WHO OWNS & MANAGES THE BUSINESS ?
The partners in the business have long experience, at senior corporate levels, in multi-national companies throughout the Middle East and Asia.
We have a track-record of successfully establishing and building businesses in challenging locations, strategic development and change management.
We operate with a strong network of contacts, information and influence in both the private and public sectors.

David Barker
David established Safina Partners in Singapore in 2016.

David Barker has 30-years’ experience at Board level in multi-national companies in the management of shipping and logistics businesses in Asia and the Middle East.

His career started at sea, and progressed, at the start of the container era with the development of container trades between Europe and Asia. He subsequently held senior roles in Oman and Bahrain prior to a move to Asia with Jardine Shipping, firstly managing their shipping operations in Taiwan before promotion to Regional CEO in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Following several years in UK David returned to the UAE in 2000 when he joined Kanoo Shipping as Regional Executive GM, based in Dubai. He became an Advisor to the Kanoo Group Chairman prior to establishing Safina Partners in 2011.

Safina Partners today represents a number of regional and foreign maritime services companies in the GCC market. Safina also undertake regular commercial consultancy assignments in the maritime and logistics sectors. In recent years, David has carried out strategic consultancy assignments in:

• Peru (Ports Privatisation)
• Cuba (restructuring of the State Shipping Agency)
• Mauritius (corporate recovery of a shipping and logistics business)
• Japan (strategic development and communications of a logistics business)
• Indonesia (recovery of a Port Agency business)
• Saudi Arabia (graduate coaching in a logistics provider).
• Georgia (implementation of a recovery strategy for an International Free Trade Zone.)

David is also the Middle East representative of Maritime London, a body incorporated by the City of London to promote its maritime cluster globally and is a long term committee member of the Mission to Seafarers

Mike Harrison

Mike Harrison has been in the Shipping and Freight forwarding Industry since 1989, and has been employed in senior positions by major liner and break-bulk companies, including Hapag lloyd, CMA-CGM, CP Ships, Beluga Shipping, around the World, having worked throughout Asia, Middle East, East Africa, Mediterranean, North and Central America, North and Central Europe.

Mike has run Freight Forwarding companies in UK, Middle East and is well versed in Air, Ocean and Land Logistics

His kills focus on:

• Sales/Commercial management
• Sales and customer service coaching and mentoring
• Sales systems implementation
• Efficiency, cost evaluations
• Break bulk Chartering / S+P/Heavy lift/ barge operations
• Liner Agency commercial
• Freight forwarding commercial and operations
• Logistics (trucking and warehousing )
• Business development/ marketing studies
• Specialized equipment, Tanks /reefer etc
• Business set up and reshaping (profitability audit)

Alessandra Chieregato
Alessandra has been in business for some 25 years in areas of Logistics, consultancy and Internationalization and has worked in London, Hong Kong and Dubai, working with the Italian Industry and Commerce office.

Alessandra brings a wealth of business experience in UAE, Italy and a number of other locations and brings a new skill-set to Safina Partners, including:

• SME Internationalization and Investor liaison
• Product market research and exhibitions
• Website Translations (English/Italian)
• B to B opportunities
• Legal/administrative support