Executive Moves: V.Group, Worldwide Express

   V.Group, a global provider of ship management and marine support services, announced Tuesday the appointment of Graham Westgarth as chief executive officer.
   Westgarth (pictured above) has serve on the V.Group board since September and will take over from Ian El-Mokadem, “who has informed the board of his desire to leave the company,” according to Tuesday’s announcement.
   Westgarth has more than 40 years of maritime industry experience. He has held a range of senior executive roles with companies including GasLog Limited, Teekay Corp. and Maersk UK. He also served five years as chairman of INTERTANKO.
   V.Group Chairman John Pattullo thanked El-Mokadem for his contributions. “Ian oversaw a substantial investment program which delivered new state-of-the-art systems in critical areas such as vessel management, as well as the management and mobilization of seafarers. He has also been instrumental in establishing a Group-wide set of values for our colleagues with safety at the core, which leaves a lasting legacy for our organization.
   “Having gone through a period of significant investment, V.Group’s primary focus is now firmly centered on delivering sustained benefits to its customers. We are delighted to welcome a leader with Graham’s unparalleled experience in marine operations,” Pattullo said.

   Third-party logistics provider Worldwide Express has promoted Rob Rose to president and Somer Webb to chief financial officer.
   Rose, who had served as CFO, will assume a broader role as president and oversee the finance, legal and human resources departments, spearhead M&A activities, manage capital market relationships and provide strategic direction.
   Rose joined Worldwide Express in 2008 as CFO. Before joining the corporate team, he built Worldwide Express franchises in Richmond, Va., and Atlanta. Prior to that, he held positions at Steward Corp., Spring and QWEST Communications.
   “Rob has been a part of every key strategic move we’ve made over the last 11 years,” CEO Tom Madine said, “and I’m incredibly proud for him to help design our growth trajectory going forward.”
   Webb joined Worldwide Express in 2016 as the senior vice president of finance. In her role as CFO, she will be at the forefront of financial and strategic planning, joining the senior leadership team as it enters another growth period.
   Prior to joining Worldwide Express, Webb held positions at Southwest Airlines, DaVita Inc., Match.com, Amazon and Yum! Brands.
   “Somer is a tremendous leader of people, has amazing command over the numbers that drive our business, possesses an incredibly rare ability to function both zoomed in on details and zoomed out on the bigger picture, and has been an invaluable part of the team,” Madine said.
   Both Rose and Webb will continue to be based out of the company’s Dallas headquarters.