Freight’s
Soren Skou CEO-elect, Maersk Line & Safmarine
O
ften someone becomes important simply because he has to fill some very big boots – and that is the case with Soren Skou.
Skou is currently CEO of Maersk Tankers, a position that
would not warrant an inclusion on this list, but just as this publication goes to press, he has been named as the successor to the CEO of Maersk Line, Eivind Kolding, who is leaving shipping to become chairman of Denmark’s largest financial institution, Danske Bank It is probably not an understatement to say that from
the point of view of the press, Kolding has transformed Maersk from an organisation so tight-lipped that trying to discern its strategy was akin to understanding the inner workings of the Chinese Politburo, to a company that is increasingly being recognised for its thought leadership as its ability to move the container shipping market. While Maersk is always going to be a major influence in
the world of freight, given its sheer size in global trade’s principal theatre of operations – container shipping – Kolding used that position to push the industry itself towards new boundaries, recognising that an industry- leading company has to. In June 2011, Kolding gave one of the most eagerly
awaited speeches of recent times, “Changing the way we think about shipping”. If the speech’s actual content appeared, upon reflection, to be a little thinner than many had hoped for, there was no questioning the bravery of its intent – container shipping executives had simply not behaved in that way before. Skou joined Maersk as a shipping trainee and has been a
member of its executive board since 2001. The freight industry will not be entirely new to him however, as his role in the past included overseeing the group’s ro-ro activities, which at one point included Norfolkline.
Global 100
Fred Smith Founder & CEO, FedEx
F
edex was the world’s first overnight delivery company, founded in 1971 by Fred Smith with a $4 million inheritance.
After raising a further $19 million in venture capital, in
1973, the company began delivering small packages and documents through an integrated air-ground system – the first in the world. Smith’s original idea came from writing a paper when he
was studying at Yale University. As society became automated, he realised that manufacturers were going to need a different logistics system. Emery Air Freight was trying to do the same, but was using infrastructure built around passenger air transport. Smith founded FedEx as a customised and integrated
system to provide transport for parts from a centralised clearing house. It was designed around the model of the economic activity of the Federal Reserve banking system, which is where the name came from. The company grew through acquisitions, and has several
30 IFW-Lloyd’s Loading List | Freight’s Global 100 | 2012
divisions, including FedEx Express, the world’s largest airline in terms of freight tonnes flown, and the world’s fourth largest in terms of fleet size, with some 687 aircraft. Its main hub is at Memphis International Airport, which,
until 2009, was the largest cargo airport in terms of volumes. Major companies, such as Hewlett-Packard and Nike, have set up distribution facilities in Memphis just to be near FedEx. Smith is responsible for providing strategic direction for
all FedEx Corp companies, which handle some 8.5 million shipments a day. The company has consistently been ranked in Fortunemagazine’s industry lists, including World’s Most Admired Companies. Smith has been an active proponent of regulatory
reform, free trade and the open skies regime. He was formerly chairman of the board of governors at IATA and for the US Air Transport Association (now Airlines 4 America). He has won numerous awards for business, including CEO of the year in 2004.
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