People on the Move: Spinelli appoints new President and CEOs, Ronald Wendel Jr. to lead Port NOLA

Following the house arrest of Aldo Spinelli, founder of the port group and logistics company Spinelli, and his son Roberto, CEO, the Board of Spinelli Srl has appointed Giovanni Benedetti as the new President, and Simona Brassesco and Mirco Panariello as CEOs. Spinelli Srl is operating the Genoa Port Terminal. Aldo and Roberto Spinelli have been arrested on corruption charges.

In mid-June, Brandy D. Christian will step down as President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and its New Orleans Public Belt Railroad unit. Christian will join Jacksonville-headquartered Patriot Rail Company, where she will succeed John E. Fenton, retiring after 12 years, as CEO.

Following the departure of Brandy C. Christian, the port’s Board of Commissioners confirmed Ronald J. Wendel Jr., who is currently serving as the port’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to become the Acting President and CEO and Acting CEO of NOPB.

Additionally, the Port of New Orleans has named Amanda Coates as its Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, she will lead the port’s business development strategies and real estate operations. Coates joined the Port NOLA in 2018 as a Commercial Manager and was named Head of Business Development in 2023. Before joining Port NOLA, she worked for more than 15 years in various operational and commercial roles at MSC.

Christian Roeder will succeed Julián Fernández as the Managing Director of APM Terminals Poti, Georgia, effective June 6, 2024, and will join the company’s European Regional Leadership Team.

Roeder joined the Maersk Group in 2000 as a MISE Trainee. From 2003 to 2011, he worked for Maersk in various countries. Between 2008 and 2009 he was Managing Director of Maersk Georgia. Since 2020, Roeder has served as the CEO of DP World in Mozambique.

Effective June 1, Stena Line will revert to a two-region structure, with Paul Grant taking the helm of the newly established Irish Sea North region, overseeing operations from Belfast.

In addition, Paul will join the main board of Stena Line (UK) Ltd. and serve as Stena Line’s representative on the UK Chamber of Shipping Ferry & Cruise.

Johan Edelman will be the Trade Director for the Irish Sea South region, overseeing operations from Dublin and Rosslare.

Nicolas Gauthier has joined SSA Marine as President of its Global Container Division. He joins the company from DP World, where he served as CEO across its Peru and Ecuador offices. In this new role, Gauthier will leverage his extensive executive-level international port and logistics operations experience to oversee SSA Marine’s container terminal concessions across the United States, in Manzanillo, Mexico, Panama, Chile, Colombia, and Vietnam. Gauthier is a member of the Seattle-based executive team, where he reports to Uffe Ostergaard, CEO of Carrix, the parent company of SSA Marine.

Georgia Ports Authority Board members re-elected Chairman Kent Fountain, Vice Chairman Alec Poitevint and Secretary-Treasurer Chris Womack to a second term in those positions. The officers were first elected in 2023. Their new terms start July 1.

Foreship has recruited Jonny Berglund as its Business Development Director, in a new role to grow the Helsinki-based group’s presence in commercial shipping. Berglund will focus on container ships, LNG carriers and offshore support vessels.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has appointed Adrian Granda as Director of Government Affairs, at both state and federal levels. He joins the port after serving for four years in the same role for the City of San Diego, CA. The port’s Government Relations Division and Community Relations Division were recently joined to form its Strategic Advocacy Bureau.

The London P&I Club announced that Ian Gooch will be stepping down during the year from the role of Chief Executive Officer after 15 years as CEO and 21 years as a Director of A. Bilbrough & Co., the Company that manages The London P&I Club. Subject to regulatory approval, Ian Gooch will be succeeded by James Bean, from NorthStandard P&I Club. Bean has worked within the marine insurance industry since 2005 and was appointed to NorthStandard’s senior leadership team in February 2023. Before that, he was the Group Managing Director at the Standard Club.

European inland waterway company HGK Shipping has appointed Maria Schippers to the newly-created post of Director, Corporate Developments & New Markets. She has been with the company since 2020, as Head of Group Projects and Digitalisation. In her new position, Maria Schippers will focus on HGK’s strategic growth and development possibilities as a result of cooperation arrangements, partnerships and acquisitions, as well as positioning the company in new markets.

Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd, a specialist in wind-assisted propulsion for commercial vessels (rotor sail technology) has appointed Claes Horndahl as its new Commercial Director. With a career spanning more than 20 years supporting gas carriers and tankers, he brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Anemoi as the company ramps up production of its Rotor Sail systems in response to growing demand.

Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s leading port operator, has appointed Sean Kelly as its new Group IT Director, taking forward the group’s programme of investment in digital strategy for port operations optimisation, customer service and cyber security. He has extensive experience leading IT teams in different businesses including Microsoft, BT, EY, and RBS and most recently served as CIO of Business Platforms at Dentsu, one of the largest global marketing and advertising agency networks.

SeaLead has announced the appointment of Ashok Pillay as the new Managing Director for North and Southeast Asia. Ashok will be transitioning from his previous role as Global Director of Trade Management to the new position. The appointment coincides with SeaLead’s recent acquisition by a consortium of investors including Eurasia Capital, HCP Investments, Access Capital Funds, and VCC subfund Saral Incorp.

Malcolm Peacock returned to Modulift as Group Business Development Manager. His appointment comes as Modulift expands into new markets across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

The North Carolina Ports has appointed Jonathan Graham as its next Chief Financial Officer. Graham has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. He most recently served as the Head of Finance, Global Projects for APM Terminals. He has also served in senior financial management roles with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Pacific International Lines, and Ports America.