New leadership in place at Hanwha Philly Shipyard

Hanwha Philly Shipyard CEO David Lim: “We intend to push the boundaries of shipbuilding.”

Korea’s Hanwha Group formally completed its $100 million acquisition of what is now Hanwha Philly Shipyard on December 19, 2024. New leadership is now in place, with David Kim taking the role of CEO to guide the shipyard through the transition. Kim previously served as executive vice president for Hanwha Defense USA and played an instrumental role leading the planning for Hanwha’s acquisition of Philly Shipyard.

“Hanwha Philly Shipyard begins an exciting new chapter today,” said Kim. “We plan to grow and build on a long tradition of success, by expanding production using advanced technologies, and supporting the national revitalization of U.S. shipyards. Together, we begin working toward our vision for Hanwha Philly Shipyard: to be a trusted U.S. shipbuilder, challenging and redefining sustainable maritime solutions for commercial and government clients. We intend to do that by pushing the boundaries of shipbuilding by combining people with technology to build best-in-class vessels.”

Hanwha Philly Shipyard says that it plans to “create a significant number of local jobs, expand the yard’s capabilities and scale into new markets.”

Taking the CFO role in the shipyard’s new management line up is Taeho Ryu who joins the company from Hanwha Corporation where he most recently served as deputy general manager on the international finance team.

He first joined Hanwha in 2009 and during his career with the group worked for the Hanwha Corporation Middle East Entity in Dubai for 8 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Korea University.

Thomas Grunwald, who joined the shipyard in the role of senior consultant in May 2019 before being promoted to commercial director, vice president, is now SVP and head of commercial business.

Prior to joining the shipyard, he held the position of president and board member at ship interior specialist R&M Ship Technologies USA, Inc. which included oversight of the company’s U.S. ship newbuilding and repair activities in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Oregon.

He holds a diploma in business administration with the specialization in international business administration from the Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Germany.

Jongmoo Lee, who is SVP and head of shipyard operations, previously led the planning and management team and PMI team for cross-border M&A projects at Hanwha Ocean. He earned his Ph.D in naval architecture and ocean engineering from Seoul National University n 2007.

He continued his career in the shipbuilding industry at Samjin Shipbuilding Industry Corp., expanding his experience from production planning to corporation planning and sales & marketing and joined Hanwha Ocean in 2015.

Dean Grabelle, who was appointed the shipyard’s senior vice president and general counsel in November 2016, continues in that role. Previously he had served as general counsel since May 2008.

Prior to joining the shipyard, he was employed with the law firm Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in Philadelphia,where he established a legal career in the business and finance department spanning 12 years. Past experience includes mergers and acquisitions, business counseling, lending, private equity and corporate finance. He graduated from Duke University with a bachelor of arts in economics and public policy studies and holds a J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Robert Fitzpatrick joined the shipyard in 2001 and had held numerous key positions including Prefabrication manager and senior production manager before being promoted to his present position of vice president production in January 2007.

Prior to coming to the shipyard, Mr. Fitzpatrick amassed 20 years of experience in industrial manufacturing including 12 years as a production manager responsible for the fabrication of naval circuit breakers and switchgear at L-3 Communications. He holds a bachelor of science desgree in mechanical engineering from Spring Garden College in Philadelphia.

Michael Giantomaso joined the shipyard as human resources manager in May 1998. He was promoted to vice president human resources in August 2001 and continues in that role.

He has more than 30 years of human resources experience in the manufacturing and healthcare fields.

He holds a bachelor of arts degree in business administration and human resources from Temple University

Kelly Whitaker was appointed the shipyard’s vice president of sustainability and communications in September 2023 and continues in that role. She first joined the organization in 2008 as a Communications Specialist and served in the communications function with growing responsibility until 2016, when she was promoted to HR and communications manager, followed by promotion to HR and communications director in 2020.

She has 20 years of experience in corporate communications and holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications from Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J.

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