Halliwell to become CEO of CP Ships

Halliwell to become CEO of CP Ships    Frank Halliwell, chief operating officer of CP Ships, will succeed Ray Miles as the chief executive officer of the Canadian-registered group in May.
   Miles, who will be 60 this year, has been CEO since 1988. He will become chairman of CP Ships, replacing Lord Weir.
   The succession plan will become effective after the company’s annual meeting on May 4.
   Halliwell joined Miles at Canada Maritime as his deputy in 1991, and they have together led the growth of CP Ships from a small operation carrying 100,000 TEUs a year to last year’s 2.2-million TEU volume. Over that period, CP Ships carried out nine acquisitions and its management took the company public in 2001 on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.
   Halliwell, now 55, was appointed executive vice president of CP Ships in 1995 and COO in 2001. Before joining CP Ships, he worked for Mercer Management Consultants and Barber Blue Sea.
   At CP Ships, he has been responsible for the integration of acquisitions. He has assumed increasing responsibility over the last several years and already manages the day-to-day operations of the business.
   Ian Webber will continue as chief financial officer.
   It is intended that Miles will work on average two to three days a week, CP Ships said. He will be particularly involved in providing strategic direction and leading investor relations. As the group’s future chairman, Miles will not be considered an independent director of the company, under corporate governance practice.
   In a separate development, the corporate headquarters of CP Ships will move this summer from London to Gatwick, south of London, where all of the U.K. management activities will be consolidated. The company has recently sold its London office in Trafalgar Square.
   Halliwell will in due course be based mainly at Gatwick, along with Ian Webber. CP Ships said that most of the functions currently managed from its Tampa, Fla. office will remain there.
   Miles remains chairman of the Box Club, the forum of CEOs of container shipping lines, and of the Washington-based World Shipping Council. He is also a director of CP Ships (U.K.) Ltd.