Chris Koch helped build the shipping council into a bridge to other associations and global governing bodies during his 15 years in charge.
Current president and chief executive officer of the World Shipping Council Chris Koch will retire from his position July 31, with WSC Senior Vice President and General Counsel John Butler set to assume that position Aug. 1.
The WSC is an association representing liner shipping companies whose members operate approximately 90 percent of the global liner ship capacity, providing approximately 400 regularly scheduled global services. Koch will continue to support the council as a senior advisor.
“Chris has decided to move to the Sonoma Valley in California — a beautiful place that he loves,” said WSC Chairman Ron Widdows. “During his 15 years of leadership, he helped the liner shipping industry build WSC into a respected advocacy organization that represents the industry effectively in Washington, in Brussels, at the International Maritime Organization and World Customs Organization, with other international and national government and industry bodies, and with the media.”
Of Butler, Widdows said the board expects his transition to be seamless.
“When he assumes the position of president next summer, John will have served as WSC’s general counsel for five years, and prior to that, worked on liner shipping issues for 18 years at the renowned maritime law firm of Sher & Blackwell,” he said. “John has been deeply engaged in all the issues WSC is working on in addition to his broader expertise on a wide range of issues that could affect the industry.”
Prior to joining the World Shipping Council in 2000, he served as senior vice president and general counsel for Sea-Land Service, Inc., where he was responsible for legal, regulatory and government affairs.
While with Sea-Land, he worked with the maritime industry in the development, enactment and implementation of numerous maritime policy initiatives as well as assisting Sea-Land to develop and implement its business plan and commercial strategy.
Before joining Sea-Land, he served as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission from 1990 to 1993 as an appointee of President George H.W. Bush. He came to the FMC after a decade on Capitol Hill, where he served in various capacities, including counsel to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and chief of staff to Senator Slade Gorton and Senator John McCain.
In 2008, Koch took a leave of absence from the WSC to become a policy coordinator for McCain’s Republican presidential campaign.
From 2004-2009, Chris served as chairman of the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee, which provides the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security with industry advice on maritime security matters.
WSC head Koch to step down in July
