Grindrod Shipping Holdings Ltd., a global provider of maritime transportation services predominantly in the drybulk sector, announced that its Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), Martyn Wade, has informed the Company that he will be retiring from the Company effective April 30, 2022 after more than 14 years of service with Grindrod Shipping and its predecessors. Concurrently, the Board of Directors has appointed Stephen Griffiths, who will remain as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, as Interim CEO to succeed Mr. Wade. Mr. Wade will also retire from his board position at the Company.
Martyn Wade, CEO of Grindrod Shipping, said, “It has been an honor and privilege to lead the Company through its development into a leading publicly-listed drybulk shipping company following the spin-off from our former parent Grindrod Limited in 2018. I would like to say a sincere thank you to all of the staff for their dedication, hard work and support in my time at the company, as without them we could not have achieved our great success. I am very proud of what we have accomplished over the last few years and to have developed Grindrod Shipping into the envious position it now enjoys. I am delighted to be handing over to my longtime colleague and friend Steve Griffiths, who has been at my side since 2010, and I know that he will continue to drive Grindrod Shipping and build further on the solid base we have established.”
Mike Hankinson, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Grindrod Shipping, said, “We would like to sincerely thank Martyn for his many years of dedication and hard work and we wish him the very best as he relocates from Singapore back to Europe after 12 years. Martyn led the company through its listing on the NASDAQ in June 2018 and successfully navigated the Company through the depths of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Now, he leaves Grindrod Shipping in a very strong financial position, after posting a record profit in 2021, and well positioned to benefit from the continuing strong dry cargo market. We look forward to working with Steve in his enlarged role to navigate the path ahead.”