German shipping line Hamburg Süd has announced the appointment of Poul Hestbaek as its new CEO, replacing Arnt Vespermann who will leave the company by the end of the first quarter.
Poul Hestbaek has been with the company since 2004 and is currently the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Hamburg Süd. The 59-year-old shipping-industry veteran has previously been responsible for the liner shipping company’s commercial business on several continents, including Latin America, Europe and Asia/Pacific.
Dr Arnt Vespermann joined Hamburg Süd in 1999 as the head of its Legal department and became the director of the tramp shipping subsidiary Rudolf A. Oetker KG in 2006. He has been a member of Hamburg Süd’s Management Board since 2009 and the company’s CEO since late 2017.
Hamburg Süd, which is recognised for its long-term, strong customer relationships, has successfully established its brand as part of A.P. Moller-Maersk. Since Hamburg Süd was acquired, the company has been gradually integrating and realising significant synergies at the same time as keeping local empowerment and thereby securing the flexibility to meet customer needs.
Going into the next phase, focus will be on securing and further strengthening customer relations. “We promised our customers that Hamburg Süd’s DNA would remain unchanged during the integration process, and that they would continue to enjoy the excellent service they are accustomed to from our teams at local level. We have kept that promise”, says Dr Arnt Vespermann. Vespermann adds: “A.P. Moller-Maersk’s multi-brand strategy has been established on the global markets. Going forward, we will place an even stronger focus on implementing this strategy and strengthening our Hamburg Süd brand in terms of customer relations, such as in our Key Account Management efforts. Thus, now is the ideal time for me to relinquish the helm to Poul Hestbaek”. Photos: Hamburg Süd
