Corporate Development

Direct message the job poster from Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited

The Opportunity | About Corporate Development

Reporting to the Investment Director, you will assist in furthering the investment and corporate development goals of WKMT and its affiliates. As part of a small team with considerable operational independence, you will be responsible for generating and analysing opportunities, building businesses, managing stakeholders, and running negotiations.

Our investment approach has a greater emphasis on operational engagement than a traditional investment team. We are looking to build businesses around our traditional areas of technical expertise and deploy capital into these part-managed units, rather than simply analysing, derisking, deploying capital and hoping for the best.

You will be required to think and make decisions both at a high level; analytically, in financial or strategic terms, but also work at the operational level; building relationships, solving problems, and executing the plans we develop.

You will need to respond dynamically to changing circumstances and requirements. It is anticipated our mandate will flex as the market develops, and you will be capable of identifying these shifts and responding to challenges and opportunities in the market as they arise.

Backed by the Wah Kwong Group, Venture Energy is currently at a start-up phase of development. We expect it to grow substantially in the next 2-3 years. In this time, we expect you will take responsibility for components of the business and manage staff within these units.

Expect to travel regularly, both in Mainland China, across Asia, and further afield in Europe.

The Job | Your Responsibilities

• Market Development: Conduct research to identify new business opportunities, trends, and generate leads for new projects. Work with the team to turn opportunities and leads into live projects.
• Project Management: Together with the team, own and run specific projects. For example, investigating an investment opportunity, negotiating MOUs or LOIs, and developing these through to formal commercial contracts. Support the set-up and development of operating businesses within the Group.
• Corporate Set-Up: Figure out how new operating businesses can be started, developed, and spun-out. Work with third-party management teams to apply Group know-how to emerging opportunities in the renewables space.
• Financing: Assist in the raising of capital both from the Group and third parties. Manage relationships with financial institutions, private investors, and strategic partners. Provide analytical and pitch-book development support, producing quality materials that effectively represent the Group. Help negotiate and execute financing projects.
• Finance Ops: Set up financial functions for a growth business, and help develop the capabilities required for a trading business.
• Everything Else: Venture Energy is a growth company operating in a fast-developing new industry. Part of your role is supporting projects that arise, plugging gaps no one exists to. Perhaps that's doing due diligence on a VC investment, building a comms plan, editing a policy paper, or writing a job description. There are always more jobs than people; you will be responsible for building and shaping the company.

The Challenge | Marine Decarbonisation

90% of the world's trade moves by sea. That's approximately 11 billion tonnes of goods; or about 1.5 tonnes per person each year. Today almost all the ships serving this US$14 trillion industry burn fuel oil, a dirty, high-carbon fuel. This is not sustainable.

The maritime industry is entering a phase of dislocation. EU and IMO rules are forcing shipowners, traders, operators, and supply-chain companies to adopt clean fuels for their vessels. By 2050, the shipping industry will be net-zero. Today, almost none of it is.

That means over the next 25 years, the market will need to invest up to US$60 billion per year, every year. To decarbonise our industry will need to build plants, re-engineer ships, develop supply chains, new infrastructure, and totally re-imagine the services our industry needs. There are vast gaps in our supply chain that need to be filled, and quickly. Venture Energy's mandate is to plug those gaps.

The Company | Who we Are

Venture Energy is a leading provider of next-generation fuels. We develop plant and infrastructure projects to drive marine decarbonisation across Asia and the world.

Our Fuel Division invests in upstream renewable fuel production capacity, offering development, sales, marketing, and logistics services to plant consortia, and a reliable project partner to offtakers, particularly of methanol and ammonia. Together with our Joint Venture partners we offer clean-fuel export and trading services.

Our Power Division develops shore-power, vessel-charging, and battery-swap infrastructure across Greater China and North Asia. Together with our partners, we are developing the world's largest network of shore-power infrastructure to power the energy transition.

We are an international organisation with a proud Chinese heritage; our aim is to be local in both markets, offering our international partners unparalleled visibility of and seamless access to the Chinese market, and our Chinese partners an effortless international reach.

We move aggressively, think differently, and deliver effectively, but always hold ourselves to the traditions and standards of Wah Kwong Group, a privately owned shipowner headquartered in Hong Kong.

The Group | Our Heritage

Wah Kwong Maritime Transport ('WKMT') is an integrated maritime services company headquartered in Hong Kong. The Group employs almost four thousand staff and has offices in London, Genoa, Shenzhen, and Weihai. Founded in 1952, WKMT has established an industry-leading reputation for technical competence and high-quality services.

The Company runs maritime assets totalling more than US$3 billion, growing its managed fleet at over 20% CAGR for the last five years to ~100 vessels. WKMT has recently restructured to enable the continuation of its ambitious growth strategy and is actively investing across the maritime industry and adjacent fields.

We are a unique Group with a strong Chinese heritage, but a global mindset. From our headquarters in Hong Kong, we operate with a flexible mentality, employing staff from all over the world. We value integrity, and our reputation for fair dealing.

The Candidate | Must Have

• Fluent in English and Putonghua (both written/spoken)
• Bachelor's degree from a reputable university.
• Experience from working in the finance, power, commodities, shipping, or energy industries.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Tools (ppt/xlsx)
• Integrity
• Grit

The Candidate | Nice to Have

• Demonstrated intelligence, curiosity, and an interest in building businesses are as important as having worked at a particular company or attended a particular school.
• Specific experience is not as important as your ability to learn new things quickly.
• Some international experience, either educational or professional, is useful.
• A working knowledge of corporate finance or a background in strategy/consulting/investment might be useful but is not essential.
• Professional qualifications such as an MBA, CFA or CIMA might be useful, but far from essential.

Mid-Senior level

Full-time

Business Development and Project Management

Services for Renewable Energy