The international shipping group BW Group has announced that Helmut Sohmen, its long-standing Chairman, passed away in Hong Kong at the age of 85.
Born in Austria, he was one of the most influential personalities in international shipping.
Sohmen was born in Austria in 1939 and studied law at the Universities of Vienna, Southern Methodist, Northwestern and Wesleyan University on a Fulbright Scholarship. He joined the family business in the early 1970s and became Chairman of the World-Wide Shipping Group in 1986. Under his leadership, he steered the Group through challenging market phases and laid the foundations for the merger with the Norwegian shipping company Bergesen. This gave rise to today’s BW Group, which is now one of the world’s leading energy and commodity shipping companies. Sohmen was Chairman of the company for 28 years until 2014.
In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Sohmen was involved in numerous industry and social organizations. Among other things, he was President of BIMCO, Chairman of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and the Hong Kong Shipowners Association as well as a member of the Board of Directors of HSBC Holdings. He has also held various public roles in Hong Kong, including as a member of the Legislative Council and as Chairman of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He promoted international academic exchange with several scholarship programs and university chairs.
Sohmen is survived by his wife Anna Pao Sohmen, his children Michèle Marshall, Andreas Sohmen-Pao and Philip Pao Sohmen and nine grandchildren.
