Columbia Group chief Mark O’Neil exits with immediate effect

Mark O’Neil has left his role as president and chief executive of Cyprus-headquartered Columbia Group with immediate effect, according to a report by TradeWinds, with no reason given for his departure.

The report said staff were informed on Thursday through an internal email from chairman Heinrich Schoeller.

Andreas Hadjipetrou, the group’s chief commercial officer and managing director of Columbia Shipmanagement, will take over on an interim basis.

Publicly available profiles also show that he holds roles in several industry bodies, including BIMCO and the Cyprus Shipping Chamber.

O’Neil had still been publicly representing the group in March and early April.