For the first time in the history of the Danish Shipowners’ Association, a woman, Caroline Pontoppidan, is taking over as Chairman of the Board. The Maersk manager succeeds DFDS boss Torben Carlsen with immediate effect.
Pontoppidan was elected as the new Chairwoman at the Annual General Meeting. She takes office with immediate effect. Her predecessor Torben Carlsen, CEO of DFDS, had held the position since 2023. He will also be leaving the ferry company in the coming days.
Pontoppidan’s main job is Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Head of Corporate Affairs at Maersk. For the past three years, she has been Deputy Chairwoman of Danish Shipping.
“A suitable framework for Danish shipping companies is a prerequisite for keeping ships under the Danish flag. In an industry with intense competition, it is crucial that we as shipping companies have an organization behind us that understands our reality down to the engine room and can translate this knowledge into policy frameworks that keep us among the global leaders in shipping,” explained the newly appointed chairwoman.
Anne H. Steffensen, head of the association, welcomed the election. Pontoppidan has proven to be a high-profile and committed member of the board in recent years and knows the framework conditions of the Danish shipping companies very well.
Jan Rindbo from D/S Norden will take over the position of deputy chairman. The board of Danish Shipping comprises a total of seven representatives from various shipping companies. In addition to Pontoppidan and Rindbo, these include Jacob Meldgaard (Torm), Thorsten Jalk (Ziton), Søren Karas (Esvagt), Tina Revsbech (Maersk Tankers) and Mads Peter Zacho (Navigator Gas).
