Major Change at the Top for Largest Global Container Freight Carrier Leads Appointments News

DENMARK – AP Møller - Mærsk has announced the shock departure of Chief Operating Officer, Søren Toft, who has decided to pursue an opportunity outside of the company and left on November 11. The responsibilities as COO will in the interim be taken on by CEO Søren Skou as the shipping giant searches for a suitable replacement.

Søren Toft has held various commercial and operational roles both in Copenhagen, Germany and Indonesia before he was appointed Head of Network Planning in Maersk Line. A position he held until 2014, where he was appointed COO in Maersk Line. He has confirmed he has obtained a CEO role elsewhere but was reluctant to reveal at which company at this time.

UK – Xpediator has announced the appointment of Robert Ross as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective January 1, 2020. Ross, who currently serves as Finance Director of Europa Worldwide, takes over from Richard Myson who accepted the role on an interim basis in September following the departure of Stuart Howard.

Myson served as CFO prior to Howard’s appointment to the role in 2018. He will now ensure an orderly handover and will subsequently become Chief Commercial Officer and join the Group Operating Board.

UK – Kukla Beverage Logistics has announced former Porter & Laker Hillebrand Director and Benevolent CEO, Chris Porter has joined the company. Porter now holds a business development role

US – Redwood Logistics has announced the appointment of David Rowe as Chief Operating Officer and Nicole White as Chief Information Officer.

Over the last decade Rowe has served as Chief Technology Officer for both XPO Logistics and Echo Global Logistics. In his new role as COO of Redwood Logistic now reports directly to Todd Berger, the company’s President.

Prior to joining Redwood, White has served as Vice President of Information Technology for both DCLI and REZ-1 (now Blume Global), and prior to that she also worked at XPO Logistics alongside Rowe as Vice President of IT Strategic Projects.

Current CIO Scott Cousins will move into a newly formed position leading Redwood Platform Services

US – Port Tampa Bay has announced Lisa Wolf-Chason as its new Director of Communications, effective since November 4.

US – Magline has named John Baird as Chief Financial Officer. Baird joins Magline following his most recent position as CFO/VP of Operations at Paragon Technologies.

US – Boeing has elected retired Admiral John Richardson as its new Member of the Board of Directors. Richardson served as the 31^st Chief of Naval Operations from September 2015 until August 2019, when he retired after 27 years of service. He joins the Aerospace Safety Committee and also serves on the Board's Special Programs Committee.

US – G&D Integrated has promoted Jeff Cohen to President of the company. Cohen will report to CEO Joe O’Neill and has overall responsibility for G&D Integrated's three operating divisions of Transportation, Contract Logistics, and Manufacturing as well as the Finance, Human Resources, Customer Relations, and Information Technology Departments.

Cohen joined G&D Integrated in 2013 as Vice President of the Transportation Division and led in that role for five years prior to becoming the Chief Operating Officer in July of 2018.

THAILAND – Galileo Maritime Academy has appointed Captain Julius Valladares to head its MCA commercial courses and bridge simulator school in Phuket.

US – Danny Wan, who has been serving as the Port of Oakland’s interim Executive Director since last summer, and was Port Attorney for six years before that, has been named permanent Port Executive Director. He replaces Chris Lytle who retired in July after six years at the helm in Oakland.

Mr Wan takes over an organisation with three principal businesses: Aviation, Maritime and Commercial Real Estate. In addition to the Airport and seaport, the Port controls Oakland’s Jack London Square entertainment district. The Port directly employs more than 450 people.

Photo: Søren Toft, who has left Maersk to become CEO of another, as yet unknown, company.