Photo: Harris Antoniou, founder and chief executive
Harris Antoniou-led Neptune Maritime Leasing Limited has expanded its operations into Asia with the appointment of a leading shipping expert in the region to join its platform of leasing services to the maritime community.
The maritime leasing platform Neptune, which is backed by two leading strategic investors, after the $220m investment that Greek major Costamare Inc. and Latsco Family Office made in Neptune in March 2023, hired Chih Keong Kwek to join the Neptune team as the director of origination in Asia with a base in Singapore.
Chih Keong Kwek is a seasoned corporate banker with more than 30 years of regional banking experience with leading financial institutions across a number of corporate banking functions in structured finance, loan underwriting and distribution, maritime finance, and risk management.
Until recently, he was the chief risk officer at ABN AMRO Singapore. Prior to that he was the head of shipping at Nordea Singapore and the head of transportation at Fortis Singapore. He started his banking career with the Debt Capital Markets Group of ING Barings in 1993.
He was also a guest lecturer for the Executive Master of Maritime Administration program at Dalian Maritime University from 2008 to 2010.
Harris Antoniou, founder and chief executive of Neptune Leasing, said: “We are pleased to announce the expansion of our services to Asia and honored that yet another leading shipping expert has agreed to join our platform of leasing services to the maritime community.
“CK will help us expand our coverage of the ever-growing Asian market and thus reach our goal to build a high-quality, both sector and geographically diversified portfolio in shipping. I welcome CK to Neptune Leasing.”
Chih Keong Kwek, noted: “I have worked with Harris previously at Fortis and ABN AMRO, and I have been following the development of Neptune Leasing ever since the company was founded 3 years ago. I look forward to contributing to the momentum that he and his team have built up and to delivering exceptional value to our clients.”
