A. P. Møller - Mærsk A/S (Maersk) announced that Vincent Clerc, currently CEO of the company's Ocean & Logistic business, will become CEO of Maersk from January 1, 2023, following the retirement of Soren Skou.
Skou has led the transformation of A. P. Møller - Mærsk A/S (Maersk) since 2016 from a diversified conglomerate to an integrated logistics company — setting the business on a new growth trajectory.
L-R: Soren Skou and Vincent Clerc (Source: A. P. Møller - Mærsk)
"Soren has contributed to our Group's development over almost forty years, of which eleven years as CEO for Maersk Tankers, four years as CEO for Maersk Line and close to seven years as CEO for Maersk," said Robert M. Uggla, chair of the Board of Directors.
Uggla noted that during his tenure as CEO of Maersk, Skou has been instrumental in redefining Maersk into a customer-centric end-to-end logistics provider with a global leadership position in sustainable transportation solutions.
"On behalf of the Board, I sincerely thank Soren for his valued leadership and impressive results. I am equally grateful for Soren's support in the CEO succession review making sure the Company does not lose any momentum in its strategic endeavours in a changing and difficult market," he added.
New CEO of Maersk announced
In its announcement, Maersk also announced its new CEO and Uggla signalled confidence in Clerc's "right experience and capabilities."
"The Board is pleased to announce Vincent Clerc as the new CEO of Maersk. Since 2019, Vincent has been the CEO of Maersk Ocean & Logistics, which contributes a significant part of the company’s invested capital and results," Uggla said, noting that Clerc has been a "pivotal leader" for Maersk's transformation, demonstrating great strategic acumen, an ability to execute complex plans and deliver long term shareholder value through compelling customer solutions.
"The strong tailwinds that benefited the supply chain industries during the pandemic are coming to an end. With an increasingly challenging outlook, the Board believes Vincent holds the right experience and capabilities as CEO to pursue and oversee Maersk's strategic and organizational development in the years to come," Uggla added.
Skou, for his part, noted that for almost seven years in Maersk, along with his team, he worked to change the business model, the culture, the digital backbone, and the results to make Maersk a profitable growth company again.
"That was the mandate I got as CEO in 2016 and I would like to thank the Board, our main shareholder, my executive team and all my fantastic global colleagues for their trust and support throughout the years," Skou said.
"Now is the right time for Maersk, for Vincent, and for me to make this transition. The Company has executed very well over the past years. We have never been stronger financially and we have an inspiring and visionary plan for the continuation of our global integrator strategy that will guide Maersk for many years to come," he added, also signalling confidence in Clerc as the new CEO.
"I look forward to a new chapter in life where I will continue to work at a non-executive level and have more time for my family and for other interests," Skou further said.
Clerc thanked the Maersk Board for the opportunity to lead the next stages of its transformation.
"I am looking forward, together with the leadership team and all the Maersk colleagues around the world, to taking it to the next level, building on the very strong foundation we obtained with Soren at the helm, and delivering on our promises to customers, shareholders, and to the society at large," Clerc said.
"On the heels of a pandemic, and now with the war in Ukraine and an energy crisis upon us, there are many tough challenges ahead; challenges that impact us all and where Maersk can make a difference."
The upcoming Maersk CEO noted that companies are rethinking their supply chains and this represents an "incredible business opportunity" for Maersk that we all are eager to seize.
"It will demand of us that we stay the course on our strategy, delivering on our digitalisation and decarbonisation roadmaps while keeping a sharper than-ever eye on our operational excellence and performance," Clerc said.
In a separate announcement, A. P. Møller - Mærsk said the Executive Board will hereafter consist of Clerc as CEO, Patrick Jany as CFO, and Henriette Hallberg Thygesen and Navneet Kapoor.
