People on the move – new CEO for OOIL

News 31 Oct 2023 by WCN Editorial

CCP Central Committee member Yangfan Chen takes over at the Hong Kong-listed affiliate of Cosco Shipping; new CEO sought for Royal Arctic Line; new COO for APM Terminals comes from outside the ports industry; new CCO for Ports America; Gunther Bonz standing down from UVHH in Hamburg; new director for Port of Castellón; new MD for Ziel Terminal; new ITCO president; and other new appointments

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Yangfan Chen has been appointed CEO and Executive Director of OOIL, replacing Huang Xiawen, who is retiring. Chen joined Cosco Shipping, the parent of OOIL, of which OOCL is the shipping arm, as Deputy General Manager and Party Committee member in November 2021. Initially his appointment at OOIL is for three years.

Verner Hameken is retiring as CEO of Royal Arctic Line, after eight years in post. The Board of Directors has started the search for a successor and, in the meantime, the company’s CDO, Niels Clemensen, has been appointed interim CEO. The services of Verner Hameken are available for RAL if required.

Gunther Bonz is standing down as President of the Hamburg Port Operators Association, UVHH eV, after seven years in post. The move has come as a surprise to the Hamburg port community, as he previously stated his intention to stand for re-election in June 2024. German media have surmised that his departure is part of the fall-out from the go-ahead for MSC gaining a 49.9% stake in HHLA. The UVHH needs to find a successor by the end of November, and the name in the frame is Ulfert Cornelius, Managing Director of tank farm operator EVOS, who is already a member of the UVHH management. Bonz was a director of Eurogate and has been President of FEPORT, the European Association of Private Port Operators based in Brussels since 2011.

As of November 15, 2023, Olaf Gelhausen will be joining APM Terminals as COO. Gelhausen takes over from Jack Craig, who was appointed interim COO when Keith Svendsen was appointed CEO in June last year. Significantly, Gelhausen comes from outsidethe ports and terminals industry. He joins APM Terminals from automotive supplier Brose where, as Member of the Executive Board, he was responsible for the companywide transformation, including Organizational Development and Project Management, HR, LEAN and the Business Service Centers. Prior to that, he was COO of Thyssenkrupp Bilstein, in charge of Manufacturing Plants, Product and Process Development, Supply Chain and Quality Management, Operations, IT and HSSE. He also served as General Manager for Hella in China.

Jersey City, NJ, USA: Ports America has appointed Rob Kusiciel as its new Chief Commercial Officer. He joins Ports America from Cargomatic and brings with him over 20 years of experience in overseeing the planning, direction, and management of operational and strategic activities of global supply chains, logistics, and procurement networks, leading him to develop a vast network of logistics industry leaders internationally. His previous professional experience also spans various leadership roles at CMA-CGM, Lowe’s, Honeywell, and Walmart.

Manuel José García is the new director of Castellón port authority (APC) in Spain. He joins the port from the Port of Valencia, where he held a number of senior positions, including Head of Business Intelligence and Head of the port’s logistics company, Valencia Platforma Logistíca e Intermodal.

Volker Pohlmann has been appointed Managing Director of Ziel Terminal GmbH, the joint venture of Samskip, Duisburger Hafen AG and TX Logistik AG that operates the combined transport terminal at logport III in Duisburg-Hohenbudberg. Pohlmann brings many years of experience in logistics to his new role, having previously worked for neska Schiffahrts- und Speditionskontor GmbH in Cologne and Düsseldorf, BLG International Forwarding GmbH & CoKG and other transport companies focussing on international land transport.

In March 2024, Markus Nölke, Managing Director of German Short Sea Inland Waterways Promotion Center eV (SPC), will step down from the organization he has headed since June 2010, to join the German association wind industry and hydrogen association (WAB) in Bremerhaven, also as managing director. The SPC has around 60 member companies and is a member of the ESN European Shortsea Network.

Paul Gooch, director of The Logical Group, has been elected as President of ITCO (Internartional Tank Container Organisation) for the next two-year period – taking over from Reginald Lee at the end of this year for the period 2024 and 2025. Gooch’s appointment will be confirmed at ITCO’s AGM in Amsterdam in November.

Dubai, UAE: Online crane rental platform MyCrane has appointed Jason Brough as President, USA, based in Birmingham, Alabama. Like MyCrane’s founder and many employees, Brough has previously worked for Mammoet, as development director, US Gulf Coast.