The decision was taken at the ICS Annual General Meeting at the Palazzo Valentini in Rome.
Denholm thus succeeds ICS Managing Director Emanuele Grimaldi, who is stepping down at the end of his four-year term.
Grimaldi had “steered the ICS – whose members represent more than 80 per cent of the global merchant fleet across all sectors – through a period of ‘unprecedented challenges and changes for international shipping’”, the association stated. His successor, Denholm, had already been recommended last year.
Denholm has been Chief Executive of the family-owned company J. & J. Denholm, a shipping group headquartered in Glasgow, since 1993. He currently serves as Executive Chairman of the group and of Denholm Energy Services. Throughout his career, Denholm has held numerous leadership positions in the maritime industry, including as President of the UK Chamber of Shipping and of Bimco.
“It is a great honour to be appointed Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping and to represent an industry that underpins global trade and prosperity,” said Denholm on the occasion of his appointment as ICS Chairman. “I take on this responsibility at a moment of considerable upheaval and uncertainty for the world economy and for international shipping. Our industry continues to navigate geopolitical tensions, security threats, rapid technological change, the energy transition, and evolving trading patterns. Yet throughout every challenge, shipping continues to perform its essential role: keeping global trade moving and delivering the goods, energy, and resources upon which societies depend. I look forward to working with the ICS Board of Directors and Secretariat during this pivotal period for our industry.”
“I am delighted to welcome John Denholm as Chairman of ICS,” said Secretary-General Thomas A. Kazakos. Mr Denholm brings with him decades of experience as a shipowner, executive and industry representative, as well as a profound understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
“I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Emanuele Grimaldi for his outstanding leadership over the past four years,” Kazakos continued. “His chairmanship coincided with one of the most demanding periods in recent maritime history. Under his stewardship, ICS helped guide the industry as it responded to attacks on civilian shipping and the disruption of major trade routes, adapted to significant shifts in global trading patterns, and engaged with an unprecedented programme of international regulatory change. His contribution to both ICS and the wider shipping community has been immense.”
