Team

Mrs. Andersson joined IRI’s Zürich office in August 2016 as Customer Relations, Sales & Marketing Manager, was promoted to Deputy Director, Zürich Office in January of 2018, and Director, Zürich Office in July 2019. Growing up in Sweden, she attended Uppsala University studying economics and commercial law, before moving to Canada to study business administration at Concordia University. In her final year, she moved to Switzerland where she graduated magna cum laude from European University in Montreux with a degree in Business Administration. Throughout her career, Susanne has gained strong international experience in several business sectors including banking, trading, and the telecom industry. She started her career in the banking industry as a Relationship Manager and Business Analyst. She also worked with commodity trading before moving on to senior sales positions handling key clients mainly in the regions of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Later she moved into management positions within telecom wholesale. Prior to joining IRI, Susanne held the position of Deputy Sales Director with MGI where she managed the sales and business development department. She is an active member of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA).

Ozgur Asik joined IRI in 2011 as a Marine Manager based in Istanbul. In 2018, he was promoted to Regional Manager of the Istanbul office. Prior to joining IRI, Mr. Asik served as Marine Superintendent for Columbia Ship Management. He has more than a decade of experience at sea, sailing as a superintendent, safety manager, deck officer, chief officer, and Master for various ship owners and management companies across the world. Mr. Asik has extensive experience in external and internal audits (ISM, ISPS, ISO) and inspections, and operations related to regulatory implementation. He is a graduate of Istanbul Technical University Maritime Faculty Deck Department.

Jo Assael joined the London office of IRI in 2023 as Yachts Commercial Director. Prior to joining IRI, Mr. Assael spent more than five years in yacht management at Döhle Yachts transitioning from Technical Director to Commercial Director responsible for managing the company’s growth. From 2013-2018 Jo worked for the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry as their Yacht Code Specialist and was heavily involved in drafting the Red Ensign Group’s Yacht Code while also conducting newbuild and in-service yacht surveys, inspections, and audits. He previously served as a surveyor for the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and served as a lead technical specialist representing the UK MCA at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Before his time at the UK MCA, Mr Assael was a large yacht naval architect, working on projects ranging in size from 60 to 120m. Mr. Assael serves as a British Superyacht Ambassador in technical and regulatory affairs. He is a Chartered Engineer (CENG) with the Engineering Council and a member of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects (RINA). Mr. Assael has a degree in Naval Architecture from Solent University.

Mr. Bachofner joined IRI as Business Development Manager in May 2008 to open the Registry’s office in Geneva, was promoted to Director, Business Development in January of 2011, and Director, Geneva Office in December 2017. In February 2020, Patrick was appointed Worldwide Director, Yachts. Throughout the past decade, Patrick has built a strongly international career in several business sectors including the maritime industry. After growing up in both French and German sections of Switzerland, he attended university in the United States which led to a position with Deloitte. He then moved back to Geneva where he joined Japan Tobacco, allowing him to thoroughly explore the Asian markets. Prior to joining IRI, Patrick’s most recent position was with Hewlett-Packard where he held senior financial roles and managed cross-functional projects. He graduated cum laude from Babson College in Boston with a degree in Finance and Economics. His experience at sea includes sailing across the Atlantic Ocean with only one other crewmember.

Mr. Bolivar joined International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) in August 2015 as Office Manager for the newly opened office in Manila, Philippines and was promoted to Country Head of the Philippines in 2016. Prior to joining IRI, Mr. Bolivar worked for Navis Maritime Services, Inc., where he served on the Board of Directors and most recently held the position of Senior Executive Vice President and General Manager, where he was responsible for the management of day-to-day administrative operations. Additionally, in this role he oversaw internal and external audits and assisted in the development and implementation of compliance with key corporate, legal, and regulatory requirements. Mr. Bolivar has also held the positions of Director, Corporate Treasurer and Vice President for Administration with Crossbow Outsourcing Inc, Director and Head of Administration at Ulstein Marine Services, AS, and Owner’s Representative and Consultant at Uljanik Plovidba d.d. Mr. Bolivar has also worked as an Executive Assistant to the Owner’s Representative at Stolt-Nielsen Philippines Inc. Mr. Bolivar is a member of the Philippines Norway Business Council, Filipino Association for Mariners’ Employment, Inc. and currently the Chairman and co-founder of Maritime Stakeholders Alliance Asia, Inc.

Mr. Bonnett joined IRI’s London office in April 2010 as Safety & Technical Manager, in January 2018 he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Technical, and then in April 2022 he was promoted to Chief Maritime Officer. In his role as Chief Maritime Officer, he is responsible for oversight of the Maritime Services Group, which supports the RMI Registry’s fleet of more than 5,200 vessels. Prior to joining IRI, Mr. Bonnett was employed by Lloyd’s Register (LR) since 1997 where he contributed in a multitude of roles including ship design and information systems, plan approval of ship structures, surveying of existing and newly constructed vessels, and business development within LR’s Asian market. Mr. Bonnett worked in South Korea for over nine years before moving back to LR’s London office in 2009 as a senior specialist concentrating on business improvement and planning. Mr. Bonnett earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Marine Technology with Honours in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding, from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Mr. Bozenovici joined IRI as Vice President, Technical – Offshore in April 2018. Mr. Bozenovici is responsible for business development in the offshore sector and oversees the technical service and support functions for RMI-flagged offshore vessels around the world. Prior to joining IRI, Mr. Bozenovici spent seven years with Noble Corporation, which owns and operates a technologically advanced fleet in the offshore drilling sector. As their Lead Naval Architect and Project Manager, Mr. Bozenovici’s team was responsible for engineering and project support of four new ultra-deepwater drillships and six latest generation jack-up units. Prior to working with Noble Corporation, he spent five years with American Bureau of Shipping in marine surveying and engineering roles. Mr. Bozenovici earned an M.B.A. from Temple University and a B.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of New Orleans.

Mr. Bremer originally joined IRI in May 2013, where he was engaged in ship inspection activities out of the Houston, Texas and New York, New York offices. He subsequently moved on to marine investigations out of the Reston, Virginia office in March 2019 as a Marine Investigator and was promoted to Vice President, Investigations in April 2021. In February 2023, Mr. Bremer was promoted to Vice President, Fleet Quality and Compliance. Mr. Bremer served nearly 10 years in the USCG prior to joining IRI. During his tenure with the USCG, Mr. Bremer was stationed on the USCG Cutter RELIANCE in the Deck Department, at Activities New York in the Port State Control and Investigations Departments, and at Sector Houston-Galveston in the Inspections Department. Mr. Bremer holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the State University of New York.

Ms. Brown joined IRI in August 2012 as a Maritime Specialist. In April 2016 she was promoted to Senior Vessel Registration Coordinator where she was instrumental in working with clients regarding registration transactions. In March 2021, she was promoted to General Manager of the New York office. Ms. Brown earned her B.S.B.A. in International Business from American University. She is a member of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA), the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce (HACC), the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), and serves as Executive Director on the Board of New York Maritime Inc. (NYMAR).

Mr. Çakmak joined IRI as Senior Technical Manager, Yachts in September 2023. Based in Istanbul, Mr. Çakmak supports yacht operations and compliance in Turkey and the surrounding region. He has extensive experience in leading yacht shipyards in Turkey, as well as more than a decade of experience in technical roles for the Classification Society, RINA. Mr. Çakmak has nearly a decade of project management experience in ship repair, new builds, and retrofit projects in the yachting industry. Mr. Çakmak is a graduate of the Istanbul Technical University with a degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

Captain Chen joined IRI in 2006 as the Chief Representative in Dalian and was promoted to Country Head - China in 2016. Captain Chen brings over 24 years of experience, which includes several years as a Master and over six years as a Vice General Manager. Prior to joining IRI, Captain Chen served as Vice General Manager of China Shipping International Ship Management Co., Ltd. Dalian Branch. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Navigation from Dalian Maritime University.

Mr. Chesla joined IRI in August 2013 as Safety & Technical Assistant Manager, Yachts, was promoted to Safety & Technical Manager, Yachts in October 2014, and in January 2021 was promoted to Senior Technical Manager, Yachts. Prior to joining IRI, he spent 13 years with Murray & Associates, LLC, where he gained experience as a Naval Architect in the retrofitting and building sector for yachts. Mr. Chesla holds a B.S. in Ocean Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Florida for Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

Jason Clifton-Samuel joined IRI’s London office in January 2018 as Safety and Technical Manager and heads up the Gas Team. Prior to joining IRI, Mr. Clifton-Samuel was Director of Argonaut Maritime & Trading Ltd., a consultancy predominantly focused on the Maritime Gas industry. Before this, Mr. Clifton-Samuel worked for Mitsui OSK Bulk Shipping (Europe) Ltd as Deputy General Manager of their European liquefied natural gas (LNG) Division and Head of Offshore Business Development, responsible for their projects in the LNG Floating Storage and Regasification units (FSRU) and Floating Storage Unit (FSU) markets. Mr. Clifton-Samuel previously worked at Macquarie Capital, providing technical and commercial expertise in relation to maritime investments. This followed 18 years in marine classification, latterly for Det Norske Veritas as a Principal Surveyor and Business Director in their Maritime Business group. Mr. Clifton-Samuel started his career with Lloyd’s Register on their two-year graduate training scheme, which included a year’s shipyard apprenticeship on secondment to Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France, where on completion he qualified as a Ship Surveyor specializing in LNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. Mr. Clifton-Samuel is an alumnus of the University of Southampton having graduated from there with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree in Ship Science (Naval Architecture).

Rear Admiral (RADM) Kevin Cook retired in 2015 after a wide-ranging career in the United States Coast Guard (USCG). He is bringing his expertise to the private sector through Cook Maritime Solutions, LLC, a consultancy company established to focus on maritime safety, security, and environmental compliance. In January of 2016, RADM Cook joined IRI as a Maritime Consultant.

During his career, RADM Cook continually advanced through escalating levels of responsibilities within the USCG’s national and regional headquarters, and in shipboard and maritime safety assignments culminating with command of the Eighth District, a 26 state region, headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. There, he regulated maritime industries and facilitated maritime commerce within the nation’s most intense region for shipping; petrochemical production and offshore exploration and production.

RADM Cook previously served as the USCG’s national Director of Prevention Policy, responsible for many of the international and domestic regulations in support of safety, security, environmental protection, mariner licensing, and waterways management. In an earlier assignment, he served as the Chief of the Hazardous Materials Division where he specialized in mitigating the risks of shipping oils, chemicals, and liquefied gases; including lead for delegations to the International Maritime Organization. In the field, he held a variety of positions including Captain of the Port for the Houston-Galveston area of operations. Additionally, he served as the National Incident Commander’s senior representative to BP headquarters for oversight of well containment activities in the DEEPWATER HORIZON response.

RADM Cook has six years of shipboard experience onboard three Coast Guard cutters: MADRONA as a deck watch officer; BITTERSWEET as the Executive Officer; and COWSLIP as the Commanding Officer.

A native of Freehold, New Jersey, he is a graduate of the USCG Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Ocean Engineering. RADM Cook also earned a Master of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. He is a graduate of the United States Army War College, and later served a one-year appointment as the USCG Fellow to Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group. Additionally, he has been recognized by the National Propeller Club as the Port of Houston Maritime Person of the Year, and by the Seamen’s Church Institute for Career Distinguished Service.