Robert Maersk Uggla to head liner giant as new generation takes control

AP Moller-Maersk announced a revamp of its top supervisory body on Tuesday, appointing Robert Maersk Uggla to lead its board of directors.

Uggla will assume his new duties after the liner giant’s annual general meeting on 15 March.

“I look forward to continuing AP Moller-Maersk’s transformation,” said Uggla, who has been chief executive of AP Moller Holding since 2016, with a brief to lead the group’s renewal and investment strategy.

Uggla, born in 1978, will be supported in his role by Marc Engel, who is to be installed as the new vice-chairman.

Engel, who has extensive knowledge of global supply chains and logistics from his position at the Unilever conglomerate, has served on the Maersk board since 2019, with a seat on its transformation & innovation committee.

Outgoing chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe, who had expressed his wish to stand down from the position, will continue serving as an advisor to the board.

Hagemann Snabe was an outsider to the shipping business when he was first appointed as a board member in 2016, but he has brought long experience of the technology sector as a director of SAP and chairman of Siemens.

Outgoing vice chairman Ane Maersk Mc-Kinney Uggla had also stated she would not stand for re-election on 15 March and that it was time her son took the helm.

“After three decades on the board, it is time for me to pass on the responsibility to Robert, who with his seven years on the board of directors has been a driving force in the development of AP Moller-Maersk,” said Uggla, 73, who is the daughter of legendary shipowner Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller.

“The timing of a generational change is ... well chosen,” said Hagemann Snabe, adding that Robert “has been involved all the way” in the company’s recent development of new capabilities within logistics, digitalisation and sustainability under chief executive Soren Skou.

Ane Maersk Mc-Kinney Uggla hailed Hagemann Snabe for his contribution to that process. “Jim is handing over a strong company and a solid foundation for further development, and I am pleased that we will continue to benefit from Jim’s knowledge and insight,” she said.

Hagemann Snabe added: “It has been a privilege to be part of the reinvention of this unique company.

“I know that Robert with dedication will build on the momentum that is now established and I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued development in the role of advisor to Robert and the rest of the board.”