Maersk today announced a raft of changes across senior leadership as rival carriers challenge its dominance in global logistics.
Maersk parent A.P. Moller-Maersk said that former Kuehne & Nagel executive Robert Erni has joined the company as chief financial officer and member of the executive board.
The company said Erni has worked for more than 30 years in global logistics finance, including two decades at Zurich-based Kuehne & Nagel (KNIN.SW). He held several financial positions there including group CFO of Panalpina and most recently, group CFO of Dachser, a provider of supply chain solutions.
Erni succeeds Patrick Jany, who has served as CFO since 2020 and will remain with the company through the Jan.1 transition. He reports to Maersk Chief Executive Officer Vincent Clerc.
In a reshuffling of its regional leadership, Maersk appointed Ditlev Blicher as regional president for North America. He led the Asia-Pacific region since joining Maersk in 2020 and succeeds Charles Van Der Steene, who moves to regional managing director for India, the Middle East and Africa. Van Der Steene led North America business since 2024.
Asia-Pacific Chief Financial Officer Scott Andrew Elliott has been appointed interim regional president of Asia-Pacific, succeeding Bilcher. Guillaume Sauzedde was named regional managing director for Europe.
“The past years, our regions have executed strongly against our strategic priorities, driving growth, increasing customer-centricity, and integrating acquired companies,” said Clerc, in a release. “This effort has ensured a solid foundation and brought us to a point where we with confidence can make a reconfiguration of our regional leadership – one that builds on the progress we have made and positions us to deliver with pace in a market that is constantly evolving.”
Maersk (MAERSK-B.CO), whose blue fleet helped establish it as a dominant icon of the global supply chain, in early 2022 relinquished its ranking atop global container shipping to Mediterranean Shipping Corp. The Geneva-based company controlled by the Aponte family has been adding new and larger ships at a rapid pace. Its fleet capacity of more than 7 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) gives it a better than 20% share of world capacity compared to Maersk’s 13%, according to Alphaliner. France’s CMA CGM, at a 12.3% share, and China’s Cosco, 10.7%, are threatening to chase down Maersk, too.
But Maersk, controlled by Denmark’s Moller-Maersk family, remains a multinational powerhouse among investors. Its shares have risen more than 25% over the past 12 months.
Richard Morgan, with Maersk since 2003 and current head of India subcontinent, Middle East and Africa Region, will leave the company. Current head of Europe Region, Aymeric Chandavoine, with Maersk since 2020, also departs.
Antonio Dominguez continues as regional managing director for the Latin America Region.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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