Hamburg-based container liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, No. 5 in the global market, has announced a “strategic restructuring of its organizational structure in Africa”.
The changes are in line with the company’s Strategy 2030 and its commitment to develop Africa as an important focus market, the statement said.
According to the statement, the current division into two business units will be expanded to four. The aim is to ensure a broader and stronger presence in Africa. The new division will be supported by the so-called Quality Service Center (QSC) in Mauritius.
“This is a customer-oriented restructuring. Our aim is to be faster, more agile and more responsive to local market conditions,” said Lars Sorensen, Senior Managing Director of the Middle East region.
The former West Africa division will be split into two new divisions: West Africa (WAF) covers countries from Mauritania to Benin with headquarters in Accra, Ghana. The division will be headed by Thomas Elling as Area Managing Director, who succeeds Vishal Bundhun. The Central Africa division (CAF) covers countries from Nigeria to Angola and is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. The division will be headed by Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi as Area Managing Director, who succeeds Vishal Bundhun.
At the same time, the former South Africa division will also be split into two separate divisions: South Africa (SAF) covers countries from Namibia to Mozambique with headquarters in Durban, South Africa. The division will continue to be headed by Rogelio Busto as Area Managing Director.
East Africa” covers countries from Tanzania to Sudan with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The area will be managed by Rogelio Busto as interim Area Managing Director until a permanent Area Managing Director is appointed.
“To ensure improved strategic oversight and close coordination now and in the future,” according to the Hapag-Lloyd release, a new Africa sub-region has been established, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. All regions as well as the Quality Service Center (QSC) in Port Louis, Mauritius, headed by Senior Director Ramcy Castelino, will report directly to Jesper Kanstrup, the new Subregional Managing Director. The Africa sub-region will remain part of the Middle East region (which includes the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and Africa).
