Golden Ocean Names New CEO and CFO

The board of Golden Ocean Group Ltd. announced a pair of leadership appointments, naming Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal as the new Chief Executive Officer of Golden Ocean Management AS and Per Heiberg as the new Chief Financial Officer of Golden Ocean Management AS.

Vartdal, who has held the position as Chief Financial Officer since June 2010, will replace Herman Billung, who has been the company's CEO since 2005. Vartdal holds a MSc (Siv.Ing.) in Physics and Mathematics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and a MSc in Financial Mathematics from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland.

Heiberg has been with the company since July 2005, most recently as Vice President of Finance, and holds a Bachelors degree in administration and economics.

The company said it has also decided to establish a Chief Commercial Officer role and is actively searching for the right candidate to fill this position.