The Rostock-based engineering firm Neptun Ship Design (NSD) has a new Managing Director: Tjerk Johan de Vries took over as sole Managing Director in April.
He succeeds Stephan Merkel, who has led the company for almost 30 years and is leaving NSD at his own request.
De Vries brings with him over 25 years of experience in management positions, both in the maritime industry and in the aerospace sector. He has previously worked for NSD as an on-site consultant.
“NSD has a significant market advantage with a holistic coverage of all engineering and marine disciplines,” said De Vries. “I look forward to further expanding and developing this diversity and taking on new or greater challenges together with the employees. The Neptun Ship Design brand will become more visible again.”
De Vries, who graduated from Delft University of Technology, previously worked for Airbus, among others. From 2010 to 2014, he was CTO at Germanischer Lloyd (GL) in Hamburg, where he was responsible for the classification business before heading up the maritime merger between GL and DNV. He later worked for DNV-GL in the London office as Regional Director for Western Europe and Africa. In 2018, he moved to Aerius Marine in Hamburg as CEO.
De Vries had already held an advisory position at Neptun Ship Design for some time. In this role, he initiated internal optimization processes and prepared the development of new market segments. The change at the top will also involve some restructuring within the company, according to reports. The aim is to strengthen a more dynamic orientation and focus on the company’s own projects.
