the port since 1992, he is able to draw on a great deal of relevant experience. After several roles in Human Resources he worked for nine years as Senior Business Manager Shipping (Bulk & Shipping) and prior to that served as Business Development Manager Industry & Bulk at the port’s commercial department. Levenswaard’s ambitions match the efforts of the Port Authority to develop the port of Rotterdam into the leading breakbulk port of Northwest Europe.

The Breakbulk department of the Port of Rotterdam Authority focuses on the commercial development of several segments: project cargo and heavy lift, forest products, steel and non-ferrous metals, cars, agrofood and warehousing. The port has specialized terminals for every kind of breakbulk cargo, the largest fleet of floating cranes in Europe and excellent hinterland connections. The dedicated service providers, who are on standby 24/7, and the modern facilities ensure that breakbulk can be efficiently processed any time of day.

John Pittalis

Marketing & Communications Manager AAL Shipping (AAL)

John joined AAL Shipping (AAL) in 2014 and is a Senior Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He began his career at Weber Shandwick in London, planning and executing international marcomms strategies for Cunard Line, Govt. of South Africa, Sally Cross Channel Ferries and Port of Ramsgate, and thereafter ran a strategic marketing consultancy for a variety of international ship management, financial services and telecommunications clientele. His 2010 thesis ‘Recession Marketing’ was published and led to guest lecture sessions for MBA and post graduate university students. A member of AAL’s top management, John directs the global marketing and communications strategy for AAL, working closely with its Board, Chartering and Commercial teams to build visibility and market penetration worldwide for the carrier’s portfolio of multipurpose cargo services and trade lane operations.

Marko Stampehl

Global Head of Marketing and PR BBC Chartering

Marko Stampehl joined BBC Chartering in Leer, Germany in January 2021 as Global Head of Marketing & Public Relations. He began his career in the breakbulk and multipurpose sector in sales and customer service with Rickmers-Linie in Duesseldorf, Germany in 1996. In 2003 Stampehl relocated to Hamburg and took over the role of the company’s Marketing and Public Relations Manager. In July 2019 he left Rickmers-Line to join a specialist publisher in the ferry and roro sector as Production Manager and Editor. A forwarding agent by profession, Marko Stampehl received his degree of a Bachelor Professional in Transport Economics and Organization at the Chamber of Commerce in Duesseldorf in 2001.

Rüdiger Fromm

Head of Logistics - Transmission High Voltage Grids Siemens Energy Global Manufacturer

Rüdiger Fromm is the Head of Logistics at Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG. Rüdiger has worked at Siemens for the past 13 years, joining as the Head of Department Transport Logistics in May 2008. Since then, he has worked in logistics roles in Germany, the US and Denmark covering different business units including Wind Power and Fossil Power, among others. In his current role as Head of Logistics, he has global responsibility for end-to-end project logistics for the project and solution business of the Transmission Solution business unit. Before joining Siemens, he worked in many special and heavy transport roles. 

Sue Terpilowski

Press Officer WISTA International

Sue Terpilowski started Image Line Communications more than 33 years ago and it has become one of the leading specialist PR, marketing and visual event agencies in the logistics, freight, ports, material handling and supply chain sectors. Sue is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and is their Public Affairs and Policy Chair and also the Vice Chair of their Ports, Maritime and Waterways Sector Group. She regularly chairs sessions, acts as a facilitator for CILT and speaker on sector related issues.

Sue is the Director of Image Line, Press Officer for WISTA International, a Co-Chair of Maritime UK’s Diversity Taskforce and also the Chair of their Women’s Task Group and one of the 3 leaders for the EU Maritime Women project. Sue is also a member of Women in Logistics and Women in Transport.

Susan Oatway

Research Analyst - Breakbulk and Project Shipping Journal of Commerce, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Susan is a highly experienced research analyst who, in January 2023, joined the Journal of Commerce at S&P Global Inc as a research analyst for multipurpose and project shipping. Her focus is on the multipurpose, breakbulk, project cargo, and related shipping markets, including roll-on, roll-off and refrigerated shipping. 

Susan Oatway is a highly experienced consultant who is fully conversant with all aspects of the multipurpose and dry bulk shipping market. For almost 20 years she was the principal author of Drewry’s Multipurpose and Heavy Lift publications. She has extensive consultancy experience working for carriers/shipping lines, financial intermediaries and other key industry stakeholders. 

She is regularly asked to share her market knowledge and insights at leading industry conferences and lectures on dry bulk chartering for the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS). She was the first female International Chairman at the ICS from 2019 to 2021 and remains a Fellow of the Institute.

Thomas Sender Mehl

General Manager and SVP of Supply Chain for EMEA Cakeboxx Technologies

Tim Killen

Head of Growth - Project Sector Fracht Group

Tim Killen has spent his 30 year career working in the value driven technical project logistics and supply chain industry. Graduating with an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering in the UK, during which he spent 12 month studying and working in the Middle East delivering numerous CAPEX energy project across the UAE.

Following university Killen continued his career as a graduate engineer for ALSTOM Power and then Commercial Director for ALE Heavylift. Developing his experience and career working on major heavylift projects for the power, oil and gas and renewables sector across in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia.

Since 2012 he developed his skills with roles in project freight forwarding and held positions of CSO for the global project freight forwarder deugro and also Global Head of Growth, with Maersk Project Logistics.

Tim Killen joined Fracht Group in 2024 as the Switzerland-based logistics company’s head of growth for projects and is responsible for supporting the strategic development of the Fracht organisation’s global project growth across all key offices, regions and vertical markets.