Former Maersk Boss Named Unifeeder Chairman

Nils Smedegaard Andersen has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Denmark based feeder and shortsea operator Unifeeder, taking up his first directorship within the logistics and shipping industry after stepping down from his position as Group Chief Executive Officer of A.P. Moller - Maersk A/S in 2016.

Andersen, who is a board member and strategic adviser to Unifeeder’s largest investor, e.g. Nordic Capital Funds, also serves as Non-Executive Director at BP plc, Non-Executive Director at Unilever as well as Chairman of the Board of international retail group, Dansk Supermarked A/S.

“Unifeeder is a well-run company, fulfilling an important role as partner to both global liner shipping companies and industrial customers across Europe,” Andersen said. “Unifeeder has significantly expanded its network and service offering in recent years and I look forward to working with management to further strengthening Unifeeder’s market position by building closer customer relationships and developing the service offering, while considering entering into new markets, possibly through M&A.” 

Andersen succeeds Jesper Præstensgaard (formerly of Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk), who has stepped in as Deputy Chairman at Unifeeder.

Lars Terney, Partner in NC Advisory A/S, advisor to the Nordic Capital Funds, and member of Unifeeder’s Board of Directors, said, “We look forward to drawing on Nils Smedegaard Andersen’s sector knowledge, network and strategic insights to further accelerate organic and acquisitive growth and thus support us in the strengthening of Unifeeder’s strategic position and value proposition to its customers.” 

Unifeeder, who benefits from market share gains and increased volumes into the commercial feeder markets as well as sustained growth in the shortsea business, said it expects organic volume growth to exceed 10 percent in 2017 with an even higher growth in earnings driven by economies of scale, high capacity utilization and process and IT optimization.