Appointments Include the Return of a Prodigal Communicator

UK – Chris Lewis has recently returned to the Port of Felixstowe as Chief Executive of Hutchison Ports UK. Lewis worked at Felixstowe from 1993 to 2010, the last four years as Chief Executive. He then moved to DP World where he was the UK Chief Executive, responsible for London Gateway and Southampton, then retired in early 2019.

In his new role, which officially started on November 2, Lewis will report to Clemence Cheng, who retains his role as Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Europe. Lewis is seen as a good communicator and it is hoped he will help resolve the problems currently plaguing the port.

UK – The Rail Freight Group (RFG) has announced Neil Sime to be its new Chair for the coming year. Sime is the Managing Director of Victa Railfreight and over the past two years has served as Vice-Chair of the RFG. Sime has been a long-standing supporter of the group and has sat on the Board since 2003. He takes over from Ken Russell, Director at John G Russell, who has served as Chair since 2019.

Andrew Harston, Regional Director, Wales & Short Sea Ports, Associated British Ports, has been elected Vice-Chair.

The RFG has also announced new Board members, voted in at its recent AGM: Liam Day, GB Railfreight (GBRf); Peter Graham, Freightliner; John Hall, Davis Wagon Services and Geoff Lippitt, PD Ports.

UK – Brandsafe has announced the appointment of Michael Clark as Marketing Manager.

UK – South Link has announced Marc Ansell as its new Business Development Manager.

UK – Onward Holdings has appointed Paul Williamson as its new Warehouse Operations Manager. He takes over the role from John Storey, who has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer

FRANCE – The Getlink Board of Directors has co-opted Carlo Bertazzo as a non-Independent Director. He replaces Giancarlo Guenzi, for the remainder of his term of office following his resignation. Bertazzo is Chief Executive of Atlantia, the infrastructure group, since January 2020

FRANCE – The French Government has entrusted Stéphane Raison, until now Director General of the Port of Dunkirk, with the responsibility for starting the next stage of the process of merging the three ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris (HAROPA) into a single State institution. He began his new role on November 16.

THE NETHERLANDS – Captain Nick MacDonald-Robinson has joined Royal Haskoning DHV as Defence Sector Director. In his new role, which started on November 1, Cpt. MacDonald-Robinson will lead and be responsible for the global growth of Royal HaskoningDHV in the maritime industry’s defence sector.

Since graduating from the Britannia Royal Naval College as a Seaman officer in 1986, Cpt. MacDonald-Robinson has played an important role in Britain’s strategic and military defence operations around the world. His most recent position was as Senior Naval Advisor and Naval Exports Programme Director in the Department of International Trade.

HONG KONG – UK-based digital freight forwarder, Beacon has announced the appointment of James Yu, previously Logistics Program Manager at Uber in Hong Kong, to the role of Ocean Procurement Lead, HK, based at Beacon's new Hong Kong office

Photo: Chris Lewis who is returning to the Port of Felixstowe as Chief Executive of Hutchison Ports UK