APL to reorganize along ‘functional’ lines

   APL said it will reorganize along functional instead of geographic lines “to drive its business forward.”
   “The container shipping industry is undergoing profound changes, characterized by low growth and intense competition. We recognize there is a need for APL to respond more quickly to the market and to our customers. We are pushing ahead with our strategy to sharpen our competitive edge through cost efficiency and organizational agility while building on our strong reputation for service quality,” said Kenneth Glenn, president of APL.
    “APL has significantly improved its cost position through operational efficiencies, as well as the continuing introduction of large fuel-efficient ships and the return of expensive chartered tonnage. We want to now take our speed of decision-making, market responsiveness and cost management to the next level by adopting a function-led management approach.”
   The functions will be in the areas of  trade, commercial, operations, procurement, and planning and strategy.
   Glenn will lead a leadership team that includes:

• Peter Jongepier, Chief Commercial Officer
• Calvin Leong, Chief Trade Officer
• Nathaniel Seeds, Chief Operations Officer
• Jason Wong, Chief Procurement Officer

   As part of the realignment, the role of current regional and country leads will be organized into commercial and operations functional leads. The planning and strategy officer will be named in the future.