Alkagesta met Singapore Management University students interested in shipping and commodities at Industry Networking Night 2026 on 15 October, according to Alkagesta Newsroom. The company linked its participation to efforts to attract and develop local talent as it builds its presence in Singapore, which it described as the world’s largest marine fuels hub.
The Maritime Merchants Society organised the event with support from ITI@SMU. Alkagesta was represented by Agshin Bakirzade, its Commodity Trading Director, APAC, and Afiq Salim, Senior Marine Fuel Trader. Their discussions with students covered career routes into trading, operations and trade finance, alongside the practical responsibilities involved in working in the marine fuels business. The company described the exchanges as an opportunity to explain the sector’s day-to-day work directly to prospective entrants.
In its account of the evening, Alkagesta Newsroom highlighted Singapore’s role in the development of Alkagesta Asia. The business reached approximately 250,000 metric tonnes a month during its first full year of operations, the company said. It presented that growth as part of the context for its student engagement, stressing the importance of recruiting and developing people locally to establish a durable presence in the hub.
The newsroom report also connected the outreach with what Alkagesta described as a record first half of 2026. According to the company, that performance generated a need for additional skills across trading, operations and finance. Those areas overlapped with the career questions raised by students during the networking event, giving the discussions a focus on the functions supporting its business.
Alkagesta placed the university engagement within its broader commitment to people and communities under its ESG Framework. Its account emphasised both the chance to meet students curious about the industry and the role such events can play in showing young people the opportunities available in Singapore’s marine fuels sector.