In a move that signals a growing emphasis on its logistics business, A.P. Moller-Maersk on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Ditlev Blicher as the new regional president for North America as of Jan. 1.
Blicher had worked as Maersk’s regional president for Asia Pacific since 2023.
The appointment was part of a reorganizing of leadership announced earlier this month by Maersk (MAERSK-.CO), when it tabbed longtime Kuehne & Nagel executive Robert Erni as chief financial officer and board member.
The changes come as Denmark’s Maersk shifts focus from higher but more volatile cyclical profitability in ocean shipping to lower but steadier returns in logistics services such as warehousing, contract logistics and fulfillment.
Amid an arms race to build new ships, Maersk relinquished its longtime crown as the world’s largest container carrier to Mediterranean Shipping Co. of Switzerland, and is being challenged by France’s CMA CGM and Cosco (1919.HK) of China.
Maersk earlier this year completed an initial $1 billion phase of a $2 billion total stock buyback planned for 2025.
Maersk recently relocated its North American headquarters from New Jersey to Charlotte, North Carolina – a move seen as both cutting costs but also shifting its corporate center closer to the U.S. Southeast, where development of warehouse and distribution networks is surging.
Blicher joined Maersk in 2020 after working as Asia Pacific chief executive at German forwarder DB Schenker, now a unit of DSV (DSV.CO). He was also president of Asia Pacific and Europe for forwarding at UTi Worldwide and executive vice president – Group Operations for CEVA Logistics (NASDAQ: CEVA).
Charles van der Steene, who headed the North America unit since early 2024, will move to managing director for Maersk’s India, Middle East and African region. He worked as Damco’s regional managing director before the company merged with Maersk in 2019.
“I’m looking forward to working with our talented team in North America to build on the progress they’ve made as we’ve evolved into a full-suite logistics provider,” Blicher said in a release. “Our focus will be on driving sustainable growth and strengthening operational excellence to deliver a best-in-class experience for our customers.”
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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