The Supervisory Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG has appointed Dheeraj Bhatia to the company's Executive Board, effective January 1, 2024. He will also become CEO of the new Rotterdam-based Hapag-Lloyd Terminal Holding, in which Hapag-Lloyd AG's infrastructure holdings will be pooled.

In the announcement, the German international shipping company noted Bhatia's more than 20 years of experience in the container shipping business — where he held several international management positions, including at Norasia Container Lines Limited and CSAV.

Bhatia joined Hapag-Lloyd in 2014 as managing director and initially headed Area India. Since 2018, he has been based in Dubai and serving as senior managing director of Region Middle East.

At the same time, he has been a member of Hapag-Lloyd's Executive Committee.

"With Dheeraj Bhatia's appointment, we are gaining a proven expert in container shipping for the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG. Thanks to his international experience, the Supervisory Board is firmly convinced that the development, expansion and integration of our terminal portfolio will be in the best of hands," said Michael Behrendt, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG.

A new Terminal & Infrastructure portfolio will be established on the Executive Board.

Hapag-Lloyd said Bhatia will thus be the first Indian national as well as the fifth member of the Executive Board — alongside CEO Rolf Habben Jansen, CIO/CHRO Donya-Florence Amer, CFO/CPO Mark Frese and COO Dr Maximilian Rothkopf.