Ocean Transportation
Our Team
Building a career in ocean transportation
With nearly 70 years of experience in the shipping industry, we look ahead while remaining true to our values. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing—today and for generations to come. Ours is a business that puts big things in motion, and we never take that or the trust of our customers for granted.
Cargill Ocean Transportation is a place where employees can develop valuable skills and take on meaningful responsibilities as they work together to deliver the very best for our ocean shipping customers. Partnering with colleagues from across Cargill, every day here offers the chance to be part of a truly global endeavor.
We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels welcomed and valued. That includes increasing gender representation in leadership roles, ensuring equitable pay, providing equitable employment and development opportunities, and building a diverse pipeline of early-career talent. In this way, we are aligned with Cargill’s corporate commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Our global ocean shipping team at a glance
We are a dedicated and diverse team of ocean shipping experts with a shared passion for connecting our customers and their goods to the world. No matter who you speak with across our global team, you can expect curiosity, agility and resilience as we tackle the continuous changes that pop up in our markets and on the water.
Cargill Ocean Transportation is led by Jan Dieleman, who is a respected advocate for sustainable shipping across the maritime sector. He actively supports reducing emissions, better vessel environmental performance, safer working conditions, and a more diverse workforce. He has been deeply involved in the Global Maritime Forum and several other organizations that push for progress in these areas.
Hear from our team members
Joanna Letcheva
is based in our Geneva office and has spent time working in Singapore. Since joining the company in 2011, she has worked across nearly every region and commodity, and today she is a freight trader on the Cape desk.
“I’ve had a very fulfilling career. I work for a company that is in a constant evolution. That aligns with my aspirations. If you look at the trading floor here in Geneva, it’s a diverse, creative and challenging environment, which benefits everyone. The breadth of Cargill’s business and the opportunities that it offers is priceless.”
Alex Nour
started as a trainee charterer in our London office in 2015. Over the years, he moved to Geneva and then Miami, where today he manages a team moving 30 million metric tons of commodities as our North America Trading Lead.
“Cargill Ocean Transportation is a fantastic springboard from university into the real world. And there was plenty of great support around me. The learning never slows down. You’re constantly facing new challenges in the world of shipping. The markets change and you need to adapt. In Cargill, as soon as you’re comfortable, you’re given additional responsibilities. It’s a great cycle of development.”
Gautam Sharma
has worked in various roles on our operations team since 2016. Based in India, today he leads the Panamax operations team for Asia Pacific, coordinating closely with our global team and our customers to ensure everything goes smoothly with their cargoes.
“My journey at Cargill has been an incredible one filled with growth, challenges, memorable moments and fruitful collaborations. When I started here, I had no idea how significant this company would become to me. Over the years, together with my team we have navigated complexities while striving to continuously deliver top-notch service, embracing innovation, creativity, empathy and openness in everything I do.”
Emma Skov Christiansen’s
job as a decarbonization specialist gives her a wide range of interesting tasks on any given day, including harnessing the wind to decarbonize shipping. Having started with Cargill in 2022, she works with people all over the world both inside Cargill Ocean Transportation and beyond our walls to make a real impact on the sustainability of global shipping.
“The reason I chose to join Cargill is because they were putting money where their mouth was when it came to sustainability. Here, we take really good care of our people and we care about the environment. For me, it’s really important to work in an environment where sustainability is always prioritized. It’s part of the DNA of what we do here at Cargill Ocean Transportation.”
Gen Takamatsu
joined Cargill Ocean Transportation in Japan in 2015 to do business development with customers bringing cargoes into the country. In 2020, he had the chance to relocate to Cargill’s Singapore office, where he found a welcoming set of colleagues and a new opportunity to work with customers across South East Asia.
“What I love the most about Cargill Ocean Transportation is creating new opportunities and challenges together with both our traders and our operations team. Everyone is a hard-working professional who likes to have a lot of fun. This includes outside work, where I am the captain of our Cargill running club.”