Executive Management

Jan Vermeij
Executive Director Ultratug

Jan has more than 30 years of working experience, holding different management positions in Chile, Argentina and Peru. He has been part of the Ultramar/Ultranav Group since 2000 and in 2007 was appointed Executive Vice President of Petrolera Transoceanica, an important shipping company, in Peru. Between 2009 and 2013 he headed the Ultratug Holding as CEO, overseeing the harbor towage and offshore services of the company in 8 countries. From 2014 to 2017 he became CEO of the Ultramar group of companies that operates shipping agencies and logistics in 10 countries of the Americas, as well as stevedoring services, inland logistics and port operations in Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. As of 2018 he is back at Ultranav as COO and Executive Director of Ultratug. Jan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and majored in economics at the Occidental College, Los Angeles, California and post-graduate degree in business administration from the Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Santiago. He is a Chilean citizen and resides in Santiago, Chile.

Martin Brau
CEO Antares Naviera S.A.

Martin joined the Ultramar Group in 2008. Since then he has held a number of managerial positions in Antares. Until 2013, he was the Head of the Offshore and Tug Division as well as being a Member of the Board of Directors; in January 2014 he was appointed CEO of the Company. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Brau worked for 15 years in the oil sector and served in several countries such as Argentina, Ecuador and Venezuela. Mr. Brau holds an MBA from the M.I.T (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and graduated with honours as an Industrial Engineer from the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA). He is an Argentinean citizen and resides in Argentina.

Álvaro Valdez
CEO Petrolera Transoceánica S.A.

Álvaro joined the Ultramar Group as CEO of Naviera Transoceanica in Lima, Peru in January of 2011. He previously acquired extensive experience as CEO in different industries while working for companies mainly related to the Wholesale and Retail Distribution of Hydrocarbons and also in B2B Technology Sectors in South America, Europe and the Middle East. Mr. Valdez serves as board member of a leading company managing private funds as well as companies directly related to Naviera Transoceanica. He holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from the Universidad de Lima (Lima, Peru), and later obtained an M.S. degree in Management Science at Lehigh University (Pennsylvania, USA) and an MBA from Northern Illinois University (Illinois, USA). Mr. Valdez is a Peruvian citizen and currently resides in Lima, Peru.

Gustavo Machado
CEO Wilson Sons Ultratug Offshore

Gustavo joined the Company in 2010. He started his career in the liner shipping, where he worked in Crowley American Transport and ZIM Lines in Brazil. In 2003 he joined Wilson, Sons Group as Towage and Offshore Operations Manager, and he was promoted to Towage and Offshore Operations Director in 2005. One of the main challenges was to develop the Offshore division, a new business that started in 2003. In 2010 UltraTug and Wilson, Sons closed and created the JV Wilson, Sons UltraTug Offshore, and he was appointed the CEO. He is a Naval and Oceanic Engineer graduated in the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, and MSc. in Shipping, Trade and Finance at City University Business School – London. Mr. Machado is a Brazilian citizen and resides in Rio de Janeiro.

Fausto Moncayo
CEO Japina S.A.

Fausto joined Ultramar Group in 2006 and initiated the formation of JAPINA S.A. society in Ecuador. He started his career in liner shipping, where he worked at Transportes Navieros Ecuatorianos (TNE) in charge of the container Logistics department up to the year 1996. In 1997 worked at the Guayaquil Port Authority (APG) managing all port operations in its Jurisdiction as Port Operation Manager. In 1998 he was hired to start a project, the private terminals complex in Isla Trinitaria, founding TRINIPUERTO Bulk Terminal as CEO and developing the projects of Bananapuerto (DOLE Standard Fruit Terminal) and Terminal Portuario de Guayaquil container Terminal (TPG). In 2005 he joined the Wilh. Wilhemsen group to create Barwil shipping agency services in Ecuador. Mr. Moncayo holds an MBA in Project Management (Universidad Viña del Mar) and graduated as Economist at the Universidad Catolica, Guayaquil. He is Ecuadorian and resides in Ecuador.

Cristián Lyon
CEO Coltugs

Cristián is a Chilean Commercial Engineer who joined the Ultramar Group in 2007. He started his path in Ultratug Chile as a Projects Engineer and Management Controller for three years and a half. Then, he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to work as Chief of the Offshore division in Antares Naviera, operating 4 AHT´s in the South of Argentina, and 1 AHTS in the north of Brazil. After studying an MBA in the IE Business School in Madrid, he returned to Ultratug in Chile, to look for Harbour Towage and Offshore opportunities around the world as the Business Development Manager of the Holding until joining Coremar Coltugs as CEO in 2017. He is a Chilean citizen and resides in Bogotá, Colombia.

Luis Sotomayor
CEO Urutug Remolcadores S.A. Transfluvial Navegacion S.A.

Luis started his career with the Ultramar Group in 1989 in the operations department of Ultramar Agency in Valparaiso. After seven years in different positions, he was promoted to the Santiago offices of Soc. Naviera Ultragas Ltda. as Chief of Operations of the Tug’s Division of the company. Prior to have taken his present responsibilities in Uruguay, Mr. Sotomayor was for ten years the Commercial Manager of Remolcadores Ultratug Ltda. He holds a degree in Business Administration Engineering and also a Diploma in the same area from Catholic University of Chile and a degree in Shipping Business Administration from Instituto Profesional de Valparaiso. Mr. Sotomayor is a Chilean citizen and currently resides in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Rodrigo Valderas
CEO Mextug S.A.

Rodrigo is a Chilean Industrial Engineer who joined the Ultramar Group in 1993. He started his career in Ultranav as an apprentice in Shipping Business Administration, and after 17 years in different positions at Transmares (Ultranav’s Division), he was promoted to Ultratug in 2010, where he took positions as Planning and Controller Manager and as Business Development Manager. In 2016 he was promoted as Fleet and Operations Manager of Coltugs in Colombia, and in 2017 he joined Mextug as CEO. Mr. Valderas holds an MBA from the Universidad Catolica de Chile, a Diploma of International Business from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile and a degree in Shipping Business Administration from INSALCO, Chile. He is a Chilean citizen and resides in Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico.