Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions Appoints Philip Bannerman as VP, Americas Region
Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Philip Bannerman as Vice President, Americas Region.
Bannerman has been with the Wilh. Wilhelmsen Group since 1997 in a number of sales and marketing roles, most recently as Regional Sales Director of Wilhelmsen Ships Service in the Americas.
Petter Traaholt, President, Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Philip to Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions. He brings us vast experience and a great network of contacts within the industry, together with the knowledge of the WW Group in the Americas. His main focus will be building on the good position of Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions in the cruise and offshore segments. Combining Philip’s track record with our strong solutions portfolio puts us in an excellent position to further strengthen our foothold in these markets.”
Bannerman says the American team’s efforts will be divided between providing solutions and service in North America and addressing the booming newbuilding market in South America.
“We have recently enjoyed some major successes with orders of safety systems for newbuildings in Brazil and I look forward to continuing the development of our activities in South America. We also aim to replicate the success of our European colleagues with the HVAC-R concept in the local offshore markets. The Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions organization in the Americas has a strong track record of engineering excellence and despite a tough global economic outlook, we have great opportunity to grow our business.”
Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions has been especially successful in the cruise sector in delivering its Energy Management Technologies (EMT) concept and Bannerman says the company has the potential to increase its penetration in this sector.
“Improvements in fuel efficiency and emissions reduction are the goal of all cruise operators as they face an increasingly tight regulatory regime. Having established a track record of successful installations we can build upon this and capture a larger market share. Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions and Wilhelmsen Ships Service are both major players in the cruise market and I would expect that we can leverage this combined strength,” he adds.
Bannerman has an engineering degree from Glasgow University and hands-on experience in technical engineering, international sales and business development. He began his WW Group career as an account manager with Unitor Ships Service in Glasgow, dividing the subsequent decade between Glasgow, London, Miami and Houston.
Following the acquisition of Unitor by Wilh. Wilhelmsen, he was appointed Regional Sales Manager with responsibility for the Americas account sales force and customer service centre. His new role will see him based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.