The following sets forth the members of our board of directors. Their biographies can be found below.
- Valentios (“Eddie”) Valentis, 56, Class I Director
- Robin Das, 50, Class III Director
- Basil G. Mavroleon, 74 Class III Director
- Aristides J. Pittas, 63, Class II Director
Valentios (“Eddie”) Valentis, a Class I director, has over 25 years of shipping industry experience, including owning, operating and managing tankers. He has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors since inception. In 2007, Mr. Valentis founded and is the President of Pyxis Maritime Corp. (“Maritime”). In 2001, Mr. Valentis was appointed Managing Director of Konkar Shipping Agencies S.A., a drybulk operator based in Greece, which is a position he continues to hold. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Valentis was the Commercial Manager for Loucas G. Matsas Salvage & Towage. From 1996 through 1998, Mr. Valentis worked as a dry cargo chartering broker for N. Cotzias Shipping. From 1989 to 1995, Mr. Valentis was involved in the operation of his family’s drybulk vessels. Mr. Valentis has an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. Mr. Valentis serves as a council member of the Independent Tanker Owners Association (INTERTANKO) and a member of the Greek Committee of NKK Classification Society. Mr. Valentis also holds a Captain’s (Class C) diploma from the Aspropyrgos Naval Academy in Greece.
Robin P. Das, a Class III director, has worked in shipping finance and investment banking since 1995. He is the founder and has been a director of Auld Partners Ltd, a boutique shipping and finance focused advisory firm since 2013. From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Das was Managing Director (partner) of Navigos Capital Management, an asset management firm established to focus on the shipping sector. From 2005 until October 2011, Mr. Das was Global Head of Shipping at HSH Nordbank, then the largest lender globally to the shipping industry. Before joining HSH in 2005, he was Head of Shipping at WestLB and prior to that time, Mr. Das was joint Head of European Shipping at J.P. Morgan. Mr. Das holds a BSc (Honours) degree from the University of Strathclyde.
Aristides J. Pittas, a Class II Director, has more than 30 years of shipping industry experience. Since May 2005, he has been a member of board of directors and the chairman and chief executive officer of Euroseas Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESEA), an independent shipping company that operates in the drybulk and container shipping industry. Since 1997, Mr. Pittas has also been the President of Eurochart, Euroseas’ affiliate, which is a shipbroking company specializing in chartering, selling and purchasing ships. Since January 1995, Mr. Pittas has been the President and Managing Director of Eurobulk, Euroseas’ affiliated ship management company. Eurobulk is a ship management company that provides ocean transportation services. Mr. Pittas has a B.Sc. in Marine Engineering from University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and a M.Sc. in both Ocean Systems Management and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.