As he moves to Singapore after five years in Shanghai, De Roche warned that the recent upturn in certain sectors should not be treated as a return to business as usual. “It has been struggle over the last few years. We are still in a challenging market and Asia is no exception. Despite perceptions to the contrary, China is a quality not a quantity market,” he said. “Credit risk will continue to be a challenge in the current trading conditions. But there are signs of recovery and we will ensure we are ready as the market improves further.”
The announcement comes as the company readies its promotions for 2014, drawing on customers from sectors including marine chemicals, marine products, safety systems and ships agency.
“We have had great success in China thanks to our investments in operational service and support. We now have around 10 owned offices in various locations covering the most important ports,” he said. “Operational efficiency is a big focus area and this will be at the top of our agenda. The more we can optimise, the better we can serve our customers and ourselves.”
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