Maersk appoints Rizwan Soomar MD, for India & Sri Lanka
18 Dec 2008
Mumbai: Maersk has announced that Rizwan Soomar has taken over as managing director (India & Sri Lanka) for Maersk Line; the container shipping arm of the Denmark-based A P Moller-Maersk Group.
Rizwan takes over from Hans-Ole Madsen, who after his six-year stint as MD, Maersk India, and also as 'regional top' for South Asia, has taken up a senior position at A P Moller-Maersk Group company, APM Terminals, as head of business development for Africa, Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
Soomar joined the group in 1995 as a management trainee and has since held various senior positions in India and possesses international experience as well. He was senior general manager for north west India before moving to Egypt in May 2007.
Prior to taking over the present responsibility Soomar was MD of Maersk Line Egypt.
On assuming the leadership of the largest container shipping company in India, Rizwan said ''With the effects of the global economic slowdown beginning to show in India, the road ahead is going to be testing and will not only throw a lot of challenges but also many opportunities," Soomar said.
"I am confident that with the help of our strong set up and skilled resources we will surely sail through these difficult times and in fact emerge stronger.''
Maersk Line, the world's largest shipping container line, is a part of the A. P. Moller - Maersk Group which has its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and is present in more than 125 countries. Its fleet includes 470 container vessels and more than 1.9 million containers ensuring a reliable and comprehensive worldwide coverage. Maersk Line's feeder vessels, trucks and dedicated trains offer the unique concept of door-to-door services.
Apart from container shipping activities the group is also involved in logistics and terminal operation, tankers, oil and gas activities, retail, shipyards and manufacturing activities.
