July 5, 2010
Whidden appointed senior VP of Cerescorp’s Canadian operations
Thomas Simmers, president and CEO of Ceres Terminals Inc. and Cerescorp Company, has announced the appointment of Calvin Whidden as senior vice-president, Cerescorp Company.
In his new role, Mr. Whidden will be responsible for all Cerescorp operations in Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver. He will report directly to Dan Hall, senior vice-president of North America operations.
Mr. Whidden is a veteran of the transportation industry with 30 years of experience in terminal operations and 15 years with the Ceres Group. He began his career with Cerescorp Company in Halifax as the terminal manager for Fairview Cove Container Terminal. As a mechanical engineer, Ceres utilized Mr. Whidden’s expertise to plan terminal expansion in Halifax as well as other North America operations. In 1999, he became a key planner/adviser on the development of the Ceres Paragon Terminal in Amsterdam.
In 2007, Mr. Whidden was responsible for co-ordinating the expansion activities at Fairview Cove, which included the purchase of super post-panamax cranes, a doubling of the on-dock rail yard capacity and the installation of a new truck gate.
In his new position, Mr. Whidden will continue to be based in Halifax.
“Throughout the years, Calvin has been a valuable asset to the Ceres organization,” Mr. Simmers said. “As we move forward, I am happy to have him further utilize his invaluable expertise, extensive knowledge and talents at our other operations in Canada to ensure that our customers are always receiving superior service.”
Ceres is one of the largest stevedoring and marine/cruise terminal operating companies in North America with operations on the U.S. East, Gulf and West Coasts, the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway and coastal Canada. It operates as a wholly owned subsidiary in the Harbour Division of the NYK Group.
Whiting elected president of North Atlantic ports group
Yarmouth port manager Dave Whiting has been elected president of the North Atlantic Ports Association. Mr. Whiting is the first Canadian elected to the president’s post in the association’s
60-year history. He had previously served as the group’s vice-president.
Yarmouth joined the North Atlantic Ports Association in 2002. Previously, Halifax and Saint John had been the only two Canadian ports in the organization.
“We joined and brought Sydney on board and now Canso is there,” Mr. Whiting said.
Mr. Whiting, who has been elected to a two-year term, said the association is busy with a number of initiatives including the challenges and issues revolving around the U.S. Harbor Maintenance Tax; issues with the right whale in the Bay of Fundy; and the impact and potential costs of new emissions standards on the cruise industry.
The association has about 100 members.
– Tom Peters
MOL announces key senior management changes
MOL has announced the promotion of Rich Hiller to senior vice-president, MOL Liner, and executive vice-president and chief operating officer for trade management, MOL (America) Inc. Tsunemichi Mukai replaces Mr. Hiller as vice-president, MOL Liner, and vice-president for transpacific, Caribbean and Latin trade for MOL (America) Inc.
Mr. Hiller, most recently senior vice-president for the transpacific trade, joined MOL in November 1995 and held a number of positions in the transpacific trade entailing responsibilities covering pricing, marketing and trade strategy.
A graduate of Claremont Men’s College (now known as Claremont McKenna College) in California with a bachelor of arts degree, Mr. Hiller has more than 30 years of experience in the containerized shipping industry with overseas assignments that included Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong.
Mr. Mukai, who spent the last four years in equipment and global terminal management in MOL Tokyo, joined MOL in 1992, and has held positions in sales, trade management, business process, ports and terminals, and procurement. His assignments have included stays in Osaka, Tokyo, London and Rotterdam.
Mr. Mukai is a graduate of Sophia University in Tokyo.
“Both Mr. Hiller and Mr. Mukai have a broad range of experience in our company,” said Tsuyoshi Yoshida, chairman, president and CEO of MOL (America) Inc. “We are delighted to have the ability to provide a new opportunity to these talented individuals.”
MOL operates a diverse network of liner and logistics services around the world, including weekly transpacific, transatlantic, Americas and Asia-Europe services.
MOL (America) Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of MOL (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.), one of the world’s largest multimodal shipping companies.
Hamm named CEO of Nova Scotia Gateway Secretariat
Kevin Hamm has been named CEO of the new Nova Scotia Gateway Secretariat. A Nova Scotia native, Mr. Hamm has worked as a senior executive in the telecommunications and retail industries and has been employed by nationally recognized corporations in a number of cities, including Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.
Premier Darrell Dexter announced in the fall of 2009 that it was important for the province to establish a secretariat to pursue and promote Nova Scotia as a major trade gateway to international markets.
“Unifying the efforts of the many gateway partners is vital for the Atlantic Gateway to seize new opportunities and create good jobs for families across the province,” the premier said.
The secretariat will develop a vision, strategy and growth targets for the province’s gateway initiative; identify challenges and actions to maximize gateway opportunities; and provide leadership to engage and support co-ordination among gateway partners.
Mr. Hamm will set up a gateway advisory council to serve as a sounding board for government on gateway issues and priorities.
– Tom Peters