OUR COMPANY
Videlina Georgieva
Managing Director
Videlina Georgieva commenced as Managing Director of Svitzer Australia on 1 September 2023, having previously held the role of Global Chief Commercial Officer.
Videlina Georgieva brings a deep understanding of Svitzer’s business and operations, including within Australia, where she has been part of delivering significant commercial results throughout her 13 years with Svitzer.
Videlina’s knowledge of the Australian region and operations includes as having driven significant commercial results in the Australian business 2010 – 2015. She has a track record of success heading up Svitzer’s Global Strategy, Global Business Development and Asia Business development areas.
Prior to Svitzer, Videlina has worked across a broad range of commercial disciplines in the shipping industry, including with the Maersk Group.
Ms Georgieva is a graduate of Stanford Business School’s Executive Leadership Program and holds an honours with Portsmouth Business School in International Finance and Trade.
Ivan Spanjic
Chief Commercial Officer
Ivan leads the commercial aspects of terminal and harbour towage business units with a focus on growing our relationships with customers and stakeholders. He also leads the business development team focusing on retaining existing and expanding Svitzer’s footprint in the region. He was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer in June 2017.
Ivan has a portfolio of international experience in the maritime sector, working in container shipping and logistics before joining the Maersk Group of companies. He has held various operational and general management roles including Regional Chief Operating Officer of our Middle East and Africa region.
Ivan holds a degree in commerce from Murdoch University and a Postgraduate Certificate in finance from Cornell University.
David Phillips
Fleet Director
David is responsible for leadership and oversight of our operational standards on the water which includes Marine Standards and Safety, technical management of the fleet and procurement.
David has responsibility for Svitzer’s interaction with regulators, classification societies and supports our management with his team of Maritime Subject Matter Experts.
David was appointed Fleet Director in November 2013. He joined Svitzer in 2012 as the General Manager for Queensland operations. He has a seagoing and maritime background having worked for ASP Ship Management, Tasmania Ports Corporation and Patrick before joining Svitzer.
David has a BSc in Applied Mathematics, Diploma of Applied Science (Nautical Science) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dylan Sheehan
General Manager (East)
Dylan Sheehan commenced as General Manager – East in January 2023 following extensive commercial and operational experience in Svitzer roles worldwide over the previous ten years.
He started with Svitzer as Commercial Manager in Canada in 2013. Most recently Dylan held operational and commercial leadership roles in Australia as Regional Manager – North West, and previously Head of Commercial and Port Manager – Sydney.
Dylan is responsible for Svitzer’s east coast business, including its extensive harbour towage operations, at ports in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. He graduated from Brown University with a Degree in Business Economics and has a post graduate qualification in finance from Harvard University.
Tully Barnes
General Manager (West)
Tully was appointed General Manager – West in May 2023. Tully brings extensive technical, operational commercial and port leadership skills to the role having lead Defence Projects and port operations in Darwin and South Australia for Svitzer.
Starting his maritime career with the Royal Australian Navy, Tully is a former Chief Marine Engineer.
Vivian Faraj
Chief Strategy and People Officer
Vivian was appointed Chief Strategy and People Officer in January 2020, having joined Svitzer Australia in July 2016 as General Counsel. Vivian has overall responsibility for Strategy, People and Legal functions for Svitzer Australia.
With significant legal and compliance experience having held multiple roles in private practice and corporate in-house, Vivian is admitted to practice in the NSW Supreme Court and has post graduate qualification in finance.
Michael Hill
Chief Financial Officer
Joining Svitzer Australia in April 2021, Michael heads up Svitzer Australia’s finance team and is responsible for driving the business’s financial performance, including business planning, financial reporting, and corporate governance.
Michael brings a wealth of experience in senior executive roles in B2B and B2C industries, including aviation, logistics and wine, and was most recently involved with the emerging wine industry in British Columbia, Canada.
With a focus on strategic growth opportunities, Michael will lead several financial transformation projects including new system development and driving operational efficiency.
Michael is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds an Honors Degree in the Bachelor of Commerce.
Svitzer Australia employs more than 1000 people completing over 50,000 harbour towage tug jobs annually in Australia alone.
We utilise a modern fleet of over 100 vessels, servicing 28 ports and terminals around Australia and PNG. We are proud of our contribution to the Australian community.
GLOBAL REACH
We are the preferred local and global partner in towage and marine related services
Since 2016 we have invested over $200m in our fleet to meet customer and market needs.
Most recently we have employed additional manpower and two new tugs in Darwin, Northern Territory, to directly support the needs of Inpex in their mission to export LNG, and the local community.
Svitzer has also introduced new capabilities in Melbourne, Victoria, to allow the port to better utilise Swanson Dock.
Growth in the passenger ship sector has also allowed us to add a new pilot boat in Eden, New South Wales, directly supporting our customers there.
We also understand the emerging competitive nature of our industry. We welcome competition as it drives us to constantly challenge ourselves and strive for greater efficiency. We will continue to explore different models of service provision to support the industry.
Our focus has and will always remain on making Australian ports safer and more efficient. By delivering on our purpose we will help our customers achieve theirs.
Svitzer has been providing safety and support at sea since 1833. Our founder Emil Zeuthen Svitzer was an entrepreneurial tradesman who saw the potential of establishing a salvage business because of the many unfortunate losses occurring on trade routes to and from Denmark.
With roots stretching back nearly two centuries, we’re not only a company with a history, but a company with a strong heritage. Part of that heritage is a distinct set of principles passed down from our company’s founder that guide our focus on safety, people, vessels and solutions. These principles have helped us become a company that our customers value for our safety, reliability, local focus and commitment to doing business in a sustainable manner.
The cornerstone of our business is unconditional respect for each other and the world we live in. Svitzer sets the highest standards of training and knowledge in our industry, and encourage a culture of safety, innovation and entrepreneurship among everyone who works with us.
We work with our customers and the port community to ensure we deliver safe, reliable and predictable services.
We are actively working with the Australian shipping community to provide added value to the supply chain. Our purpose is to deliver safer and more efficient ports in Australia.
We recognise that our industry is growing and customer needs are changing. Our latest tug investments are helping to berth larger container ships, enabling larger volumes and exchanges.
Since 2016 we have invested over $200m in our fleet to meet customer and market needs.
We understand the emerging competitive nature of our industry. We welcome competition as it drives us to constantly challenge ourselves and strive for greater efficiency. We will continue to explore different models of service provision to support the industry.
Our focus has and will always remain on making Australian ports safer and more efficient.
By delivering on our purpose, we will help our customers achieve theirs.
Since 1833, Svitzer has provided safety and support at sea. With 4,000 employees, a fleet of 430 vessels and operations all over the world, we are the global market leader within towage and emergency response.
Svitzer is a global company with operations all over the world/ From the icy waters off the Siberian coastline to the sun scorched ports of Chile, Svitzer vessels carry out their tasks with care and precision.
Every operation has its own challenges that need to be solved, and the aggregated experience is part of what makes Svitzer the most reliable provider of undisrupted marine services in the industry.